College of Basic and Applied Sciences Overview

Mission Statement

Teaching and research in the College of Basic and Applied Sciences (CBAS) are central to the mission and success of Middle Tennessee State University. We will provide a transformative and experiential education to all MTSU students. The College will inspire, support, and mentor students, staff, and faculty to think critically and creatively, to confront challenges boldly, and to be ambitious. In implementing its mission, the College will:

  1. Through a broad range of challenging undergraduate programs and distinctive graduate degrees we prepare students for leadership and successful careers in higher education positions as well as scientific and technical fields in industry, teaching, government, and health services;
  2. employ a diverse faculty community of exceptional teacher-scholars, nationally and internationally recognized for their teaching and research;
  3. use its resources to help address scientific, environmental, educational, and health-related challenges in the Middle Tennessee area, throughout the nation, and across the globe.

Core Values  for CBAS

The college has defined the following eight core values to define its success factors:

STUDENT-CENTERED: students are the focus of college priorities, resource decisions, and planning. We are stewards of student needs and advocates for student academic success and professional development.

INTEGRITY: integrity involves honesty and fairness, consistency in instruction, ethics of scholarship, freedom for inquiry, and open and truthful engagement with the community through effective communication, policies and practices.

ACADEMIC QUALITY: academic excellence is providing of the highest quality educational and learning experiences made possible by academically and professionally qualified faculty and staff, opportunities for contextual learning, state-of-the-art facilities, and effective resources necessary to support learning at the highest level.

INNOVATION: innovation is the creative and deliberate application of teaching, research, scholarship and service for effective education, and the development of useful products or processes providing a value added to the community.

DIVERSITY: Diversity enriches a learning environment focused on preparing individuals to live, work and lead in a global society.

FLEXIBILITY: flexibility in our curriculum and teaching methods to the styles and needs of the learner.

RESPECT: respect for individuals through attentiveness to attitudes, behaviors, thoughts words and interactions.

COMMUNITY: community is the students, faculty, and administration working collaboratively, combining their talents and ideas to improve the overall quality of our shared experience.

Key Priorities for CBAS

Excellence in teaching, research, and service is our mission. A world-class faculty is central to realizing the vision of the college. This plan details the College's top priorities and supports the achievement of the highest level of success in the following 5 key areas.

  1. Recruit, support, retain develop a diverse, aspiring and engaged faculty;
  2. Promote and enhance the profile of our research and scholarship;
  3. Deliver an outstanding undergraduate education with emphasis on "hands on" experiences, student research opportunities and international experiences all leading to student success;
  4. Develop and support acclaimed graduate programs in fields of national and international demand; and
  5. Nurture multifaceted partnerships with an enduring, positive impact on the community

For a detailed copy of the Strategic plan click here.