Since its foundation at the beginning of the twentieth century, New Mexico State University has been an institution that prides itself on research and teaching. One of our earliest graduates, Fabian Garcia, who arrived from Chihuahua, Mexico as a young child in 1875, became a leading horticulturist and the originator of many of the varieties of chile that New Mexicans enjoy today. Garcia’s work as a horticulturalist and director of NMSU’s Agricultural Experiment Station changed the face of New Mexico agriculture. As one of only two people in the world experimenting with chile peppers during the early twentieth century, he developed the first modern chile variety.

New Mexico State University’s many research institutes continue the innovative scientific research begun by Garcia. Today, NMSU ranks as one of the nation’s leading research universities. We are classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a Doctoral/Research University-Extensive, the foundation’s top category. With a faculty-student ratio of 1 to 19, students receive a lot of individual attention from their professors. With a library housing more than 1.6 million volumes and state-of-the-art computing facilities, NMSU supports the most advanced research in nearly all disciplines.

The Honors College offers a number of opportunities for you to express yourself in research and creative activities. You can take part in advanced laboratory research or conduct independent research and creative projects. Honors students present their work at the annual Undergraduate Research and Creative Arts Symposium (URCAS). Students can also participate in the Model United Nations program, which each year sends a delegation of students to the United Nations in New York.