Colleges in Memphis
The biggest city on the Mississippi River, Memphis is the second-largest city in the state of Tennessee. The transport and shipping industry play a big role with the city being intersected by a number of major freight railroads. Memphis is known for its role in music, as well, with it being home to Beale Street and Graceland, the residence of Elvis Presley. The city hosts a variety of higher education institutions, including several medical schools, seminaries, and a law school.
Founded in 1871, Christian Brothers University is the oldest collegiate, degree-granting institution in the city of Memphis. There are several other institutions in the city with religious ties, including LeMoyne-Owen College, which is the result of a merger between two historically black colleges. There are two seminaries in the city, as well, the Harding School of Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary, and the Memphis Theological Seminary. All three train ministerial candidates but Memphis Theological has a focus on graduate students, offering master’s and doctoral degrees.
The largest institution in the city is the University of Memphis. Serving more than 20,000 students, U of M is a public, research institution that was founded in 1912. The university maintains several colleges and schools, including the only law school in the city: Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law. Within the Memphis city limits are a number of health-related institutions, as well, including Southern College of Optometry, University of Tennessee College of Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, and the University of Tennessee College of Dentistry. While the main campus for the University of Tennessee is in Knoxville, nearly six hours away, several campuses are located in Memphis.
There are several other small, private colleges in the city: Rhodes College, Memphis College of Art, and Visible Music College. The prominent 2-year degree institution is the Southwest Tennessee Community College, which has two campuses in Memphis as well as several satellite locations.
Memphis is largely automobile-dependent but the Memphis Central Station still provides some railroad lines. The city is served by Amtrak and the nearest airport is the Memphis International Airport.
