The Beginning of Research at the "Ag School" in Corvallis Oregon

From its foundation, Oregon State University, has strived to make itself a center for research. Oregon State University first held classes as Corvallis Academy, in 1856. Two years later, in 1858, the university was incorporated as Corvallis College. The name, Oregon State University, or OSU, was adopted in 1961, and has remained its official title to the present day. In the past, the school was deemed “the Agricultural College of the State of Oregon”, and that classification stuck. The university continues to offer an excellent Agricultural Sciences degree program, including opportunities to pursue degrees in anything from Animal Sciences to Crop and Soil Science to Botany and Plant Pathology. Research programs pertain to “agricultural, biological, social and environmental sciences”, including research opportunities with the USDA.

Studying at Oregon State

Research is a major emphasis at Oregon State University. The school is regarded as one of only two land-grant, sea-grant, space-grant, sun-grant institutions, Cornell University being the other. OSU receives the most research grant funds in the state of Oregon, in recent years receiving $194 million in funded research. The nearly 20,000 students at the school have the opportunity to pursue over 200 degree programs, including studies in Engineering, Oceanography, Pharmacy, Forestry and Environmental Sciences. Students have the ability to access over 1.4 million volumes, 14,000 serials and over 500,000 maps and government documents at the Valley Library. The surrounding communities benefit from the OSU Extension Service, named one of the top five Land-Grant Extension Systems in the nation. This service uses outreach to help educate the community and provide essential services in many different areas, included 4-H youth partnership.