Centenary College was founded in 1867 by the Newark Conference of the United Methodist Church. Centenary has evolved from a coeducational preparatory school to a girls' preparatory school (1910), to a Junior college for women (1940), to a four-year women's college (1976), to a coeducational baccalaureate-degree-granting institution (1988) and finally to a master-degree-granting institution (1995). In 1999, Centenary founded the Center for Adult and Professional Studies (CAPS) program. In 2011, the program was renamed the School of Professional Studies (SPS).