Welcome to Wichita State University

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Welcome to Wichita State

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Welcome to Wichita State! While the university has been around for more than 125 years, the last decade has brought rapid growth with $350 million in construction projects, three new residence halls, an overhauled student center, a new on-campus YMCA, and much more which has resulted in historic enrollment levels. Simply put, there's never been a more exciting time to be a Shocker. During our tour today you'll have a chance to see some of our 330-acre main campus, additional university facilities throughout the city, and popular community destinations. It all comes together to make Shocker Nation thriving and vibrant. In case this is your first visit, here are some tips to help you get started: -To jump to the next destination, select the ""Next"" button on the right side of your screen. -Or, if you already know where you want to go, simply select that location from the list on the sidebar OR directly on the map below. -And remember to explore each destination in more detail by clicking the interactive icons included throughout each location.

Rhatigan Student Center

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The heartbeat of campus is the Rhatigan Student Center, giving our 17,500 Shockers an abundance of places to gather, eat, study, shop and relax. Spread throughout four floors are meeting rooms, dining spaces, a bowling alley, a barber shop, the Shocker Store - providing all the school supplies and Wichita State merch you could possibly want - and much more. Plus, students can connect with resources to enrich their collegiate experiences like Student Government Association, the Office of Diversity & Inclusion, Student Activities Council and Greek Life. The outdoor patio is the site of many annual traditions including Welcomefest's foam party, concerts and Interfest.

Campus Living

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With three residence halls constructed in the last ten years, students enjoy 640,000 square feet of modern living space on-campus. All students can enjoy our premier Shocker Hall Dining facility, which features a vast array of options for every meal including a fresh salad bar, international cuisine, hot grill, entrees prepared in small batches and the always popular brick-oven pizza and pasta station. Every dorm room includes furniture, individual closets, access to free laundry, plus lounge and study space. Additionally, every dorm features suite-style living, where residents share a bathroom with just one to three people.

Shocker Athletics

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Welcome to Charles Koch Arena, home of Shocker Athletics where 10,5000 fans pack the roundhouse regularly. Students can attend all home competitions for free, stretching across 16 NCAA Division 1 sports and giving them plenty of reason to fill their closets with black and yellow attire. As a member of the American Athletic Conference, Wichita State competes against universities in large cities throughout the country, giving our student-athletes the biggest platform to showcase their talents. From national championships to the Final Four to the College World Series, Shockers give their opponents plenty of reasons to fear the wheat!

Health and Wellness

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The newly constructed $15 million Steve Clark YMCA at Wichita State is one of 10 world-class Ys in the greater Wichita community, and Shockers can utilize any of them as part of their student experience. Complementing the other local YMCAs which have water parks, climbing walls and racquetball courts, the on-campus Y has the latest in weightlifting and cardio equipment, basketball courts and state-of-the-art group exercise studios. The attached university wellness center includes Student Health Services and the Office of Counseling and Psychological Services, which gives students affordable access to a range of healthcare professionals including nurses, doctors and counselors.

Barton School of Business

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You've landed in Woolsey Hall, the new $65 million home of the Barton School of Business on the university's Innovation Campus. Featuring modern classrooms, a high-tech auditorium for business leaders to share best practices, internship and job interview rooms, a cafe and plenty of rooms to practice group presentations, it's the perfect home for a diverse array of business majors, the brightest minds and big outcomes. The Barton School has the AACSB double accreditation for business and accounting, giving it the rare prestige factor that just one percent of business schools worldwide possess. Shocker business majors have what they need to start, grow, fund and lead companies of the future.

College of Engineering

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Here's a peek at the College of Engineering's GoBabyGo lab, where engineering students partner with other majors to retrofit off-the-shelf toy cars for children with disabilities to enjoy. It's one of 25 labs in the John Bardo Center, giving engineering majors applied research and learning experiences in spaces like the Human Biomechanics and Design Lab, 3DExperience Center, Product and Prototyping Lab and Renewable Energy Lab. Engineering majors at Wichita State have extraordinary access to internships, faculty who are experts in their field, and powerful connections to industry in the city of Wichita and beyond.

College of Fine Arts

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Learning in a state-of-the-art facility awaits students at Shocker Studios, where they access green screens, create sets, utilize animation, podcast and recording studios, and more. It's part of the university's College of Fine Arts, where we've combined the School of Digital Arts, the School of Art, Design & Creative Industries, the School of Music and the School of Performing Arts to form Kansas' only comprehensive visual and performing arts college. Wichita's strong art community features on- and off-campus galleries, concerts, and performances which gives our students limitless opportunities to learn, exhibit and perform. Wichita provides an environment for inspiration to flourish and access to the state's largest ready-made audience.

College of Applied Studies

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The Human Performance Lab gives exercise science majors an opportunity to evaluate athletes' cardiovascular risk, provide biomechanical and motion analysis, assess fitness and training status, and develop guidance to improve sport-specific training. It's an example of how our College of Applied Studies delivers real-world experiences to all majors. Teaching majors have access to the state's largest district right in Wichita, sports management majors can tap connections with local and regional professional teams, and organizational leadership majors often use their current professional roles to gain academic credit. It's the college's priority to maximize the potential of students through skill-building and field placements, setting them ahead of others in their future careers.

Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

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Chemistry labs in colleges are the training ground for future scientists and Wichita State's Fairmount College provides every student an opportunity to achieve and become more than they had dreamed. The College offers dozens of undergraduate majors in natural sciences and mathematics, social sciences, humanities, and professional training programs. Students who complete degrees in the liberal arts and sciences develop valuable skills applicable to any profession. By the time they graduate, students will possess proficiency in oral and written communication, analytical thinking and problem-solving, interpersonal relationships, global understanding, and the ability to think logically and intelligently about social and ethical issues.

