The university’s beginnings were as the ‘South Carolina Agricultural and Mechanical Institute in 1872 in compliance with the 1862 Land Grant Act within the institution of Claflin College—now known as Claflin University.
In 1896 the South Carolina General Assembly passed an act of separation and established a separate institution – the Colored Normal Industrial Agricultural and Mechanical College of South Carolina, its official name until 1954.
South Carolina State University Courses Offered
The student-faculty ratio at South Carolina State University is 14:1, and the school has 60.6% of its classes with fewer than 20 students. The most popular majors at South Carolina State University include:
Biology/Biological Sciences, General; Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General; Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration; Business Administration and Management, General; Mass Communication/Media Studies; Physical Education Teaching and Coaching; Computer and Information Sciences, General; Social Work; Audiology/Audiologist and Speech-Language Pathology/Pathologist; and Psychology, General. The average freshman retention rate, an indicator of student satisfaction, is 68%.