MTSU is home to over 20 academic buildings. Here’s a rundown of some of the most notable.

Peck Hall 

Peck Hall has housed various liberal arts and English classes since 1968. The building is named after esteemed English department members Virginia and Richard Peck, and stands on the original campus courtyard where the library used to be.

After a surge in student population in the 1960s, the need for extra classroom space and a larger library led to Peck’s construction. Now, Peck Hall is a familiar hub for students with its distinct square layout. 

But Peck Hall is time-worn and in need of renovations, according to some staff. 

“Peck Hall has definitely been a building we’ve been fighting to get either renovated or torn down,” said Bryanna Licciardi, an English professor in Peck.

Kirksey Old Main 

Kirksey Old Main is considered the first building on MTSU’s campus, with its construction completing in 1910 and grand opening in 1911. 

For years, the KOM was an administrative building, housing several offices, classrooms, an auditorium, gymnasium, bookstore and the post office. The building underwent numerous renovations throughout the 1960s and was renamed in 1978 after Howard G. Kirksey, an administrator on campus.

The KOM is currently undergoing a full renovation and reconstruction with plans for completion in Summer 2026. The $54.3 million renovation project will restore the KOM and Rutledge Hall. 

The renovated building will hold mathematics, computer science and the data science departments inside the College of Basic and Applied Sciences. 

The John Bragg Media and Entertainment Building

The John Bragg Media and Entertainment Building is home to the recently renamed Scott Brochetta College of Media and Entertainment. Opened in 1991, the Bragg Mass Communication Building was built to accommodate the rapidly growing Department of Mass Communications and its branches. 

The building was named after John Bragg, who served as student body president and editor of the student newspaper Sidelines in the 1930s and a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives. 

This 80,000-square-foot building holds production space for the recording industry, journalism, radio-television, animation and graphics, as well as holding the Center for Popular Music. 

“There’s been a lot of physical changes in the building — media has certainly changed a lot over the years and we try to incorporate all of that — it’s good for the students and for more opportunities,” said Larry Burriss, an MTSU professor who was involved with Bragg’s original construction. 

Student-run media such as Sidelines, Middle Tennessee News, Match Records and more are also located in Bragg. 

Keathley University Center

During the late 1960s to early 1970s, MTSU faced rapid growth in student and faculty populations, which called for major campus reconstruction and renovations. The Keathley University Center was constructed during this time to relieve the university’s need for major expansion. 

The KUC was named after Belt Keathley, who served 23 years at MTSU as a Professor of Education, Dean of Students and the first ever Dean of Student Financial Aid. 

Today, the KUC has three floors that house many student and faculty resources. The first floor holds the Disability and Access Center, the MTSU Post Office and the Military and Family Center. The second floor holds McCallie Dining Hall and student care services, while the third floor holds Counseling Services, Housing and Residential Life and other student and faculty programs. 

The James E. Walker Library 

The James E. Walker Library serves as the campus’s main academic center. The Walker Library opened in 1999, succeeding the Andrew L. Todd Library and the original 1935 Murfree Building. The Walker Library was officially named in honor of James E. Walker, MTSU’s eighth president, in November 2001.

The library is 250,000 square feet with four floors and over 350 computer stations. Although made to house around 800,000 volumes, the library now holds over 1,000,000.

The Davis Science Building

The Davis Science building, along with the Wiser-Patten Science Hall, is dubbed the oldest science building on campus. Davis’s construction began in 1967 and opened in 1968, costing $1.7 million.

Davis Science was named after biologist George Davis for his contributions to the university’s first dedicated research labs and his time as former department chair. The original building housed the Department of Biology on the first floor and the Department of Chemistry and Physics on the second floor. In 2015, the building underwent renovations to the research and classroom spaces and replaced outdated equipment. 

A new, larger building was built in 2015 across from the Davis building to accommodate the growing science departments.

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