[1] The school was formed from a 1993 merger of Northwest Alabama Community College in Phil Campbell and Shoals Community College in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.

Shoals Community College was founded in 1966 as Joe Wheeler State Trade School.

Joe Wheeler State Trade School changed its name to Muscle Shoals State Technical Institute and obtained accreditation from the Commission on Occupational Education Institutions in 1973.

Certificate programs, in contrast to the associate degree, can last from one semester to two years and certify completion of specific technical or occupational training programs.

Some of these programs do not require a high school degree.