Former for-profit career college specializing in design, business, and technology education.
Katharine Gibbs College was founded in 1911 as the Providence School in Rhode Island, initially focused on secretarial training for educated women. The institution expanded to multiple locations including Boston, New York City, and Montclair, New Jersey. It distinguished itself by marketing to women of high socioeconomic status and offering courses in professional skills and social refinement. After being sold to corporate owners in 1968, the college transitioned to broader career education in design, business administration, computer technology, criminal justice, and healthcare.
The college changed hands multiple times: Crowell Collier and Macmillan acquired it in 1968, followed by Phillips Colleges in 1989, K-III Communications in 1994, and Career Education Corporation in 1997. In 2006, Career Education Corporation announced the Gibbs division was for sale. Unable to find a buyer, the company announced in February 2008 that most campuses would close by December 2009, with three locations converted to the Sanford-Brown College brand. The Virginia operation was shut down in 2013, completing the closure of all Gibbs College campuses.
Gibbs College offered career-focused education in design, business administration, computer technology, criminal justice, and medical assistant training. The institution was nationally accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools. In 2007, the New York State Education Department reported deficiencies related to faculty qualifications and remedial course offerings at the Manhattan campus.