Historical Sketch
Christian Brothers College was founded November 19, 1871, by members of the Institute of the Brothers of Christian Schools, a Roman Catholic religious teaching congregation. The Brothers came to Memphis at the request of the people and clergy of the city, a move which culminated more than a decade of efforts to persuade the Brothers to open a college in Memphis. Brother Maurelian was appointed the first President.
Brother Maurelian’s two terms as President totaled 33 years. During his presidency, the Brothers purchased the 612 Adams Street building which was to house the college until 1940 when the college moved to its present location at Central Avenue and East Parkway South. The college functioned as a combined elementary school, high school, and college, granting high school diplomas as well as Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees from 1871 to 1915, when the college division was suspended. Elementary classes were dropped in 1922, and the institution operated as a high school only until 1940. Reopened at that time as a Junior College, the college began granting Associate of Arts Degrees in 1942.
In 1953, the decision was made to expand the Junior College into a four-year institution to more adequately serve the needs of the community. The four-year curriculum began with degrees in Business Administration and Electrical Engineering, with the first graduates in recent times receiving their degrees in 1955.
The curriculum was soon expanded to meet the needs for new programs in the fields of Mechanical Engineering and Chemistry. Through the ensuing years the following degree programs were added: Biology, Civil Engineering, Mathematics, English, English for Corporate Communications, Creative Writing, Visual Art, Physics, Chemical Engineering, History, Psychology, Natural Science, Engineering Physics, Computer Science, Religion & Philosophy, Political Science, Politics & Law, Engineering Management, Engineering Technology, and Construction Management. Teacher Preparation Programs in Secondary Education were added in 1969. Christian Brothers College became coeducational in 1970. Currently, women make up approximately fifty-five percent of the student body. An accelerated Evening Program offering a degree in Business Administration was added in 1978 to meet the needs of the adult student, and the Applied Psychology degree was added in 1999. Officially, Christian Brothers College became Christian Brothers University in June of 1990.
Programs at the graduate level were reinstituted in 1987 with the Masters program in Telecommunication and Information Systems. The Master of Business Administration and the Master of Engineering Management were added in 1989. The Master of Education was added in 1997, and in 2001 a Master of Arts in Teaching and a Master of Science in Educational Leadership were added. The Master of Science in Engineering Management was added in 2005. In 2011, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing was added, and in 2012, a Master of Physician Assistant Studies was added. The university initiated a Master of Science in Computer Information Systems degree program in 2017. The Master of Science in Data Science degree was added in 2021. The Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling launched in 2023.