Mississippi Valley State University

Mississippi Valley State University is a public, historically Black university in Leflore County, Mississippi, near Itta Bena in the Mississippi Delta. The Mississippi Legislature authorized the institution in 1946, and it opened in 1950 as Mississippi Vocational College. Its original programs trained teachers for rural and elementary schools and provided vocational education. The institution became Mississippi Valley State College in 1964 and adopted its current name when it gained university status in 1974. It offers undergraduate and graduate education in education, arts and sciences, and professional studies. The university began offering its first master’s degree in 1976.