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Welcome to Ball State University! Our beautiful, welcoming campus in the heart of Indiana is the perfect size to provide world-class resources and opportunities while treating you as a learning partner from day one. Our innovative, collaborative experiences and faculty inspire our students to find their passion and purpose, excel, and take flight to a fulfilling career and a meaningful life. It all begins here with Beneficence, who symbolizes the enduring values that have guided us for more than a century. After you explore our virtual tour, schedule a campus visit to see if Ball State is the right place for you. As Cardinals, We Fly!
Pittenger Student Center
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The L.A. Pittenger Student Center is a gathering place to get involved in Ball State’s nearly 400 student-run organizations and clubs, including 31 social fraternities and sororities. You can also enjoy bowling and other games at Cardinal Lanes, or grab your Starbucks and Taco Bell favorites at the Tally Food Court. Every Saturday night, students come here for fun activities and free food at our “Late Nite at Ball State” event. The Student Center is also home to the Rinker Center for Global Affairs, which supports our international students, presents cultural activities on campus, and offers study abroad opportunities in more than 50 countries.
The Quad
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Welcome to the Quad, the historic heart of Ball State’s campus surrounded by our oldest buildings. Thousands of students have graduated here in Spring Commencement ceremonies. Many liberal arts programs in our College of Sciences and Humanities call this area home—from criminal justice, anthropology, and astronomy to philosophy, languages, and women's and gender studies. You’ll also find our major in natural resources and environmental management plus special facilities like the Ball State Weather Station and Indiana's largest planetarium, which can simulate a night sky with 10 million stars. Nearby, the 17-acre forest of Christy Woods provides a living laboratory for scientific research on campus.
Owsley Museum of Art
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Overlooking the Quad is the David Owsley Museum of Art in the historic Fine Arts Building. Built in 1935 and expanded twice since 2000, this rich cultural resource features about 1,000 works of art on display in several galleries and more than 11,000 works in its extensive collection. The museum houses a wide array of paintings, prints, sculpture, decorative arts, furniture, and artifacts from around the world representing 5,000 years of human civilization. Guided tours and educational programs engage visitors throughout the year. You can browse major exhibitions and even join a meditation session in front of an ancient Buddha statue.
Scramble Light
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We’ve arrived at the Scramble Light, which is said to be the largest pedestrian crossing in Indiana. McKinley and Riverside Avenues meet here in the middle of our campus. When signal button is pressed, all traffic stops and the Cardinal chirps to indicate it’s safe to cross in any direction. This is one of the biggest social hubs at Ball State, and students often have special events here. Up and down McKinley Avenue, you can catch a free ride on our campus shuttle, or hop on a city bus—also free for students—to visit Muncie’s hot spots for the arts, shopping, and recreation.
Teachers College Building
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The towering Teachers College Building houses state-of-the art classrooms and research facilities for Ball State’s nationally recognized teaching programs, which include majors in early childhood, elementary, secondary, higher, and special education. We offer Indiana’s only degrees in deaf or hearing-impaired education and applied behavior analysis with an emphasis in autism. Ball State has been a leader in education for more than 100 years and the largest provider of teacher preparation candidates in Indiana. Our students gain real-world experience and engage with the local community at Burris Laboratory School on campus, Mitchell Early Childhood and Family Center near campus, and many other schools in the area.
Art and Journalism Building
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The Art and Journalism Building is a popular gathering place on the Ball State campus. You can grab Chick-fil-A and Papa John’s favorites at The Atrium food court, buy textbooks and apparel at the Ball State Bookstore, and view student exhibitions in the Griner Art Gallery. Upstairs, students in our College of Communication, Information, and Media produce award-winning news publications and programs in the Unified Media Lab. Strategic communication and emerging media design teams also develop creative solutions for real clients. College of Fine Arts majors craft original works of art and animation in studios here and at the Marilyn K. Glick Center for Glass.
Letterman Communication and Media Building
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Named for Ball State’s most famous graduate, the David Letterman Communication and Media Building is the flagship facility of our College of Communication, Information, and Media, which ranks among the largest communications schools in the country. In here, students work with advanced film and television production equipment, run the WCRD radio station, and win championships as part of our debate and speech teams. In adjacent buildings, you’ll find the Emmy-winning Sports Link student media program and our new Esports Center for gaming competition and production. This complex also houses Ball State’s public television and radio stations and one of the nation's largest virtual production studios.
