In Columbia, “Collegetown U.S.A.,” higher education plays a major economic and social role.
Columbia College is a private coeducational liberal arts and sciences institution offering associate, bachelor’s and master’s degree programs. Founded in 1851 as Christian Female College, the institution was renamed Columbia College when it became coeducational in 1970. The main campus in Columbia is located on 30 acres in the heart of the city and offers a traditional day program and an evening campus for adult learners. The college also has 31 extended campuses across the nation for civilian and military students. For more information, call 1-800-231-2391, ext. 7230 or visit
Columbia College.
Stephens College, founded in 1833 as Columbia’s first institution of higher education, is a premier national liberal arts college for women in the Midwest. As a private college, Stephens offers an undergraduate education for women in the liberal arts and provides solid preparation in the performing arts and in pre-professional fields. Continuing education and graduate programs are open to men and women. For more information call 1-800-876-7207 or visit
Stephens College
The University of Missouri-Columbia was founded in 1839, representing the birth of public higher education west of the Mississippi River. The 1,340-acre campus is the state’s flagship university, combining the resources of a comprehensive research institution and a state land-grant university. MU offers 226 degree programs through 18 colleges and schools. It is one of only five institutions in the country that has Law, Medicine and Veterinary Medicine on a single campus. MU has 22,700 students enrolled from every county in Missouri, every state in the nation and 114 countries. For more information, contact Visitor Relations at 882-6333 or visit
The University of Missouri-Columbia.
