Located in the beautiful historic city of Thomasville, Georgia, Thomas University is a regionally accredited, non-profit university whose mission is to provide an educational experience that explores and develops each student’s full potential. Situated on 75 acres just 30 miles north of Tallahassee, Florida, TU offers associates, bachelors and master’s degrees at our main campus, online and at satellite locations in Tallahassee, across Georgia and at University Partners in China.
Our student body includes traditional students, local professionals returning to college, members of the military, and citizens from around the globe. TU students participate in a wide variety of activities including 10 varsity and junior varsity athletic teams, music, debate, theatre and team sports such as shooting, bass fishing and archery.
Thomas University’s origins date back to 1950 when the Primitive Baptist Church charted the institution as Birdwood Junior College at the winter home of the Honorable W. Cameron Forbes, former Governor General of the Philippines, Ambassador to Japan and grandson of Ralph Waldo Emerson. The Forbes Building, built in 1932, is one of the original structures on campus and is still in use today. The architecture of the building inspired the graphic elements of the TU logo and the design of the new Smith-Bonvillian Hall.
In 1976, the Primitive Baptist Church relinquished control of the college and the name was changed to Thomas County Community College. In 1979, the college because nonsectarian and independent. The name was changed to Thomas College in 1986, and the first four-year degrees were offered in 1988.
In December 1998, Thomas College was approved by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) to offer graduate degrees. In January 2000, the name was changed to Thomas University.
Thomas University has not only become the school of choice for this region, but has also taken its dynamic educational programs worldwide. In addition to the hundreds of international students who have earned their degrees at our campus in Thomasville, GA, TU is now offering programs through partnerships with respected schools and organizations around the globe.
Thomas University has taken a leading role in the development of cooperation models in China. The Thomas China Programs (TCP) offers unique dual-degree options at many of the leading universities around the country, and is adding more programs every year. Between 2010 and 2013, Thomas University established cooperation programs with three key Chinese provincial universities, Wenzhou Medical University (WMU), Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (JUTCM), and Inner Mongolia University for the Nationalities (IMUN) to deliver the Sino-U.S. Registered Nurse Bachelor of Science in nursing dual degree program. In 2013, we established a partnership with Guangzhou College, South China University of Technology (GC-SCUT) to deliver the Sino-U.S. Bachelor of Science in Business Administration dual degree program. Through our partnership with Jimei University (JMU), their students are able to enroll in our MBA program on the TU campus after completing pre-requisites in China. All of our programs are carefully designed to provide our international students with individual attention to help guide them through the program and embark on successful careers. We take great pride in all of our global initiatives and we believe that international cooperation and exchange can help expand the educational horizons of all students and faculty involved.