Emporia State University, public, coeducational institution of higher learning in Emporia, Kansas, U.S. It consists of the schools of Business and of Library and Information Management, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and the Teachers College. In addition to undergraduate studies, the university offers master’s degree programs in most areas and a doctorate in library studies. The university’s facilities include Peterson Planetarium, Ross Natural History Reservation, and the National Teachers Hall of Fame. Total enrollment is about 6,000.
The legislature of Kansas established the university in 1863. It was then known as the Kansas State Normal School. The name was changed to Kansas State Teachers College in 1923. Over fifty years later the college became Emporia Kansas State College. In 1977 the college was elevated to university status and took on its current name.