College of Health Professions

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Located in the state's healthcare hub, Wichita State's College of Health Professions provides students with the skills, hands-on learning and professional connections essential to succeed in high-demand, high-paying health careers. With nationally accredited programs in nursing, physical therapy, dental hygiene, communication sciences and disorders, medical laboratory sciences, health management and physician associate, it's no surprise that when visiting any healthcare facility in the area, there's a Wichita State graduate nearby. The university's unique relationship with the largest healthcare community in the state gives students access to a vast array of urban and rural healthcare cases, mentoring from professionals trained all over the world and a wide range of specialists.

Cohen Honors College

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The Dorothy & Bill Cohen Honors College is a home for ambitious, self-aware and multifaceted students. An Honors education provides depth and breadth of learning for students from any major through rigorous, interdisciplinary coursework as well as service and leadership opportunities outside the classroom. Honors students enjoy small, discussion-based classes; guidance and financial support for undergraduate research, study abroad and internships; priority enrollment for classes; a local and international professional alumni network; and the Honors Lounge, accessible 24/7 with computers, study space, free printing and free coffee.

Ablah Library

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Ablah Library, the main library on campus, is the university's academic research headquarters and only steps away from the Rhatigan Student Center and Shocker Hall - the main living space for freshmen on campus. Located in the heart of campus, Shockers can take full advantage of the 24-hour study room, reserve single and group study spaces, and have access to online research collections. Advanced technology like 3D printing, virtual reality systems, a video recording studio and more than 2 million books, journals, and other physical materials are at a student's fingertips when they come to Ablah Library.

Real World Experience

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Wichita State's greatest ambition is to deliver relevant applied learning, research, clinical experiences and internships to all Shockers, regardless of their major. Each year students earn more than $30 million across more than 8,000 positions on-campus, via internships in Wichita and beyond, and through resume-boosting jobs with Innovation Campus partners. The ATLAS lab, part of the university's National Institute for Aviation Research or NIAR, performs advanced manufacturing research and development with state-of-the-art machines, software and processing options. Students working in this lab or one of the hundreds of other student roles within NIAR have high-quality experiences for their LinkedIn profile, applying what they've learned in class while earning a paycheck.

Innovation Campus

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In less than 10 years, Wichita State has transformed an 18-hole golf course on 120 acres of campus into the Midwest's premier Innovation Campus, with more than 20 new structures and an investment from the university and private businesses of more than $230 million. Dozens of companies employing hundreds of full-time staff are located on campus now with the requirement that each organization must hire Shockers to intern alongside their professionals each day. Through a university partnership with NetApp - a firm specializing in app, data and storage solutions - students can enjoy a space for collaboration, lounging, recreation and friendship.

Arts and Culture

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With more than 85 outdoor sculptures, multiple museums, varying theatres and performance spaces, Wichita State is a haven for arts and culture—providing an unmatched environment where Shockers enjoy a wide range of performances, exhibits and more. Add to this our location in a major regional arts center as the community of Wichita —filled with venues and events of all types—and there's virtually never an excuse to stay home. The Ulrich Museum of Art is recognizable by Joan Miro's glass and marble mosaic - called Bird People - and boasts a nationally significant collection of roughly 7,000 modern and contemporary artworks.

Shocker Walk

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As students cross through the Echo Circle, they enjoy a traditional college stroll with towering trees, classic red brick buildings and a variety of departments. Jardine Hall is home to Financial Aid & Scholarships, the Registrar's Office and Financial Operations. Duerksen Fine Arts Center, a building identifiable by bubble windows refurbished from airplanes, is where many of our music majors can be found well into the night, honing their craft in individual practice rooms. If students had the chance to view Duerksen from above, they would be surprised to learn that it's also in the shape of an eighth note - fitting for one of the music buildings on campus.

Pizza Hut Museum

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Brothers Dan and Frank Carney, turned a $600 loan from their mother into a smashing entrepreneurial success story by starting Pizza Hut in 1958 while they were students at Wichita State. The restaurant has since become one of the biggest pizza chains in the world with the original Pizza Hut location residing on campus as a 400-square-foot museum and a reminder that small beginnings can lead to giant outcomes through places like Wichita State. Pizza Hut is just one story of Shockers' business acumen, as other grads founding companies ranging from Garmin to Rent-A-Center to recent Shark Tank participant, Pinole Blue.

Braeburn Square

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Braeburn Square brings an exciting dynamic to campus and the Wichita community. Students and the public enjoy a beautiful view overlooking a pond and fountains while dining at one of five restaurants, all in close proximity to academic and partnership buildings. Social Tap - featuring local food and drinks - is the place to gather before and after Shocker Athletics events, and it's the hot spot for watch parties for games on the road. The Shocker Store has a second location nearby for fans to be able to grab fresh black and yellow gear as they cheer on their favorite team.

City Views

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The city of Wichita is the largest in Kansas and is home to nearly 650,000 people. It was recently named one of the top 100 places to live in the US and is known for its affordability and welcoming community. Wichitans enjoy diverse dining experiences, arts & culture and a thriving downtown with hangout spots like Naftzger Park where students can relax, read a book, catch a concert, or meet up with friends. Not too far from Naftzger Park, is Clifton Square featuring local restaurants and shops with favorites like Ziggy's Pizza, Dempsey's Burger Pub and Papa's General Store featuring iconic ice cream sundaes.

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Welcome to Wichita State University