Boise State University

Boise State University (BSU) is a public research institution in Boise, Idaho.

Founded in 1932 by the Episcopal Church, it became an independent junior college in 1934, and has been awarding baccalaureate and master's degrees since 1965. With nearly 23,000 students, Boise State has the largest enrollment of higher education institutions in the state of Idaho.

Boise State offers 201 degrees in 190 fields of study and has more than 100 graduate programs, including the MBA and MAcc programs in the College of Business and Economics; Masters and PhD programs in the Colleges of Engineering, Arts & Sciences, and Education; and the MPA program in the College of Social Sciences & Public Affairs.

The university's athletic teams, the Broncos, participate in NCAA Division I athletics (FBS for football) as a member of the Mountain West Conference for most sports. The Wrestling team is an associate member of the Pac-12 Conference, since the MWC does not sponsor the sport.

History

Boise State University was founded in 1932 as Boise Junior College by the Episcopal Church, which created the school from the earlier St. Margaret's School, an Episcopal school founded in 1892 in nearby Christ Chapel. BSU's founding president was Middleton Barnwell, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Idaho. After two years the school became independent, and, in 1940, moved from St. Margaret's Hall to its present site along the south bank of the Boise River between Capitol Boulevard and Broadway Avenue.