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 ==
The university awards undergraduate degrees in more than 60 courses of study and graduate degrees in 10 fields of study.
MSU is composed of four main academic divisions:
School of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
3 academic departments
School of Business, Math, and Technology
2 academic departments
School of Education and Behavioral Sciences
2 academic departments
School of Science and Health
3 academic departments
Teacher Licensure Program
Graduate School
=== University rankings ===
The school was ranked 976th on the 2013–2014 PayScale …
