Black Hills State University (BHSU), located in Spearfish, was founded in 1884. BHSU is divided into three colleges, the College of Arts & Sciences, College of Business & Technology and College of Education. Within these three colleges, BHSU offers 72 degree programs ranging from the associate to the master's degree levels. In addition to on-campus education, BHSU also offers three online/distance learning programs as well as several online courses.
Founded in 1881, Dakota State University (DSU) is located in Madison. DSU offers several majors at both the associate and bachelor level within its following three colleges: College of Arts & Sciences, College of Education and College of Business and Information Systems. DSU also offers graduate programs as well as the opportunity for its students to earn their degree online through its distance-learning program.
Northern State University is located in Aberdeen. Founded in 1901 by the South Dakota Legislature, this four-year public institution offers its students degrees through the following programs: arts and sciences, business, education and fine arts. Northern State boasts a center of excellence in international business to support its international business majors, foreign exchange students as well as students studying abroad. Northern State also offers its students the option of enrolling in distance-learning courses.
Oglala Lakota College is a public college that was founded to meet the educational needs of the Oglala Sioux tribe. Oglala was chartered in 1971 and awarded accreditation in 1979. Located on the Pine Ridge Reservation, Oglala offers academic programs ranging from GED classes to master-level courses. Ogala students can choose from a wide range of courses within the college's several different academic and distance-learning programs.
Located in Rapid City, the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology prides itself as being the technological university of South Dakota. Known to many as "Mines," this university offers its students several bachelor's degree majors focusing on engineering and science. Mines also allows its students to earn an associate degree in general studies as well as several non-degree programs. In addition, Mines has graduate and doctoral programs focused on engineering and science.
South Dakota State University (SDSU) was founded in 1881 as the first land-grant university in the state. SDSU is located in Brookings and offers students the choice of more than 200 majors, minors and academic programs. In addition to a wide selection for its undergraduate and graduate degree courses, SDSU has more than 200 student organizations. SDSU gives its students study-abroad as well as distance-learning opportunities.
Founded in 1862, the University of South Dakota (USD) is the state's oldest university. Located in Vermillion, USD offers its students 132 undergraduate degree programs as well as 62 graduate degree programs. USD is broken down into nine different academic divisions and boasts that approximately 88 percent of its students receive financial aid. Students are encouraged to involve themselves in any of USD's 120 student organizations. USD also offers distance-learning courses.