The college was established in 1907 as the Burge Deaconess Training School for Nurses.

In 1996, the institution changed its name to Lester L. Cox College of Nursing & Health Sciences, and in 1997, it began offering the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree.

The CoxHealth Board of Directors reaffirmed the decision, and the change became official when the Higher Learning Commission approved it.

[1] In anticipation of completing a $6.6 million renovation and expansion of the main campus in Springfield, the college received approval from the Missouri State Board of Nursing in 2019 to increase the size of its nursing classes from 250 to 400 students, making it the second largest nursing program in the state.

[2][3] In addition to expanding the main campus, Cox College also announced it would be creating satellite campuses in Branson and Monett that would offer an Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) that would open in 2021.