American International College (AIC) is a private, co-educational liberal-arts college located in the Mason Square neighborhood of Springfield, Massachusetts. American International College was originally established on July 18, 1885 as the French Protestant College by Rev. Calvin E. Amaron, who sought to create an institution of higher learning that would provide the local French Protestant minority with access to higher education. Over the years the college expanded its admissions program to include women in 1892 and other minorities, who were not of French origin and emigrated to Western Massachusetts from other parts of Europe and Canada. Today, the college is a thriving multi-cultural institution of higher learning that continues to emphasize its commitment to the local community. The college offers undergraduate and graduate programs, including doctorate degrees in education and physical therapy. There are five schools which focus on their respective academic areas: Arts, Education, and Sciences; Business Administration; Health Sciences; Graduate and Extended Studies; and School of Continuing Education.