One of the earliest calls for a
normal school occurred in 1855 when a Wilson County, Tennessee, politician sought to build a normal school in
Lebanon, Tennessee. Education efforts collapsed shortly after the breakout of the
American Civil War. Later, state
superintendents and teachers traveled around the state giving speeches about the dire need for teacher preparation. In 1909, the
Tennessee General Assembly moved to establish three teacher-training institutions, one in each of the grand divisions of the state.
Middle Tennessee State Normal School (
MTSNS or
MTNS) opened on September 11, 1911, with a two-year program for training teachers. It evolved into a four-year teachers' college by 1925 with the power of granting the
Bachelor of Science degree, and the institution's name was changed for the first time to
Middle Tennessee State Teachers College. The school was often abbreviated as "S.T.C." In 1943, the General Assembly designated the institution a state college, changing its name for the second time to
Middle Tennessee State College. This new status marked a sharp departure from the founding purpose and opened the way for expanding curricular offerings and programs. In 1965, the institution was advanced to university status, changing its name to Middle Tennessee State University. In October 2010, the
Student Government Association at MTSU proposed that the university be renamed to the "University of Middle Tennessee". However, approval from both the university administration and the Tennessee Board of Regents was required and was not granted. During the progressive movement from a two-year normal to a university, several significant milestones may be identified. In 1936, the
Bachelor of Arts program was added. Responding to the expressed needs of the institution's service area, the Graduate School was established in 1951. To effect better communications and improve administrative supervision, the schools concept was introduced in 1962. As Middle Tennessee State University developed and grew, the
Doctor of Arts program was added in 1970 and the
Specialist in Education in 1974. These degree programs became attractive centerpieces for other efforts to improve and enhance institutional roles. Library resources were dramatically increased and sophisticated computer services were developed to aid instruction and administration. A highly trained faculty enabled the university to continue growth in program offerings. In 1991, the university's six schools—five undergraduate and the graduate school—became colleges. In 1998, MTSU's
Honors program became the Honors College, the first in the state. In 2002, approval was granted to redesignate three D.A. programs to
Doctor of Philosophy programs. Ph.D. degree offerings now include computational sciences, mathematics, and science education, molecular biosciences, economics, English, human performance, public history, and literacy studies. In 1986,
James McGill Buchanan ('40) became the first MT alumnus to be awarded the Nobel Prize. He received the
Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his pioneering role in the development of the field of
public choice, a way of studying the behavior of politicians and bureaucrats. The MTSU Honors College has named a full-tuition fellowship after James Buchanan; this honor is given to 20 students each year who take specialized courses through the Honors College. ==Colleges==