From its founding in 1868 as Mankato Normal School, serving 27 students, this has been an institution where big ideas meet real-world thinking.

The school became Mankato State Teachers College in 1921, Mankato State College in 1957 and Mankato State University in 1975. In 1998, it took the name that stands today—Minnesota State University, Mankato. Although our first graduates earned one-or two-year degrees to become teachers, the University has been granting four-year degrees in a growing number of disciplines since 1927. The first master’s degrees were awarded in 1954, and the first doctorate was conferred in 2009.