South Dakota State University is a public research university in Brookings, South Dakota. Founded in 1881, it is the state's largest and most comprehensive university and the oldest continually-operating university in South Dakota. The university is governed by the South Dakota Board of Regents, which governs the state's six public universities and two special schools.

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South Dakota State University is a land grant, space grant, and sun grant university. It was founded under the provisions of the 1862 Morrill Act. This land-grant heritage and mission has led the university to place a special focus on academic programs in agriculture, engineering, nursing, and pharmacy, as well as liberal arts. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classifies South Dakota State University as a Research University with high research activity. The graduate program is classified as Doctoral, Science, Technology, Engineering, Math dominant.