Shafer Tower
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Look up! In front of the David Letterman Building, the majestic Shafer Tower stands 150 feet tall in the middle of McKinley Avenue—the crowning glory of the north end of Ball State’s campus. The tower’s 48 custom-made bells cover four octaves, making it a huge instrument capable of playing most carillon music. The bells are programmed to ring every 15 minutes throughout the day and signal to students that class is starting. On special occasions, they’re played by a musician using a keyboard up in the tower. Across the street, University Green provides a popular spot for special events and students in hammocks.
Architecture Building
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Now we’re in the Architecture Building, which houses Ball State’s highly ranked R. Wayne Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning, one of the nation’s largest and most comprehensive schools of environmental design. Students majoring in architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, and related fields collaborate on environmentally sustainable and socially responsible design-build projects for local communities throughout Indiana and around the world. They work in hands-on studios and create 3-D models, prototypes, and virtual simulations in the Fab Labs and the Institute for Digital Intermedia Arts. Construction management and interior design students also build professional skills through real-world projects and labs in the Applied Technology Building.
Frog Baby Fountain
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Frog Baby Fountain is one of the most popular landmarks at Ball State. It’s also a great place to take a break. The bronze sculpture of a joyous little girl playfully holding a frog in each hand was created by Edith Barretto Stevens Parsons in the 1930s. Frog Baby once resided in the David Owsley Museum of Art, and students used to rub her nose for good luck on final exams. After she was moved to this fountain near Bracken Library, along with some other froggy friends, the tradition became more protective. Today students routinely dress her up for the seasons and special occasions.
Whitinger Business Building
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The Whitinger Business Building is home to Ball State’s Miller College of Business and our nationally recognized programs in entrepreneurship and innovation, accounting, risk management and insurance, and professional selling. Other popular majors include finance, marketing, computer and information technology, and fashion industry studies. We also have unique programs in business analytics and property management. Students build advanced professional skills as they launch new business ventures through the Entrepreneurship Center, operate the Allègre restaurant on campus, and manage the Maplewood Mansion Learning Lab, a short-term lodging facility in the local community. Our Center for Professional Selling hosts one of the country's largest sales career fairs.
Bracken Library
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If there’s one campus resource that everybody uses at some point, it’s Bracken Library. This centrally located hub offers all kinds of information and technology services—from research guides and rare historical materials to maps, music, and mobile printing. Students can also get personalized research assistance and borrow computer equipment. The Schwartz Special Collections and Digital Complex provides access to international media and broadcasts, and Ball State’s Tech Center and Technology Store is the place to go for computer help, training, and purchases. The library also offers group study and quiet spaces plus a unique Contemplation Space for quiet personal reflection, meditation, prayer, and relaxation
Multicultural Center
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Welcome to the new home of Ball State’s Multicultural Center in the heart of our campus. This important resource supports our enduring commitment to diversity and inclusion. Here, students can find a sense of belonging and opportunities for cross-cultural connections in a safe, accepting environment. The center promotes multicultural understanding through Unity Week events, workshops and monthly conversations about diversity and equity issues, and a social justice peer education program. Special peer mentoring programs help new students of color make a successful transition to college life. There’s also a multicultural library here, and The Lavender Door offers free and discreet access to gender-affirming clothing.
Sursa Performance Hall
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Music, theatre, and dance students in Ball State’s nationally recognized College of Fine Arts programs learn and perform in some of Indiana’s finest venues. Sursa Performance Hall features a world-class pipe organ plus adjustable wall panels that provide perfect concert acoustics for small and large ensembles. The Music Instruction Building also includes 11 state-of-the-art recording and editing studios where music media production majors process digital sound and create commercial compositions. Across the street, talented students present a full season of stage productions in University Theatre, while Emens Auditorium hosts national and international touring shows, concerts, and entertainers. Most events are free or discounted for students.
Honors College
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Ready to challenge yourself, expand your thinking, and boost your leadership potential? Ball State’s distinctive Honors College—housed in the historic Edmund F. and Virginia B. Ball Honors House—enrolls more than a thousand high-ability students each year. It’s the most comprehensive honors program in Indiana and features a specialized liberal arts curriculum that rivals top private schools. Small, highly interactive classes explore stimulating topics and diverse viewpoints through student-driven discussion. The Honors College offers a close-knit living-learning community, special overseas study experiences, and paid fellowships with professors. Honors students compete for prestigious scholarships, and they live together in the DeHority residence hall complex nearby.
