Minneapolis

Education

The Twin Cities population is a well-educated one. Of all adults ages 25 and over, 82 percent have a high school diploma (compared with a U.S. average of 75 percent); 28 percent have completed four years of college (versus the national average of 20 percent).

With a budget of over $625 million and per-pupil spending of nearly $8,000 annually, the Minneapolis

school system employs 8,114 people. In the 1998–99 school year, the system's 120 schools enrolled a total of 49,388 students. There are also 248 private schools in the Twin Cities area.

The Twin Cities campus of the University of Minnesota is ranked among the nation's top 20 public universities. Located in the heart of the Twin Cities metropolitan area, the university offers bachelor's degrees in over 150 fields, as well as 200 master's degrees, and 100 doctoral degrees. In addition to academic excellence, the university is also an important cultural resource in the region.

Other institutions of higher learning in the Twin Cities include the Catholic-affiliated College of St. Catherine; Hamline University, Minnesota's oldest private university; Macalester College in St. Paul, a highly respected liberal-arts college; Metropolitan State University a "college without walls" offering classes for adult students at locations throughout the Twin Cities; Minneapolis College of Art & Design (MCAD), one of the nation's most respected art schools; and William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul.