Subdomain redirects allow a new subdomain of mst.edu (e.g. example.mst.edu) to point to another page or site on the mst.edu domain, or to a major vendor service. An example would be admissions.mst.edu automatically redirecting to futurestudents.mst.edu.

Subdomain redirects are used sparingly since they increase the complexity of our domain setup and are difficult to remove or repurpose once in use. Nearly all redirection requests should be for shortlinks instead.

Before requesting a subdomain redirect, you need the following things:

• Your name, email, and department name
  These will be used to track your request and contact you when the redirect is ready
• The URL you will be forwarding to
  This will generally be another subdomain of mst.edu, but might instead be a page for a major university initiative or the URL of a vendor service
• The subdomain name you want
  This will be placed before "mst.edu" like example.mst.edu
  
• Reasoning for why the subdomain is necessary
  Subdomain redirects complicate our site's configuration and are difficult to remove or repurpose, so they are only granted in circumstances where there is a clear need
  

The subdomain name has a few rules you should be aware of:

• Subdomains are usually one word or an acronym, all lowercase, and alphanumeric only, no symbols, no spaces
• Hyphens are the one symbol exception, but you should generally avoid them since they require keyboard switching on mobile devices
• You can use multiple words, but they must be consolidated to a single run-on word (e.g. "solar house" becomes "solarhouse")
• Subdomains should be short so that they're easy to type, but a slightly longer subdomain name with clearer meaning is better than an acronym that's hard to remember

1. Subdomain redirects are available to official departments and groups within Missouri S&T's org chart such as academic departments, colleges, and offices. You will be requesting a subdomain redirect on behalf of your department. Subdomain redirects are not available to individuals or groups that are not officially recognized parts of the Missouri S&T organization.
2. Subdomain redirects should point to an address on the mst.edu domain. Limited exceptions are available for vendor systems under contract.
3. Subdomain redirect requests will be reviewed by Marketing and may be rejected. Common reasons for rejection include:
   • Too narrow of use case
   • Pointing to a site that's off the mst.edu domain, and is not a vendor system under current contract with Missouri S&T or UM System
   • Pointing to an initiative that is not university-wide
   • Excessive variation of department names, keyword spamming
4. Subdomain redirects are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. If the subdomain you want is already taken, the department that requested it must agree in writing to release it before it can be reassigned.
5. Having a subdomain redirect granted is not an indefinite claim of ownership; subdomains (including redirects) can be removed and repurposed for new university initiatives. This is especially likely if the subdomain name is too general. For example, if you have a research group called the "Automation Systems Research Group" with a subdomain redirect automation.mst.edu, but the university adds an academic department called "Manufacturing Automation," the automation.mst.edu is highly likely to be repurposed for the new academic department. Marketing will advise on the likelihood of this happening during the approval process if the name seems likely to be repurposed in the foreseeable future.

To request a subdomain redirect, gather the required materials from What you need above, then submit the form linked below. The subdomain redirect request will be reviewed by digital marketing. You may be contacted with alternatives or advised on the likelihood of the subdomain being reclaimed. You will be contacted when the redirect is approved and functioning.

Request a subdomain redirect