Kentucky State University has a special emphasis on training Black men and women to become teachers in predominantly Black elementary schools. Over the years, it has broadened the available areas of study for its nearly 2,200 students to include nursing, consumer sciences, humanities and the performing arts, STEM courses, and more. KSU provides students the higher education that best suits their needs, whether that be an associate, bachelor鈥檚, or master鈥檚 degree. Most recently, KSU has instituted a unique online curriculum enabling anyone across the globe to earn a master鈥檚 degree in Special Education from the university.
Founded as a land-grant university, agriculture is still a dominant focus of KSU. The campus offers an impressive 204-acre research farm, as well as the world鈥檚 only full-time Pawpaw research program that studies the tropical-like fruit native to the state of Kentucky. One of the university鈥檚 other areas of distinction is the aquaculture tract that studies alternative methods of production and water quality to find solutions as demand grows for fish consumption.