In 1911 Eldon E. Baker founded Baker Business University to train workers for Michigan's burgeoning automobile industry. The school merged with Muskegon College in 1965. After receiving accreditation to grant the Associate of Business degree, the school changed its name to Baker Junior College. Accreditation for the Associate of Applied Science degree followed in 1981. Accreditation by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools in 1985 led to the consolidation of three campuses and formation of the Baker College System. Baker College granted its first Bachelor of Business Administration degree in 1986. Graduate programs began in 1994, and Baker College instituted its online programs in 1996.
Baker College is authorized by the state of Michigan to grant vocational certificates, associate's degrees, bachelor's degrees and master's degrees. Baker College is listed as an institute of higher education by the U.S. Department of Education. It is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Additionally, Baker has accredited certificate programs in health sciences, engineering/technology and business administration.
Baker College's on-campus programs of study fall into seven categories: business administration, health sciences, engineering/technology, information systems, education and human services, culinary arts and automotive/diesel technology. Baker does not offer a traditional liberal arts degree track. All degrees and certificates are vocational and career-oriented.
Called "the college without walls," Baker College has online study programs with no residency requirement. Students can earn certificates in web development, associate's degrees in applied science and business, and bachelor's degrees in business, nursing, health services and psychology.
Baker College also offers graduate degrees. Students can earn a Doctor of Business Administration as well as a Master of Business Administration in one of nine concentrations. Other graduate degrees include a Master of Occupational Therapy and a Master of Science in Information Systems.