Martin Luther College

Established in 1995, Martin Luther College is a Christian institution in southern Minnesota. A college of ministry, it is run by the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod.

Its historical roots lie in two older institutions, Dr. Martin Luther College, in the college’s present New Ulm location, and Northwestern University, in Watertown, Wisconsin. A merger relocated the latter to Minnesota and brought about the college that students graduate from today. Named after the Bavarian city of Neu-Ulm, New Ulm is a small town on the spiralling Minnesota River, 85 miles south west of Minneapolis-Saint Paul, the state’s famous Twin Cities. It is 65 miles north of Iowa and 105 miles east of South Dakota.

Commissioned in 1994, there is a statue of Martin Luther, the world-famous 16th century monk and protagonist in the Protestant Reformation who inspired the college’s name, on campus.

The college’s undergraduate degree programmes include theological studies, educational studies and middle and secondary education, while there are master’s courses in education and educational administration. 

The institution describes its mission as training Christian witnesses to meet the ministry needs of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. It runs pastoral training and delivers teachers and staff ministers. Students and lecturers gather for chapel twice a day throughout the working week. The campus has four halls of residence, music halls and various sports facilities, while New Ulm has a swimming pool, an ice rink, a golf course and a cinema for MLC students to enjoy.