In 1892, the John A. Creighton Medical College was founded. The medical school was affiliated with the new Creighton Memorial St. Josephﾒs Hospital, named for Sarah Emily Creighton. Creighton College opened its doors in 1878 through a gift from Mary Lucretia Creighton who required in her will that a school be established in memory of her husband Edward Creighton who was the former president of First National Bank of Omaha and one of the founders of the Omaha and Northwestern Railroad.

The College of Arts and Sciences was established that same year and is still the largest division at Creighton. Women attended Creighton University at its founding and Kate Drake was part of the first class of the College of Medicine.