Montana State University was founded February 16, 1893, as one of the nation's original land-grant colleges authorized by the landmark Morrill Act of 1862. Since then, MSU has been dedicated to the mission of education, research and outreach, providing access to life-changing higher education that has the potential to transform lives and communities.
MSU has not always been MSU. When it was founded in 1893 by an act of the Montana Legislature, the campus was known as the Agricultural College of the State of Montana. Later, it became the Montana College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts — or as it was more commonly known: Montana Agricultural College or MAC. By the 1920s, the institution was simply Montana State College, and it remained so until July 1, 1965, when, in recognition of the enormous advances in the college's commitment to science and humanities research, the 39th Legislature changed the name one last time to Montana State University.
The Bobcat was selected as MSU's mascot in 1916 for its cunning intelligence, athletic prowess and independent spirit. These attributes are reflected in Spirit, a bronze sculpture named for Montana State's first bobcat that is the centerpiece of Alumni Plaza on MSU's campus. The sculpture was created by Bob Stayton, a 1951 graduate, and cast in bronze by Jack Muir '70. It wasn't until the 1970s that a costumed mascot named “Bobcat” began making its appearance. In 1993, the year of MSU's centennial, the Bobcat was officially named “Champ.”
Our school colors are Blue & Gold: This is not just by happenstance…our official school colors are Ether Blue & Sunlight Gold. Ether Blue is like the sky or heavens “ethereal” and Sunlight Gold for the bright sunshine that graces Bozeman an average of 300 days a year, and for the rich earth that is the Gallatin Valley.
The fabled “Golden Bobcats,” the basketball team led by George Ott Romney and Schubert Dyche, are often credited with inventing the “fast-break” style of play that would characterize the sport for much of its history. During the eight seasons between 1922-1923 and 1929-1930, the Cats won 202 games against only 42 losses. With a host of talented players, the Golden Bobcats won the 1928- 1929 national collegiate basketball championship.
In 1916, Montana State University students went to work on the west face of Mount Baldy that rises in the Bridger Mountains just northeast of Bozeman. They pried stones from the mountainside, passed them by hand, and formed them into a 240-foot by 160- foot “M” that they intended as an enduring “monument of college spirit for coming college generations.” The following year, the incoming students were recruited to whitewash the rocks -, and a campus tradition was born. Student volunteers still make an annual hike up the mountain in late summer to help renew the College “M.”
The details about the installation of the massive railroad whistle on top of the campus heating plant building are lost to us. However, in the 1940s and 50s, it was sounded daily at 6:30 am to wake students and then at 7:50 am to signal the start of classes. In 1978, regular use of the whistle ceased. In 1994, then MSU President Mike Malone returned the whistle to its rightful role as a herald of the first day of classes and of the accomplishment of commencement.
Completed in the summer of 1894, the agricultural experiment station was the first building to be constructed on the campus. Almost 90 years after its construction, the building was dedicated in honor of J. C. Taylor, the agent who led the Montana Extension Service through the droughts, depressions, and labor shortages of the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s.
In 1897, the drill hall, a one-story frame structure was built just southeast of the agricultural experiment building. It was intended to provide shelter in inclement weather but it was soon pressed into use as a gymnasium and for campus social activities as well.
Main Hall opened in 1898 and was later renamed Montana Hall in 1914. The original cupola that topped Montana Hall was likely removed in 1910, but its platform remained in place until 1926. The original was removed because of wind damage; however, oft-repeated but unprovable campus legend claims it was removed because students led a cow to the top of the building and, with no other way to get it down again, the cupola was removed.
Traphagen Hall was named in honor of F. W. Traphagen, MSU's first chemistry and natural sciences instructor. It was built in 1919 to replace the old chemistry building that had burned down three years earlier. Today no chemistry labs or classes are held in Traphagen, but the carving above the door still stands as a reminder of its history in chemistry.
Hamilton Hall was dedicated in 1910 and served as the first and only student residence hall on campus for many years. It was named by the faculty to honor Emma Hamilton, the late wife of MSU President James Hamilton. In 1965 the building was converted to office spaces and is now home to Gallatin College Programs, as well as Army and Air Force ROTC programs.
Linfield Hall is the home of MSU's College of Agriculture. It was built specifically for agriculture and finished in 1909, with an $80,000 appropriation from the Legislature. Originally named Morrill Hall after the 1862 federal act that established America's land grant colleges and universities, this building was formally renamed in 1968 after Frederick Linfield, dean of agriculture and director of the Agricultural Experiment Station, 1913 - 1937.
In the past decade, MSU has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in new and improved infrastructure to help improve the student experience. Since 2015, MSU has seen 10 new or improved buildings on campus, improving quality of life for students in their classrooms, residence halls, dining facilities and more.
MSU's most recent addition is the new Student Wellness Center, home to fitness and recreational facilities, along with medical and mental health services. Next for MSU is a new home for the Gianforte School of Computing, in addition to new buildings for each of the Mark and Robyn Jones College of Nursing's five campuses in Bozeman, Billings, Great Falls, Kalispell and Missoula.
MSU has dedicated itself to a sustainable future, with each new major building project since 2011 receiving at least a silver rating through LEED — an international standard focusing on leadership in energy and environmental design — and incorporating energy efficiency features. MSU plans for each new building built on campus to meet LEED standards moving forward.
Trailblazers have long come to this dynamic place to learn, to grow and to be inspired. They have left with a degree and the tools to address some of the planet's most important challenges. Today, Montana State University boasts a national and international reputation for its excellence in education as well as research. It is routinely listed as a top university in terms of degree quality, value, and location, and ranks among the nation's leaders in its number of Goldwater Scholarship recipients. It is an institution committed to serving Montana and beyond by positioning today's students for meaningful lives in the globalizing economy of the 21st century.
MSU hit enrollment milestones of 50 students in the Fall of 1896, 110 students in the Fall of 1905, 519 students in the Fall of 1919, 1000 students in the Fall of 1928, 5,255 students in the Fall of 1964, 10,109 students in the Fall of 1979, and 15,294 students in the Fall of 2013. In the fall of 2024, MSU achieved the largest enrollment in its history with 17,144 students, breaking its previous record of 16,978 set in 2023.
1893-1894
1894-1904
1904-1919
1919-1937
1937-1942
1943-1964
1964-1969
1970-1977
1977-1990
1991-1999
2000-2009
2010-Present
From the university's beginning in 1893, the women of Montana State University made remarkable contributions to the status of women at the institution, in the state and across the country. In 2018, as part of MSU's 125th anniversary, the university nominated 125 Extraordinary Ordinary Women for their work toward the discovery and elimination of institutional barriers to the success of women. In 2023, to mark 130 years, five additional Extraordinary Ordinary Women of Montana State University were added to the list.
View List
At Montana State University in Bozeman, we like to think outside, but not just because we have access to some of the best outdoor recreation on the planet. We like to think outside because we are creators, researchers, artists and thinkers, breaking boundaries in over 250 fields.
Learn More About MSU