Mountwest Community and Technical College, an independent member of the Community and Technical College System of West Virginia, was founded in 1975 as Marshall Community College, a division of Marshall University. The name was changed to Marshall Community and Technical College in 1991 to reflect the technical nature of several of the programs offered by the Huntington institution.
Under legislation passed in 2000, Marshall Community and Technical College sought independent accreditation from the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and was accredited in 2003. Subsequent acts of the legislature mandated that by July 1, 2009, community and technical colleges which were components of West Virginia colleges and universities would gradually become independent institutions. As part of the separation, legislation signed by the governor in March 2010 approved a new name, Mountwest Community and Technical College. The college offers more than 50 associate degree programs.
In 2012, the college moved off Marshall’s campus and into an office building once occupied by Ashland Coal. The college also operates the Center for Culinary Arts and the Inland Waterways Academy.
In fall 2022, its total enrollment was 1,273, about a two-third decline from the previous decade.