Middle Tennessee State University (founded September 11 , 1911 , and commonly abbreviated as MTSU ) is an American university located in Murfreesboro , Tennessee .

It is currently the second-largest institution of higher learning in Tennessee (by overall enrollment), trailing only The University of Tennessee at Knoxville . MTSU, however, currently has the state's largest enrollment of undergraduate students.

Originally known primarily for its Education and Nursing programs, MTSU has more recently gained recognition for its Aerospace, Business, Mass Communication/Recording Industry, and Music/Music Business programs. MTSU is a member of the Tennessee Board of Regents System, one of two higher education systems in Tennessee. The school's tenth and current President is Sidney A. McPhee , Ed.D. He has served since 2001 .

MTSU is the largest university in the central third of the state and the single largest economic contributor in Murfreesboro.

In 1909, the Tennessee Legislature enacted the General Education Bill. This bill stated that three colleges be established within each grand division of the state (Modern-day ETSU , MTSU, and University of Memphis ) and one additional school for African-American students (TSU ). These schools would be founded in 1911. Originally known as the Middle Tennessee Normal School , it became a state college in 1943 and became known as Middle Tennessee State College. The school garnered university status in 1965 and changed its name to Middle Tennessee State University accordingly.

Enrollment
As of Fall 2006 , MTSU has the state's largest undergraduate student body with 22,863 students. Much of the student body comes from within a 50 mile (80 km) radius of campus.