The college was originally a part of the Phoenix Union High School and Junior College District and was known as Phoenix Junior College (PJC). PC became a part of the Maricopa County Community College District in 1960, and is now considered the flagship campus of one of the largest community college systems in the world.

The University of Arizona College of Medicine � Phoenix inspires and trains individuals to become exemplary physicians, scientists and leaders who are life-long learners and inquisitive scholars and who will embrace professionalism, innovation and collaboration to optimize health and health care for all.

Many PC alumni have gone on to local and national prominence with successful careers in the arts, business, government, medical, and legal professions. Distinguished alumni include mayors, state senators, Native American tribal leaders, publishers, business executives, two Miss Americas (1949 and 1964) and two Arizona governors (Wesley Bolin and Jack Richard Williams). Other prominent alumni include film star Nick Nolte, Tony Award-winning actor Stephen Spinella, actor Peter Billingsley, daytime television star Jaime Lyn Bauer, Pop/Rhythm & Blues singer CeCe Peniston, artist Eric Fischl, and AAGPBL pioneer Charlotte Armstrong. Investigative journalist Ron Ridenhour, who exposed the My Lai Massacre, attended Phoenix College before being drafted into military service in Vietnam in 1967. Several former football players have played in the National Football League including Fred Carr, Bob Wallace, Eugene Jackson, Tom Johnson [disambiguation needed], Lyn Larsen, Tory Nixon, Andy Livingston, and "Scooter" Molander. Dennis Layton played for the National Basketball Association's Phoenix Suns and John Smith toured with the Harlem Globetrotters. Bears who have played Major League Baseball include Donnie Lee, Gary Gentry, and Dave Rajsich.

Urban Main: 52 acres