Health Professions Building
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The innovative Health Professions Building challenges students in Ball State’s College of Health to learn and practice together across disciplines for better patient care. Real-life and virtual simulations provide hands-on, interprofessional experience for our majors in nursing, health education and promotion, dietetics, kinesiology, speech pathology and audiology, and social work. We also have the nation’s most comprehensive degree program in aquatics. In this building, students work with animated manikins in cutting-edge labs, and they help actual patients in the Interprofessional Community Clinics and the award-winning Healthy Lifestyle Center. They also assist with nationally recognized exercise physiology research in the Human Performance Lab elsewhere on campus.
Foundational Sciences Building
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Built to meet the growing demand for STEM professionals, the new Foundational Sciences Building houses premier labs and collaborative spaces for Ball State’s chemistry and biology programs in the College of Sciences and Humanities. This state-of-the-art facility also includes advanced microscopy and imaging equipment and an aquatics suite. Students work with professors on real research here. They also gain extensive lab experience through our Chemistry Research Immersion Summer Program, one of the nation’s largest of its kind. Beyond these walls, students examine ecosystems and wildlife in six natural outdoor laboratories. Across campus, the Rinard Orchid Greenhouse features the largest university-based orchid collection in the country.
South/Central Neighborhoods
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Discover what it means to live like a Cardinal in the convenient, comfortable, and supportive residence hall communities at Ball State. Most housing facilities on campus have been extensively renovated or newly built in recent years. All of our halls include fitness rooms, computer labs, low-cost laundry facilities, and free internet. Some also have special amenities such as music practice rooms or media and design studios. Our unique living-learning communities group new students with others who share their majors or interests, helping them make friends and excel academically. Explore the photos and videos here to see the residence halls in this part of our campus.
Gora Recreation Center
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We’ve arrived at the ever-active Jo Ann Gora Student Recreation and Wellness Center. Designed with input from students, this award-winning facility includes a five-court gymnasium, indoor turf field, batting cages, and a 36-foot-tall climbing wall. It also has three levels of cardio and strength-training equipment, a suspended 200-meter track, and even a Quiznos sandwich shop. Students can take fitness classes and join an intramural or sports club team. The Outdoor Pursuits program offers equipment rentals, workshops, and trips for recreational adventures ranging from biking to kayaking. This is also the place where Ball State Dance Marathon raises funds benefiting Riley Hospital for Children each year.
North Dining Hall
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Step inside Ball State’s state-of-the-art North Dining Hall for an eclectic mix of high-quality food options—from down-home barbecue and freshly baked treats to an Italian restaurant, a one-of-a-kind Starbucks, and a specialized allergen-free eatery. This is the newest of several dining locations throughout our campus that offer chef-prepared cuisine, favorite franchises, and convenience store items for hungry students with diverse tastes. There’s even a mini food truck. And our professional wellness nutritionist works with students to accommodate special needs. From homestyle to high-end, from internationally inspired to locally sourced, our food has been ranked as some of the best college fare in the country.
North Neighborhood
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Ball State’s newest residence halls make our vibrant, redeveloped North Residential Neighborhood appealing for both first-year and upper-level students. Located near the Duck Ponds, these modern, eco-friendly facilities have the amenities and conveniences provided in all of our student housing, including fitness rooms, computer labs, and low-cost laundry facilities. They also feature special equipment, makerspaces, and activities that support our living-learning communities for media, design, fine arts, science, and education students. There’s even a black-box theater, green-screen room, and design and dance studios. These communities help students excel academically and build friendships. Explore the photos and videos here to see the residence halls in this area.
Scheumann Stadium
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Welcome to Scheumann Stadium, home of Ball State’s 2020 bowl-winning football program. This is one of several first-rate athletic venues on campus serving 19 men’s and women’s sports in NCAA Division I. Nearby *Briner* Sports Complex hosts our soccer, field hockey, and track and field teams. The Cardinals also compete on the court in Worthen Arena and the diamond at First Merchants Ballpark Complex. Our student-athletes win championships and rankings as part of the Mid-American Conference, and they’ve achieved a record cumulative GPA in the classroom. At home games, fans flock to the Nest to cheer them on with our mascot, Charlie Cardinal. Chirp! Chirp!
