Northern New Mexico College

Northern New Mexico College is a public college in Española, New Mexico. Northern New Mexico College is a regional comprehensive college offering bachelor's, associate degrees and certificates, located in Española and El Rito, New Mexico. Northern was founded in El Rito, New Mexico in 1909 as the Spanish American Normal School with the original mission of providing teacher training for the area's Spanish speakers. The College's original mission and Constitutional charter makes Northern the first Hispanic-serving institution in the United States. Northern opened its Española campus in 1971 and expanded its mission to include technical vocational programs, eventually becoming the state's first designated community college. In 2004, new legislation allowed Northern to offer a baccalaureate program in Elementary Education. In 2013, Northern applied for a change of mission from a two-year to a four-year college. Between 2014 and 2015, ten more baccalaureate programs were approved. The main campus is now in Española; the El Rito campus still operates.