Whitman College is a private, co-educational, non-sectarian, residential undergraduate liberal arts college located in Walla Walla, Washington. Initially founded as a seminary by a territorial legislative charter in 1859, the school became a four year degree granting institution in 1883. Whitman College is accredited by the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges and competes athletically in the NCAA Division III Northwest Conference. The school offers 46 majors and 31 minors in the liberal arts and sciences. Whitman was the first Northwest college to receive a Phi Beta Kappa chapter, and the first school in the United States to require comprehensive exams for graduation.