CENTRAL OKLAHOMA, UNIVERSITY OF

public coeducational institution of higher learning in Edmond, Okla., U.S. It consists of the colleges of Business Administration, Education, Liberal Arts, and Mathematics and Science. The graduate college offers master's degree programs in most fields of study. The university was the first to offer a B.S. in funeral service. It is also the site of the Nigh Institute for State Government. Total enrollment is approximately 14,000. The university was established in 1890 as the Territorial Normal School; it was the first institution of higher learning in the Oklahoma Territory. Instruction began in 1891. In 1904 the name was changed to Central State Normal School. The school became a four-year, degree-granting teachers college in 1919, and twenty years later it was renamed Central State College. In 1954 it was allowed to offer its first master's degree. The college was elevated to university status in 1971, and the name was changed to the University of Central Oklahoma in 1990.