Women's colleges are higher-education institutions that admit only women. At one time, women were not allowed to attend higher-education institutions; only males had this privilege. Women's colleges were developed to provide a higher-education option for women.

Early Development of Women's Colleges

The precursors to women's colleges in the United States were seminaries. Some of the early schools for girls focused on the domestic arts, religion, etc. It was not until 1821, when Emma Willard opened the Troy Female Seminary in Troy, New York, that a women's institution offered a curriculum on par with that offered in men's colleges. The Troy Female Seminary's curriculum included mathematics, science, modern languages, Latin, history, philosophy, geography, and literature. Graduates of the Troy Female Seminary opened their own schools based on the ...

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