Morehead State University at Ashland is one of the regional centers of Morehead State University, which was founded in 1887 at Morehead. The mission of the university is to serve the citizens of Ashland and the surrounding counties with educational opportunities. The Kentucky university started off in the 1970s with graduate school night classes for public school teachers at local high schools and later moved to Ashland Community College campus. The full-time functioning of the university in Ashland, Kentucky was established in 1987 with the opening of Ashland Area Extended Campus Center. It was later, in 2000, that it was renamed Morehead State University at Ashland. MSU offers bachelor’s degrees in business administration, elementary and middle school education, nursing, social work and university studies. In addition to its various bachelor’s programs, Morehead State University also offers master's degrees in education and graduate-level professional certification programs in education. It also offers online and distance education programs and is recognized as one of the top 25 public universities in south Kentucky by the U.S.News and World Report.