In 1965, Texas Senate Bill 487 [Ref 1] authorized Texas A&M University (TAMU) to establish a coed institution offering courses of study in vocational-technical education. James Connally Technical Institute of Texas A&M University was created. In 1967, the James Connally Technical Institute Harlingen campus opened on the former US Air Force base. In 1968, SACS accredited the school under the accreditation umbrella of TAMU. House Bill 137 [Ref 2] separated JCTI from TAMU in 1969 and established Texas State Technical Institute (Rio Grande Valley campus). In 1991, TSTI became Texas State Technical College, a name change made by the Texas Legislature.

Texas State Technical College Harlingen is a coeducational two-year institution of higher education offering courses of study in technical-vocational education for which there is demand within the State of Texas as outlined in Chapter 135 of Vernon's Texas Codes Annotated Education Code. Section 135.01. [Ref 3] Certificates, Diplomas and Associate Degrees states, "The board shall prescribe and award associate of applied science degrees, certificates, and diplomas limited to those appropriate to technical education. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board as described in State Statues, Texas Education Code, and Chapter 61, Section 61.051, [Ref 4] gives degree-granting authority to Texas State Technical College."