Visiting Campus: Prospective Graduate Students

Campus visits provide meaningful opportunities to meet faculty, staff and students in your program of interest and to truly explore the wealth of experiences you can gain at Mizzou.

Setting Up a Visit With Your Program of Interest

We recommend that you contact the director of graduate studies in the academic program you’re considering to set up a time to visit. Directors of graduate studies are faculty members who are appointed for each graduate program on campus, and meeting with prospective students is one of their duties. Try to arrange any appointments with faculty and staff at least two weeks in advance if at all possible.

Additional Information

Refer to Mizzou’s For Visitors page to get general information about the University, travel, parking and weather.

Under-Represented Prospective Students

Prospective students from under-represented groups can apply for a spot in the Emerge Graduate Preview Weekend, an expenses-paid event that occurs each fall.

Things to Do on Your Visit

Create a list of questions you want to ask.

About.com has an informative section on graduate school that includes a list of questions you should consider asking. Research your questions on the Web site of your program of interest before you get to campus, so you can maximize your visiting time (and show courtesy to faculty and staff).

Meet with faculty.

If you are hoping to conduct research with a particular faculty member, you can contact him/her directly beforehand to set up an appointment during your visit. Our Academic Programs Catalog provides faculty lists with research areas of interest.

Ask about opportunities to meet students in the program.

Talk to the director of graduate studies about whether current students have been appointed to meet with visitors like you.

Think about the areas of campus you would like to investigate.

Official campus tours include lots of information specific to prospective undergraduates, so it might be better to ask the director of graduate studies in your program of interest whether current students or staff from the program have been appointed to give graduate tours. If not, you can print a campus map (PDF), and be sure to check out these points of interest:

• Ellis Library (MU’s main library) and other academic libraries
• Our state-of-the-art recreation center
• Memorial Union and Brady Commons, where many students meet, study and eat. The University Bookstore is inside Brady Commons.
• Gardens and tree trails (The MU campus is a designated botanic garden.)
• Historic landmarks, including the Columns and Peace Park

Explore Columbia.

Columbia has been called the quintessential college town by U.S. News and World Report, and Money magazine, Men’s Journal and MSN.com have all called it one of America’s best places to live. Downtown Columbia borders campus and can easily be explored on foot.

The Columbia Convention and Visitors Bureau has information to help you plan your trip.