Editing Bryn Mawr College (section)

== History ==

Joseph Wright Taylor, a Quaker physician, founded Bryn Mawr College in 1885 with the vision of providing women with academic opportunities equal to the best available to men. The college's founding president, M. Carey Thomas, transformed this vision into reality through rigorous academic standards, graduate programs, and commitment to women's advancement that made Bryn Mawr a leader in women's education. Thomas's presidency (1894-1922) established traditions of academic excellence and feminist commitment that continue defining the college.<ref name="brynmawr"/>

Bryn Mawr became the first institution in the United States to offer graduate education through the PhD level to women, granting its first doctoral degree in 1888. The Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research, established in 1915, pioneered professional social work education. These innovations in graduate education complemented undergraduate programs that prepared generations of women for professional and intellectual careers during eras when such pathways remained unusual.<ref name="brynmawr"/>