University Background

The University

New Mexico State's campus is spacious, with more than 5,800 acres, but buildings are clustered for easy walking distances. Some 80 campus buildings include an art gallery, museum, professional theater, three observatories, three solar demonstration facilities, 30,000-seat Aggie Memorial Stadium, and 13,000-seat Pan Am Center multipurpose entertainment and basketball arena.

Many students take advantage of the campus recreational facilities that include a geothermally heated outdoor pool open from March through November, a natatorium, lighted tennis courts, an NCAA championship 18-hole golf course, and an activity center providing playing space for racquetball, handball, and a variety of intramural activities. A small campus park has picnic and playground facilities.

Enrollment on the main campus is more than 15,000 and more than 24,000 in main and branches combined with about 2,712 graduate students. The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is part of the College of Arts and Sciences. Other colleges are Agriculture and Home Economics, Business Administration and Economics, Education, Engineering, and Human and Community Services. The doctorate is offered in 24 areas and the master's degree in 51.

Las Cruces and the Region

Undergraduate and Graduate students have an opportunity to study in an area of the United States unique in environment and culture. The Mesilla Valley represents a rich blend of three cultures: Hispanic, Indian, and Anglo. The area also has a long historical tradition from the Spanish conquistadors in the 1500s through the range wars of the 1800s to the space and missile research of today.

NMSU is on the edge of the southern New Mexico city of Las Cruces and the neighboring town of Mesilla , which are part of an urban community of approximately 85,000 people. The Rio Grande borders the city on the west, and on the east are the rugged Organ Mountains, so named for their resemblance to organ pipes. Highest peak in this picturesque range is the Organ Needle, which rises to more than 9,000 feet. The surrounding mesas are classified as cool deserts, and the adjacent Mesilla Valley is a fertile agricultural industry, including Stahmann Farms , one of the largest pecan groves in the world. The climate is considered by many to be ideal, with an average minimum temperature of 44 degrees and an average maximum of 77. Summer heat is moderated by low humidity and cool nights.

A wide variety of recreational opportunities are located a short driving distance from the campus: backpacking in the Gila Wilderness, skiing in the nearby Sacramento Mountains, water sports at Elephant Butte, horse racing at the alpine resort of Ruidoso and at the nearby Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino. Within a half-hour's drive are areas for mountain hiking on established trails, rock climbing, and hunting for fossils and semiprecious gems.

The border cities of El Paso, Texas , and Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico , about 50 miles south, have a combined population of more than one million people. El Paso hosts the annual Sun Carnival and the John Hancock Sun Bowl. Bullfights, nightclubs,greyhound racing, colorful markets, and restaurants draw people over the border

About two hours northwest of Las Cruces lies the Gila Wilderness, which offers remote areas for excellent trout fishing and camping as well as a centuries-old Indian pueblo, the Gila Cliff Dwellings. An hour northeast of Las Cruces is White Sands National Monument, featuring some 250 square miles of pure white gypsum sand dunes formed over the centuries. Further east is Carlsbad Caverns, world famous for its vast and highly decorated caves.


New Mexico State University and the Region
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The University New Mexico State's campus is spacious, with more than 5,800 acres, but buildings are clustered for easy walking distances. Some 80 campus buildings include an art gallery, museum, professional theater, three observatories, three solar demonstration facilities, 30,000-seat Aggie Memorial Stadium, and 13,000-seat Pan Am Center multipurpose entertainment and basketball arena. Many students take advantage of the campus recreational facilities that include a geothermally heated outdoor pool open from March through November, a natatorium, lighted tennis courts, an NCAA championship 18-hole golf course, and an activity center providing playing space for racquetball, handball, and a variety of intramural activities. A small campus park has picnic and playground facilities. Enrollment on the main campus is more than 15,000 and more than 24,000 in main and branches combined with about 2,712 graduate students. The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is part of the College of Arts and Sciences. Other colleges are Agriculture and Home Economics, Business Administration and Economics, Education, Engineering, and Human and Community Services. The doctorate is offered in 24 areas and the master's degree in 51. Las Cruces and the Region Undergraduate and Graduate students have an opportunity to study in an area of the United States unique in environment and culture. The Mesilla Valley represents a rich blend of three cultures: Hispanic, Indian, and Anglo. The area also has a long historical tradition from the Spanish conquistadors in the 1500s through the range wars of the 1800s to the space and missile research of today. NMSU is on the edge of the southern New Mexico city of Las Cruces and the neighboring town of Mesilla , which are part of an urban community of approximately 85,000 people. The Rio Grande borders the city on the west, and on the east are the rugged Organ Mountains, so named for their resemblance to organ pipes. Highest peak in this picturesque range is the Organ Needle, which rises to more than 9,000 feet. The surrounding mesas are classified as cool deserts, and the adjacent Mesilla Valley is a fertile agricultural industry, including Stahmann Farms , one of the largest pecan groves in the world. The climate is considered by many to be ideal, with an average minimum temperature of 44 degrees and an average maximum of 77. Summer heat is moderated by low humidity and cool nights. A wide variety of recreational opportunities are located a short driving distance from the campus: backpacking in the Gila Wilderness, skiing in the nearby Sacramento Mountains, water sports at Elephant Butte, horse racing at the alpine resort of Ruidoso and at the nearby Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino. Within a half-hour's drive are areas for mountain hiking on established trails, rock climbing, and hunting for fossils and semiprecious gems. The border cities of El Paso, Texas , and Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico , about 50 miles south, have a combined population of more than one million people. El Paso hosts the annual Sun Carnival and the John Hancock Sun Bowl. Bullfights, nightclubs,greyhound racing, colorful markets, and restaurants draw people over the border About two hours northwest of Las Cruces lies the Gila Wilderness, which offers remote areas for excellent trout fishing and camping as well as a centuries-old Indian pueblo, the Gila Cliff Dwellings. An hour northeast of Las Cruces is White Sands National Monument, featuring some 250 square miles of pure white gypsum sand dunes formed over the centuries. Further east is Carlsbad Caverns, world famous for its vast and highly decorated caves.
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