OpenFieldEmporia State University (ESU) is a historic comprehensive public university in the Flint Hills of Kansas, celebrated for the Teachers College, the National Teachers Hall of Fame, the School of Library and Information Management (oldest in the western US), and forensic science.
Founded in 1863 as the Kansas State Normal School, ESU is the third-oldest public university in Kansas. Situated in Emporia on a picturesque 234-acre campus adjacent to the tallgrass prairie ecosystem of the Flint Hills, the university is organized into four colleges: The Teachers College, School of Library and Information Management (SLIM), School of Business and Technology, and College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Undergraduate admissions evaluate high school GPA (minimum 2.25 for guaranteed admission; test-optional for ACT/SAT). Graduate school admissions require an accredited bachelor's degree with a minimum GPA of 2.75-3.0, academic transcripts, statement of objectives, and letters of recommendation. International applicants require TOEFL iBT 72+ or IELTS 6.0+.
The oldest and most revered library science program in the western United States, continuously accredited by the American Library Association (ALA) since 1932, training digital archivists, metadata catalogers, and research librarians.
Rigorous laboratory master's degree accredited by the Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission (FEPAC), covering forensic DNA typing, arson gas chromatography, ballistic mass spectrometry, and court testimony.
Field-intensive research master's investigating tallgrass prairie fire regimes, bison grazing ecology, prairie stream fisheries, and avian grassland biodiversity across the Flint Hills.
Comprehensive computing degree covering algorithms, object-oriented software engineering, network defense, penetration testing, database architecture, and mobile computing.
Nationally recognized curriculum at The Teachers College focusing on multimedia e-learning design, gamification in training, corporate LMS architecture, and virtual classroom technologies.
Premier merit scholarship awarded to high-achieving incoming freshmen possessing outstanding high school academic credentials and leadership records.
Dean and Professor of Library and Information Management · School of Library and Information Management (SLIM)
Dean Jeong leads information science research, investigating accessible screen reader technologies, digital repository indexing, and usability engineering in academic libraries.
View research profile ↗Associate Professor and Director of Forensic Science · Department of Physical Sciences
Dr. Bailey investigates novel synthetic cannabinoid breakdown pathways, postmortem blood alcohol stability, and chromatographic identification of designer pharmaceuticals.
View research profile ↗Professor of Biology and Grassland Ecologist · Department of Biological Sciences
Prof. McKenzie studies the long-term ecological consequences of seasonal prairie prescribed burning and bison grazing regimes on native plant diversity in the Flint Hills.
View research profile ↗University profile compiled from official Emporia State University academic bulletins and institutional directories reviewed on 2026-10-15. OpenField is an independent research guide.