Academic integrity at MU rests upon our Statement of Values:

“The University of Missouri-Columbia, as the state’s major land-grant university, honors the public trust placed in it and accepts the associated accountability to the people of Missouri for its stewardship of that trust. Our duty is to acquire, create, transmit, and preserve knowledge, and to promote understanding. We the students, faculty, and staff of MU hold the following values to be the foundation of our identity as a community. We pledge ourselves to act, in the totality of our life together, in accord with these values.”

What is Academic Integrity?

Academic integrity is the core set of values and principles that underwrites the mission of the University: integrity, honesty, hard work, and the determination to translate personal and professional principles into behavior. It is a reflection of the students’ experience here at Mizzou and is a measure of the worth of their degree.

• For students, this ethic lies at the heart of the value of their degree. If they or others around them are not living up to a high standard of academic integrity, the worth of the education they are receiving (and the degree they will receive) is compromised.
• For faculty, a high standard of academic integrity will ultimately lead to greater heights of academic rigor and freedom among students, a better reputation for MU, and more positive patterns of interaction with the student population. We can generate a long-lasting academic focus among the faculty that pervades MU and inspires students during their time at Mizzou.

The principles of academic integrity also represent an informal contract between faculty and students. Instead of pitting faculty against students, both share a common standard of behavior and set of values critical to the continued success of the University of Missouri. Both populations play an important role and have a responsibility in creating and constantly re-creating the strength and excellence defining Mizzou.