University of Wisconsin–Stout

Menomonie, Wisconsin is home to the University of Wisconsin–Stout (often referred to as Stout), which is a public institution. It is a part of the University of Wisconsin System and has a total enrollment of about 9,600 students. The timber mogul James Huff Stout was honoured by having the institution named after him when it opened its doors in 1891.

"Wisconsin's Polytechnic University" is what Stout is known as. It is one of two special purpose institutions in the University of Wisconsin System and offers concentrated degrees "connected to professional vocations in industry, technology, home economics, applied art.

The first of numerous educational establishments that James Huff Stout established in Menomonie was a manual training school, which he established in 1891. James Huff Stout was a state senator in Wisconsin and a citizen of Menomonie. The Manual Training movement was a school of educational thought that had a significant impact on the development of contemporary vocational education. This school of thought was first developed in the 1870s in the United States and implemented into the education of engineers. It was not until much later that it was made available to the general people. An education grounded in the liberal arts was encouraged via physical training, with a focus on the development of practical skills rather than theoretical knowledge. These skills included manual dexterity, practical judgement, perception, and visual precision.

It was not intended to be used as a means of teaching certain crafts; rather, it was supposed to improve upon the standard educational paradigm. In addition to studies in science, mathematics, language, and literature, students were instructed in the art of drafting as well as mechanics, carpentry, and metalworking. Following the conclusion of the Civil War in the United States, influential figures in business and politics looked to the public education system to supplement the already established apprenticeship programmes by incorporating the Manual Training philosophy into the respective schools' course offerings.

The University of Wisconsin–Stout has a total of 60 minors, in addition to its 49 undergraduate and 22 graduate majors. The Graduate School is responsible for the administration of graduate education at the institution.