diff --git a/.github/workflows/test.yml b/.github/workflows/test.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..59d5c5e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/test.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+name: SQLAlchemy Model Tests
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches: ["**"]
+  pull_request:
+    branches: ["**"]
+
+jobs:
+  run_test_suite:
+    name: Run Test Suite
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+
+    steps:
+      - name: Check out repository
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Set up Python
+        uses: actions/setup-python@v5
+        with:
+          # Match the Python version specified in pyproject.toml
+          python-version: "3.10"
+          cache: "pip"
+
+      - name: Install Dependencies
+        run: |
+          python -m pip install --upgrade pip
+          pip install -r requirements.txt
+
+      - name: Run Test Suite
+        # GitHub's Ubuntu runners come with Docker pre-installed so the testcontainers
+        # package should work out of the box.
+        run: |
+          pytest tests/
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index fd5ebc8..4197ad9 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,2 +1,75 @@
 # database-schema
-CARPI MySQL database schemas.
+
+This repository is a Python package that contains SQLAlchemy data models for use in the CARPI Course Planner project.
+
+## Installing as a Dependency
+
+In your project's dependency list (often named `requirements.txt` or similar), add the following line:
+
+```
+carpi-data-model @ git+https://github.com/Project-CARPI/database-schema.git
+```
+
+If installing directly on the command line using pip, use the following command:
+
+```bash
+pip3 install git+https://github.com/Project-CARPI/database-schema.git
+```
+
+## Local Development & Testing
+
+Along with the core SQLAlchemy models, this repository includes a PyTest-based test suite.
+
+### Prerequisites
+
+- **Python >= 3.10**: If you don't have it installed, [download it here.](https://www.python.org/)
+- **Docker**: Required to automatically spin up temporary MySQL containers during testing. [Download Docker Desktop here.](https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop/)
+
+### Setup Instructions
+
+**1. Set Up a Virtual Environment**
+To avoid cluttering your global Python environment, create a virtual environment in the project root:
+
+```bash
+# Create a virtual environment directory named .venv
+python -m venv .venv
+```
+
+**2. Activate the Environment**
+Depending on your operating system, activate the virtual environment:
+
+- **Windows:**
+  ```powershell
+  .venv\Scripts\activate
+  ```
+- **macOS / Linux:**
+  ```bash
+  source .venv/bin/activate
+  ```
+
+You will see a `(.venv)` prefix in your terminal prompt when the environment is successfully active:
+
+```bash
+(.venv) raymond@Macbook-Pro database-schema %
+```
+
+**3. Install Required Dependencies**
+With the virtual environment active, install the required packages for testing:
+
+```bash
+pip install -r requirements.txt
+```
+
+### Running the Tests
+
+Once your environment is set up and **Docker is running** in the background, you can execute the test suite using pytest:
+
+```bash
+pytest tests/
+```
+
+To exit the virtual environment when you are finished, run the deactivate command:
+
+```bash
+deactivate
+```
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index cbc5619..4b9fd90 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ build-backend = "setuptools.build_meta"
 name = "carpi-data-model"
 version = "1.0"
 dependencies = ["SQLAlchemy>=2.0.0"]
-requires-python = ">=3.7"
+requires-python = ">=3.10"
 authors = [{ name = "Raymond Chen" }, { name = "Jack Zgombic" }]
 maintainers = [{ name = "Raymond Chen" }]
 description = "The MySQL database schema used in Project CARPI."
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index 27f8f50..853de12 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -1,2 +1,25 @@
-SQLAlchemy==2.0.44
+# Self-dependency that allows PyTest to import the package being tested.
+# 
+# As an "editable" dependency, Python will automatically track changes to the source code
+# without needing to reinstall the package after every change, which is ideal for
+# development environments.
+-e .
+
+# Other third-party dependencies
+certifi==2026.2.25
+charset-normalizer==3.4.7
+docker==7.1.0
+idna==3.11
+iniconfig==2.3.0
+mysql-connector-python==9.6.0
+packaging==26.0
+pluggy==1.6.0
+Pygments==2.20.0
+pytest==9.0.3
+python-dotenv==1.2.2
+requests==2.33.1
+SQLAlchemy==2.0.49
+testcontainers==4.14.2
 typing_extensions==4.15.0
+urllib3==2.6.3
+wrapt==2.1.2
diff --git a/tests/test_models.py b/tests/test_models.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d3a4b68
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_models.py
@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+import pytest
+from sqlalchemy import create_engine, inspect
+from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
+from testcontainers.mysql import MySqlContainer
+
+from carpi_data_model.models import (
+    Attribute,
+    Base,
+    Course,
+    Course_Attribute,
+    Course_Faculty,
+    Course_Offering,
+    Course_Relationship,
+    Course_Restriction,
+    Faculty,
+    Restriction,
+    Subject,
+)
+
+
+@pytest.fixture(scope="session")
+def engine():
+    """
+    Spin up a temporary MySQL Docker container for the whole test session. This
+    requires Docker to be running on your machine.
+    """
+    with MySqlContainer("mysql:8.0", dialect="mysqlconnector") as mysql:
+        db_engine = create_engine(mysql.get_connection_url(), echo=False)
+        try:
+            yield db_engine
+        finally:
+            db_engine.dispose()
+
+
+@pytest.fixture(autouse=True)
+def setup_database(engine):
+    """
+    Creates all tables before each test and drops them after to ensure a clean
+    state for every test.
+    """
+    Base.metadata.create_all(bind=engine)
+    yield
+    Base.metadata.drop_all(bind=engine)
+
+
+def test_create_tables(engine):
+    """
+    Test that the SQLAlchemy schema can be translated into DDL and executed
+    in a Native MySQL database without throwing any mapping or constraint
+    errors. Ensures the tables actually exist in the database catalog.
+    """
+    inspector = inspect(engine)
+    existing_tables = inspector.get_table_names()
+
+    assert Subject.__tablename__ in existing_tables
+    assert Attribute.__tablename__ in existing_tables
+    assert Restriction.__tablename__ in existing_tables
+    assert Faculty.__tablename__ in existing_tables
+    assert Course.__tablename__ in existing_tables
+    assert Course_Attribute.__tablename__ in existing_tables
+    assert Course_Relationship.__tablename__ in existing_tables
+    assert Course_Restriction.__tablename__ in existing_tables
+    assert Course_Offering.__tablename__ in existing_tables
+    assert Course_Faculty.__tablename__ in existing_tables
+
+
+def test_insert_and_query(engine):
+    """
+    Test basic database operations (insert and query) on a table to ensure the
+    ORM definitions functionally work.
+    """
+    with Session(engine) as session:
+        subj = Subject(subj_code="CSCI", title="Computer Science")
+        session.add(subj)
+        session.commit()
+
+        fetched = session.query(Subject).filter_by(subj_code="CSCI").first()
+        assert fetched is not None
+        assert fetched.subj_code == "CSCI"
+        assert fetched.title == "Computer Science"