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This dissertation examines women's colleges emergence as new organizational types in higher education in the late 1800s and early 1900s. In building these colleges, administrators both deviated from societal norms and values about gender and race while conforming to others. They pushed for women's place in advanced education without betraying notions about womanhood, especially white womanhood. Through academic programs, campus rules, and campus design, administrators built colleges that connected older standards from men's universities set for higher education and established new ones meant specifically for women's education. Using historical data (e.g., college publications and women's magazines), I examine how women's colleges developed as gendered educational spaces and responded to societal expectations. Women's colleges are understudied, especially as distinct organizational types. By incorporating organizational theory and strategic action theory, I highlight the significance of field-specific norms and values in organizations' development of legitimacy, reputation, and culture. I argue that women's colleges navigated multilevel processes across fields, race, and gender in crafting and maintaining their legitimacy, reputation, and culture strategies. Despite great doubts about the societal need for women's education, Black and white women's colleges successfully built themselves into legitimate liberal arts colleges with a history of reputable educational training. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]