New Mexico

The state of New Mexico is located in the southwestern states of the United States. It primarily borders the states of Arizona, Texas, and Colorado. New Mexico is also a border state with the country of Mexico. New Mexico is a blend of three cultures and three histories, Native American, Spanish and European. Native Americans were the first inhabitants of the state. They established civilizations centuries before the first Spanish explorers arrived during the 15th century. New Mexico became part of the westward expansion of the United States where migrants from other European countries came to North America as part of the western movement. With that movement, the cowboy culture was introduced as settlers obtained land and established cattle ranches and farms. In 1912, the territory of New Mexico became a state of the United States.

Demographics of New Mexico

New Mexico has a population of 1.9 million people. The ethnicity of the state is strongly influenced by its culture and history. About 10 percent of the population is Native American representing 22 tribes, about 42 percent are Hispanic and about 43 percent are European Americans. Foreign born persons represent 8 percent of the population. The population resides on 121,355 square miles of land.

Social and Cultural Opportunities

People are attracted to New Mexico for several reasons. Beginning in the 19th century, artists came to towns and cities in the state to paint the beauty of the landscape. Art communities including a wealth of art galleries can be found in Taos and Santa Fe, New Mexico as well as small towns throughout the northern and southern parts of the state. Native American pueblos provide tourists opportunities to explore hundreds of years of history and culture. Native American jewelry is sold on the reservations as well as in the numerous jewelry shops in most New Mexico towns and cities. The state is also known for its desert landscape as well as several ski resorts.

Graduate Education in New Mexico

There are six institutions of higher education in New Mexico. Three of the institutions that offer doctoral degrees include the University of New Mexico with a student body of about 24,000, New Mexico State University with a student body of 16,000 and New Mexico Technical School of Mines with a student body of about 1,800. The other three institutions offer undergraduate and master’s degrees including New Mexico Highlands University, Western New Mexico University and Eastern New Mexico University.

The University of New Mexico has the only School of Medicine and the School of Law in the state. New Mexico State University is a land grant institution with a strong focus on Engineering, Agriculture and Education.

New Mexico State University

New Mexico State University is the only institution in the United States that is a research extensive university, a land grant institution, a Hispanic serving university and a USA-Mexico border institution. Our location, near the border of Mexico allows our faculty and students to engage in research that addresses the interrelated cultures, economy and environmental issues of the United States and Mexico.

New Mexico State University is one of five Hispanic serving institutions that is classified as a Research Extensive Institution by the Carnegie Foundation. Among 16,000 students on the main campus, over 40 percent are Hispanic Americans.

In the last decade, the Graduate School has produced close to 900 doctoral degrees in the physical, biological and behavioral sciences, engineering, business and education. Many of the students become faculty at colleges and universities across the country and the world.

The Graduate School of New Mexico State University plays an active role in training the next generation of scholars and professionals including minority scholars. It offers 51 master's degree programs, 22 doctoral degree programs and 3 specialists in education programs.

More than 3,100 graduate students are enrolled on graduate programs. Of these 28 percent are doctoral seeking students and 78 percent are enrolled in master's degree programs.

The College of Education has the largest graduate student body of 1,090 followed by the College of Arts and Sciences with 842 students, and the College of Engineering with a student body of 368 graduate students. Other colleges offering graduate degrees include Agriculture and Home Economics, Health and Social Services, and Business.