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If you want to know what everyday life in the USA is all about, Brookings, South Dakota, is the place for you! As a large university in a small-town environment, students always feel welcome at South Dakota State.
- Agriculture and horticulture students will find a wealth of course offerings, research opportunities, and student activities.
- Strong academic programs in engineering, the arts, and humanities. Other unique programs in apparel merchandising and interior design, geography, electrical engineering, and dairy science.
- Graduate (Master's) exchange and graduate degree-seeking students are welcome!
- Take an online Campus Tour!
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- Founded in 1881, SDSU has evolved from a small agricultural college to the flagship university in South Dakota with the largest and most comprehensive course and program offerings in the state.
- As South Dakota’s only land-grant university, excellent facilities are available, including state-of-the-art laboratories and 70 “smart” classrooms outfitted with special instructional technology.
- SDSU is home to the state’s Geographic Information Sciences Center of Excellence.
- The SDSU campus is home to two state museums—the South Dakota Art Museum and the South Dakota Agricultural Heritage Museum.
- Over 11,000 undergraduate and graduate students
- 220 international students on campus from more than 40 different countries
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- With a 16:1 student-teacher ratio, South Dakota State’s small class sizes allow professors to get to know students from the first day of attendance.
- A minimum TOEFL score of 500 (173 CBT) is required for undergraduate study; 525 (195 CBT) for graduate.
- Students with TOEFL scores below 600 (250 CBT) will be required to take a language proficiency exam upon arrival at SDSU. Test results will be used to determine whether a student needs to complete one or more ESL support courses in addition to regular academic courses.
- ESL courses in all levels are available year-round for an additional fee.
- Strong academic programs are offered in engineering, the arts, and humanities; however, courses are available in almost any subject.
- The Department of Nutrition, Food Science and Hospitality offers extensive coursework in Dietetics, Food Science, Nutritional Sciences, and Hotel and Foodservice Management.
- Master's (graduate) students are welcome to come to SDSU as exchange student or degree-seeking students. Students must meet standard SDSU requirements for graduate admission to be admitted to graduate degree programs.
Agricultural & Biological Sciences
Agriculture, agronomy, agribusiness, biosystems engineering, veterinary science, and horticulture are just a few of the over 20 departments available in agricultural & biological sciences. Top rate research facilities, including the Agriculture Experiment Station, provide a range of practical and professional opportunities for students. Students will quickly feel at home with the opportunity to join over 25 different agricultural student organizations and attend many exciting events including rodeos!
Interior Design
Studio courses in interior design provide education in interior decorating, space planning, designing lighting plans, selecting furniture, equipment layouts, and materials. All facilities were recently renovated to include high-tech teaching laboratories, a student design gallery, and a new home for the historic collections.
Apparel Merchandising
Want a career in the fashion industry? SDSU offers classes in design and manufacturing, textiles, international trade, and the history of costume. The department focuses on product knowledge, design principles, consumer behavior, and organization and operation of the fashion industry.
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Academic Departments
Schedule of Classes
Student Life
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Housing
- ISEP students live in shared apartments called Berg Hall, located a short walk from campus, and receive a stipend for a cafeteria meal plan.
- Every apartment includes a common living area, private bathroom, fully-equipped kitchen, and four individual bedrooms. The apartment complex also features air conditioning, electronic security access, elevator, a live-in apartment manager, on-site laundry facilities, and ample parking.
- Each room includes a bed, dresser, desk and chair, and bed linens.
- Internet service can be provided in the apartment by the university for a fee. Student computer labs are also available in a nearby hall only a five minutes' walk away. Television and phone services can be purchased locally for a reasonable fee.
- Housing for married couples or families is available for an additional fee.
Services
- SDSU Office of International Programs will pick up ISEP students from the Brookings and Sioux Falls airports upon arrival.
- A new expanded Student Union building with a market, lounge areas, pool tables, mail center, bookstore, and student activity offices offers great services.
Sports and Health
- Softball, football, racquetball, tennis, golf, volleyball, badminton, wrestling, basketball, table-tennis, water polo, swimming, and track and field are some of the many intramural sport in which international students can participate!
- A Wellness Center provides the opportunity for students to improve their fitness with two weight rooms, a variety of exercise equipment, and a swimming pool.
- The Jackrabbit Stampede Rodeo in early April is one of America’s oldest and most competitive college rodeos, and it’s right on campus!
- Students can enjoy a multitude of on-campus varsity sports events year round! Go Jackrabbits!
Things to Do
- South Dakota State University has over 200 recognized cultural, academic, political, religious, special interest and social Student Organizations.
- Students are encouraged to participate in the International Relations Club (IRC) activities. Over the past few years, the IRC has sponsored trips to Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Watertown, Yankton, and Mitchell in South Dakota, and the Badlands National Park in South Dakota.
- Enjoyed by campus and city alike, the seventy-acre on-campus McCrory Gardens and South Dakota Arboretum is one of only 13 All-American Display Garden in the United States.
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Welcome to South Dakota State University!
South Dakota State University has a long and distinguished history of international activity and engagement. Starting at the beginning of the 20th century, when Professor N. E. Hansen, a frequent traveler to Siberia and East Asia, brought back plant specimens he thought would do well in South Dakota's climate, SDSU has been engaged with the world. Hansen's international experiences informed the university's land-grant mission in the early days and he is aptly remembered as SDSU's first internationalist.
