Muskingum University is a private university located in New Concord, Ohio, United States. It is located approximately sixty miles east of the state capital of Columbus. Founded in 1837, Muskingum University is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA).
Collectively, the university’s alumni are referred to as the “Long Magenta Line” and students (both past and present) are known simply as “Muskies” while its athletic teams are called the “Fighting Muskies”. New Concord, Ohio is located in far eastern Muskingum County, which derives its name from the Muskingum River. Muskingum offers more than 40 academic majors. Graduate programs are offered in education and management information systems, strategy and technology. Muskingum’s campus consists of 21 buildings, a football stadium and a small lake, which all sit atop 225 acres (0.91 km2) of rolling hills overlooking New Concord.
Muskingum has been continuously accredited by the North Central Association of College and Secondary Schools since 1919. “The school up on the hill,” as it is sometimes called by locals, offers Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees at the undergraduate level, and at the graduate level Master of Information Strategy Systems and Technology, Master of Arts in Education, and Master of Arts in Teaching graduate degrees. The university offers 44 academic majors along with a large number of minors, 9 pre-professional programs (including pre-law and pre-medicine) and teaching licensure, all of which must be pursued within a strong liberal arts curriculum, known at Muskingum as the “Liberal Arts Essentials” (LAEs) (see below). Among Muskingum’s strongest undergraduate academic programs are its science division, math program, education department, and English department. Muskingum is often proclaimed as a “best value” in education, by combining strong academics with low tuition, by U.S. News & World Report and similar publications. In their 2008 America’s Best College’s guide, U.S. News & World Report ranked Muskingum the “31st Best Master’s Level University” in the Midwest academically and the “4th Best Value” among Midwest Master’s Level Universities.