History

Mountain State University was founded as Beckley College in 1933. Located in the heart of southern West Virginia, the private not-for-profit institution began as a junior college in response to the community's desire to provide accessible higher education to its youth. At a time when fewer than 10 percent of high school graduates nationally were attending college, Beckley College opened with 97 students and classrooms rented from a local church.

During its first half century, the college experienced slow but steady increases in enrollment, staff, facilities, and programs.

The past two decades have been a time of tremendous change, including the transition from a two-year to a four-year college, then to a master's level institution and, in 2009, to the doctoral level. The campus has grown, and degree programs have expanded to include high-demand professional and technology fields as well as the humanities, arts, and sciences. The name Mountain State University was adopted in August 2001.

In addition to traditional classroom-based studies, MSU now serves thousands of students across the country and around the world with a system of branch campuses as well as distance learning, nontraditional credit options, and collaboration with a variety of industry and education partners. Today, as throughout its history, Mountain State University remains committed to its founding vision of fostering opportunities for personal and professional success.