Bay Path was founded in 1897 as Bay Path Institute in Springfield, Massachusetts. Bay Path started as an urban, coeducational institute offering business teacher training, secretarial science, business administration and accounting degrees. The name Bay Path was derived from its location on the old Bay Path (a part of Boston Post Road), which united the western part of the state with what was once the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Bay Path Institute, founded in 1897 in Springfield, Massachusetts, initially offered business-related education programs such as teacher training, secretarial science, business administration, and accounting. The name "Bay Path" originates from its location on the old Bay Path (a part of Boston Post Road), which connected the western region of the state to what was formerly the Massachusetts Bay Colony.