GC was chartered in 1889 as Georgia Normal and Industrial College. Its emphasis at the time was largely vocational, and its major task was to prepare young women for teaching or industrial careers. In 1917, in keeping with economic and cultural changes in the state, Georgia Normal and Industrial College was authorized to grant degrees, the first of which was awarded in 1921. In 1922, the institution's name was changed to Georgia State College for Women. The University has been a unit of the University System of Georgia since it was formed in 1932. The name was changed to Women's College of Georgia in 1961, and, when the institution became coeducational in 1967, it became Georgia College at Milledgeville. The name was later shortened to Georgia College. In August of 1996, the Board of Regents approved a change of name to Georgia College & State University, and a new mission as Georgia's Public Liberal Arts University. The university is best known best by it's shorthand name, Georgia College.
The College of Health Sciences' mission is to provide undergraduate and graduate programs in disciplines that emphasize health education, promotion, maintenance, and restoration. Liberal arts constructs permeate the health science majors thereby enhancing an understanding of the diverse, changing and complex health needs and values of society.
