About Maryville College
Maryville College is a co-educational, liberal arts college that offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Founded in 1819 as the Southern and Western Theological Seminary, it was originally intended as a seminary. Quickly realizing that most students were unprepared for graduate study in theology, its founder, the Rev. Isaac Anderson, began to offer preparatory “literary” courses. In 1842, the charter from the state of Tennessee was granted for “Maryville College.” Following the disruption of the Civil War, the College reopened and moved to its present location.
Through more than two hundred years, the College has withstood major wars, economic upheavals and changing social realities. By adapting to its shifting environments, the College has remained a strong and vibrant academic community respected for academic excellence and sincerity in implementing its purpose.
Today, Maryville College is a nationally ranked institution known for educating students to be giving citizens and gifted leaders, inspiring them to study everything, so that they are prepared for anything – to address any problem, engage with any audience and launch successful careers right away. Located in Maryville, Tennessee, between the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the city of Knoxville, Maryville College offers nearly 1,200 students from around the world both the beauty of a rural setting and the advantages of an urban center, as well as more than 70 majors, minors and pre-professional programs. Students receive career preparation from their first day on campus to their last.
The College’s more than 10,000 alumni are living life strong of mind and brave of heart and are prepared, in the words of our Presbyterian founder, to “do good on the largest possible scale.”