MSU was established as a two-year normal school devoted to preparing teachers for service in northwestern
North Dakota. In 1924, the Normal School at Minot began issuing
baccalaureate degrees, necessitating a name change to
Minot State Teachers College. Over time, the range of academic offerings expanded; as a result, the school's name was changed to
Minot State College in 1964. During
the Second World War, Minot State trained nearly eight-hundred officer candidates as part of the
V-12 Navy College Training Program. In 1984, the
North Dakota Legislative Assembly passed a bill renaming the institution to Dakota Northwestern University. In 1987, the institution was granted university status. It was designated as
State University of North Dakota - Minot from January 1, 1987 until April 27, 1987, when it received its current name. In 1996, the North Dakota University System realigned the relationships between certain institutions within the state.
North Dakota State University - Bottineau, located in
Bottineau, North Dakota was renamed to Minot State University - Bottineau and became an independently-accredited affiliate campus of MSU. ==Academics==