Established in McLemoresville, Tennessee in 1842, Bethel University has greatly surpassed the expectations of its founders. Chartered by the State of Tennessee in 1847, Bethel began as a seminary for the Cumberland Presbyterian Church with the purpose of training young male pastors for the growing denomination. It was not until the college moved to McKenzie in 1872 that it first began to admit wom
en as students. Enrollment grew exponentially with the introduction of the Success Program in 1997. Designed to help busy adults complete a Bachelor’s Degree in Management & Organizational Development, the college began offering classes that met one night per week at the McKenzie campus. Today, Bethel offers classes at seven campus locations across the state of Tennessee, including Chattanooga, Clarksville, Jackson, McKenzie, Memphis, Nashville, and Paris. In October 2007, Bethel introduced its online Master of Business Administration degree, which quickly became the number-one Executive MBA program in the state of Tennessee. Soon after, in 2009, Bethel expanded its offerings to provide a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership completely online. 2009 also marks the year that Bethel’s institutional growth made it possible for the college to become a university. In 2015, the College of Public Service merged with the College of Professional Studies and offers associate, bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in Criminal Justice. Bethel University is now comprised of three separate colleges, with a multitude of on-campus and online programs. Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges & Schools Commission on Colleges.
