Why Graduate School at a Land-Grant University Might Be Right for You

Whether you’re a metropolitan urbanite, a born-and-raised farmer, or something in between, you may not know much about land-grant universities.

In short, land-grant universities are educational structures that enable community improvement through experience and research knowledge. No matter what kind of school you attended for undergraduate, you should consider researching why choosing a graduate school — that is also a land-grant university — might be perfect for you.

What is a land grant university?

The history of land-grant universities goes all the way back to Civil War-era America. In 1862, the U.S. Congress passed and President Abraham Lincoln signed the first Land-Grant Act (also known as the Morrill Act for its sponsor, Rep. Justin Morrill of Vermont).

The purpose of the Land-Grant Act was “the endowment, support, and maintenance of at least one college where the leading object shall be, without excluding other scientific and classical studies and including military tactics, to teach such branches of learning as are related to agriculture and the mechanic arts, in such manner as the legislatures of the States may respectively prescribe, in order to promote the liberal and practical education of the industrial classes in the several pursuits and professions in life.”

In other words, the legislation reflected a growing demand for agricultural and technical education in the United States. At a time when higher education was still widely unavailable to many agricultural and industrial workers, the Morrill Act opened the opportunity of a practical education to a broader segment of the population.

Because of their land, funding, and mission, these universities remain a unique place for graduate students to participate in world-class research and local service to the community.

Since West Virginia University was founded in 1867, it has remained dedicated to its land-grant commission of promoting access to higher education and applying research to meet the needs of West Virginians. The land-grant mission is at the core of WVU’s identity as a university, from the Extension Service and Engineering to Public History and Health Sciences.

How does being a land-grant university enhance the academic experience of students?

The following quote from Senator Morrill explains his perspective on the academic purpose of land-grant universities: “The land-grant colleges were founded on the idea that a higher and broader education should be placed in every State within the reach of those whose destiny assigns them to, or who may have the courage to choose industrial locations where the wealth of nations is produced … It would be a mistake to suppose it was intended that every student should become either a farmer or a mechanic when the design comprehended not only instruction for those who may hold the plow or follow a trade, but such instruction as any person might need — with ‘the world all before them where to choose’ — and without the exclusion of those who might prefer to adhere to the classics.”

Land-grant universities were originally a bit of a protest against the dominance of teaching only the classics in higher education by rather aiming to offer the working classes practical instruction for their agricultural and industrial society alongside those who studied the humanities and the classics.

Today, they still offer a diverse blend of graduate students who form holistic academic communities. Many of these institutions have joined the ranks of the nation’s most distinguished public-research universities. Through the land-grant university heritage, millions of students are able to study every academic discipline and explore fields of inquiry far beyond the scope envisioned in the original land-grant mission.

Following are a few examples of WVU’s excellent dedication to research, fostered by the unique environment offered at a land-grant university:

• Decades before the country was “going green,” WVU launched one of the country’s only eco-efficient people movers — the Personal Rapid Transit (or “PRT”). It’s the only system in the world that allows riders to travel point to point without stopping at another station.
• WVU researchers developed the world’s first fully transportable heavy-duty vehicle emissions testing laboratory. In 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency credited a 2014 WVU study for raising questions about real-world emissions levels in Volkswagen light-duty diesel engines.
• WVU was the first in the nation to train miners and houses one of the world’s largest simulated underground coal mines. Building on its heritage of energy research, WVU is fostering the responsible use of fossil energy and the development of sustainable energy technologies. More than 100 faculty members are researching energy issues.

Why do land-grant universities make such great communities to live in?

Various funding supports regional research, enabling scientists and students in all fields such as agriculture, education, sustainability, engineering, and healthcare to collaborate with the community and meet needs that wouldn’t otherwise be met, for example:

• WVU researchers are working with the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources and using current scientific advances, such as drone technology, to preserve the state’s brook trout habitat, an important natural and economic resource.
• WVU chemists were among the first to reproduce the theoretical chimera state in a laboratory, an achievement that could lead to a better understanding of how the brain works and have implications for neuroscience and medicine.
• Before graduation, all Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy students complete a rural rotation, providing care to patients across the state. Bonnie’s Bus, a mobile mammography service, has provided nearly 8,700 breast cancer screening mammograms throughout West Virginia.
• The College of Law provides about 40,000 hours of free legal services and student pro-bono projects annually. These efforts include the Innocence Project that brings together WVU’s law school and forensics program to help exonerate prisoners who were wrongly convicted in West Virginia.

By offering so much to local populations, land-grant universities offer more to graduate students. Students are given the opportunity to receive first-class academic instruction while simultaneously using their expertise to solve real-world problems.

What better way to complete your academic career than with practical application?

If you’d like more information on how to navigate the process of applying to grad school, check out our free graduate school decision guide.