of Science degree in Education in order to satisfy the need for high school teachers in northwest Minnesota, and the school became "Moorhead State Teachers College".
With the entrance of World War II, the college entered into a contract with the Army Air Corps to train aviation students. After World War II, enrollment swelled to more than 700 students and the school diversified and broadened into both a liberal arts and professional curriculum. The school began offering a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1946 and graduate programs by 1953. As a result of the broadened offerings, by 1957 the name was changed to "Moorhead State College". In 1969, the school joined a cooperative cross-registration exchange with neighboring Concordia College and North Dakota State University, creating the Tri-College University (Replaced by the Metro College Alliance in 2025). The school continued to increase its number of programs and by 1975, the State Legislature that year granted the school university status under the name "Moorhead …