Today, we continue the internationalist tradition started by Professor Hansen in everything we do. International education is an important part of the university's curriculum, and our students have many chances to learn about the world, whether on campus or through one of our many exciting study abroad programs.
As I have witnessed many times first-hand, study abroad can have an amazingly transformative effect on university students. And what they learn isn’t strictly limited to new courses and another culture. They also learn new things about themselves, about their own worldviews, and about their comfort levels. If they’re open to the possibilities study abroad offers in terms of personal development, students return home from the international experience as changed people with new perspectives on life.
Although South Dakota is a state in the middle of North America, seemingly isolated from the wider world around it, international experiences are a vital part of our present and our future. South Dakota is a significant international exporter of agricultural and manufactured goods. Although our two biggest trading partners are still Canada and Mexico, the rest of the top ten list of global partners includes three European countries (the United Kingdom, Germany, and the Netherlands) and five Asian countries or trade zones (Japan, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Thailand, and Singapore). The state has more than 300 companies who export their diverse products globally, ranging from aeronautical equipment to woodworking machinery. International connections are all around us.
No matter which ISEP partner institution you come from, I cordially invite you to visit with us about your study abroad interests. Let us show you how welcoming South Dakota State University can be.
Karl J. Schmidt, Ph.D.
Director of International Programs
Dr. Karl J. Schmidt is the Director of International Programs at SDSU. He assumed the post in September 2003. He oversees all student and faculty exchange programs, develops and leads faculty development seminars abroad, negotiates and finalizes new agreements with international partner universities, maintains existing international partnerships, chairs the SDSU International Advisory Council, and represents the university in the international sphere and with the university's consortial partners.
He has nearly 15 years of university teaching experience with specialties in the history of India and China, and 20th century world history and international affairs, and was most recently associate professor of history and international studies at Missouri Southern State University, where he taught for nine years.
Dr. Schmidt holds a B.A. in geography from the University of South Florida (1985), as well as an M.A. in international affairs and Ph.D. in history from Florida State University (1987 and 1994, respectively).
About Brookings, South Dakota
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Brookings is one of the fastest growing communities in South Dakota. The city has a diverse economy and serves as the educational and cultural focus for east-central South Dakota and parts of western Minnesota.
- Brookings has shopping malls, a multi-screen movie theater, and a vibrant downtown.
- Many state parks and recreational activities are available within driving distance from Brookings.
South Dakota is renowned for its great natural beauty and tourist destinations—the Missouri river, Custer State Park (home to a large herd of North American bison), the Black Hills and the Badlands, as well as Mount Rushmore, the world’s largest sculpture.
- Nearby Oakwood Lakes State Park boasts hiking/nature trails and offers kayak rentals to explore area lakes. Most state parks parks also have camping facilities. In the winter months, it is a great place for cross-country skiing and ice-fishing.
- Adventurous students can visit Sioux River to experience Class V whitewater rafting!
- Winter activities are endless in South Dakota—choose from cross-country skiing, ice-fishing, or downhill skiing.
- Badlands National Park—a landscape of unusual buttes, gorges and spires—covers 244,000 acres of southwestern South Dakota. Created by 37 million years of wind and water erosion, the Badlands' formations feature ribbons of colored stone embedded with the remains of prehistoric creatures. Badlands National Park was once home to three-toed horses, giant pigs, and rhinoceros-like titanotheres.
- Mount Rushmore is one of the most famous tourist sites in the United States and is the largest work of art on earth. The faces of four U.S. presidents—George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abe Lincoln, and Teddy Roosevelt—are carved on a mountain side. The sheer size of the sculpture is incredibly impressive, with each face measuring over 18 meters (60 feet)!
- Fairs and Festivals occur year round in South Dakota. From the annual state fair to rodeos and art festivals, there’s sure to be something for everyone!
The state of South Dakota was named for the Lakota (Sioux) American Indian tribe and boasts a proud Native American heritage and history. Students can visit Native American Reservations, museums, and attend events throughout the year.
- Crazy Horse Memorial, currently being carved and soon-to-be the world’s largest sculpture, is located in the Black Hills of South Dakota just 17 miles southwest of Mount Rushmore. The memorial will depict the great Native American hero, Crazy Horse, carved into the face of a mountain. The memorial includes the Indian Museum of North America and the Native American Cultural Center.
- Calendar of Powwows and Fairs on Rosebud Sioux Reservation
- Powwow Calendar and assorted information for Yankton Sioux Reservation in eastern South Dakota
- The Sicangu Heritage Center at Sinte Gleska University in Mission, South Dakota, works to preserve the history and culture of the Sicangu People. Sinte Gleska University is a tribally chartered university, founded in 1971. The bookstore stocks American Indian literature.
Links about South Dakota
State of South Dakota
City of Brookings
Travel South Dakota
The Real America: Your Guide to the American Rockies
Travel to major cities by car:
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
60 miles/1 hour
Omaha, Nebraska
234 miles/3.5 hours
Minneapolis, Minnesota
318 miles/4 hours
Chicago, Illinois
624 miles/10 hours