Central Connecticut State University was founded in 1849 as a teacher-training facility called the New Britain Normal School. It was the sixth normal school in the United States, and it is the oldest public university in Connecticut. In 1933, the school began granting four-year degrees and became Teachers College of Connecticut. The college continued to expand academically and earned legislative recognition as Central Connecticut State College in 1959. In recognition of the institution's continuous development, its present name and educational charter were conferred in 1983.