TSTC was established in 1965 as the James Connally Technical Institute (JCTI) of Texas A&M University to meet the state's evolving workforce needs.

As the need for technical education increased in Texas, TSTC opened additional campuses in Amarillo (this campus later left TSTI to become part of Amarillo College) and Sweetwater in 1979, McAllen (1983, no longer part of the system), Abilene (1985), Breckenridge (1989), Brownwood (1991), and Marshall (1991; became a separate college in 1999).

In 2015, TSTC and the Greater Fort Bend Economic Development Council unveiled plans to build a permanent campus in Rosenberg.

The grand opening was celebrated in the fall a year later, bringing manufacturing, engineering, and information technology programs to the community.

TSTC has partnerships in Hutto and Richmond working closely with a number of universities, school districts, colleges, and other entities to help provide a strong workforce for the future of Texas.

[5] Texas State Technical College has partnered with Pinnacle Career Institute in Kansas City to offer the wind turbine technician program.