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The Peirce Story
Peirce College was founded in 1865 to provide business education for returning Civil War veterans. This 153-year tradition of supporting nontraditional students remains at the core Peirce’s mission: to empower adult learners to improve their lives by achieving career goals through education aligned with evolving workforce needs.
Thomas May Peirce founded Peirce as Union Business College in September 1865. This first class included 68 women, making the school one of the first colleges in the nation to open its doors to women and integrate its programs.
Over the next 130 years, Peirce won numerous awards for high quality education and continually evolved to meet the needs of a changing workforce. World- renowned faculty and programs made the Peirce name a fixture in the business community at home and abroad. As technology began to transcend industries and demonstrate its importance, Peirce launched its first information technology-related programs in 1961.
Peirce began offering bachelor’s degrees in July 1997 and officially became known as Peirce College to reflect the full portfolio of degrees and programs available for study. The College became one of the first in the country to offer full bachelor’s degree programs online in 2000 and has continued to expand its online offerings since then. All programs are now offered online, on campus, or a combination
of both.
Paralegal degrees were added in the early 2000s and healthcare programs were first offered in 2010, all in a response to the needs of local and national employers. In 2013, the College launched its first master’s degree program.
Peirce now serves approximately 2000 students from across the country, with most of the College’s students and alumni residing primarily in the Philadelphia region.
In April 2018, the College welcomed Dr. Mary Ellen Caro as President and CEO. She is the first woman to hold this role in Peirce’s history.
Peirce remains committed to providing access and opportunity to higher education for adult learners looking to complete their degree. With a steadfast promise to continually reimagine education–through partnerships, innovation, and technology– Peirce College is ready for whatever the future holds.
2 I Peirce College 2020 Commencement