University of Massachusetts Amherst

The Ranking of University of Massachusetts Amherst

www.umass.edu/

The University of Massachusetts Amherst (otherwise known as UMass Amherst, Massachusetts, or UMass) is a selective research and land-grant university in Amherst, Massachusetts. The University of Massachusetts Amherst offers over 90 undergraduate and 65 graduate areas of study. It was known as the University of Massachusetts from 1947 until the creation of the UMass system, for which it now serves as the flagship campus.

History

UMass Amherst was born in 1863 as a land-grant agricultural college set on 310 rural acres with four faculty members, four wooden buildings, 56 students and a curriculum combining modern farming, science, technical courses, and liberal arts.

Over time, the curriculum, facilities, and student body outgrew the institution’s original mission. In 1892 the first female student enrolled and graduate degrees were authorized. By 1931, to reflect a broader curriculum, “Mass Aggie” had become Massachusetts State College. In 1947, “Mass State” became the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Immediately after World War II, the university experienced rapid growth in facilities, programs and enrollment, with 4000 students in 1954. By 1964, undergraduate enrollment jumped to 10,500, as Baby Boomers came of age. The turbulent political environment also brought a “sit-in” to the newly constructed Whitmore Administration Building. By the end of the decade, the completion of Southwest Residential Complex, the Alumni Stadium and the establishment of many new academic departments gave UMass Amherst much of its modern stature.

In the 1970s continued growth gave rise to a shuttle bus service on campus as well as several important architectural additions: the Murray D. Lincoln Campus Center, with a hotel, office space, fine dining restaurant, campus store and passageway to a multi-level parking garage; the W.E.B. Du Bois Library, named “tallest library in the world” upon its completion in 1973; and the Fine Arts Center, with performance space for world-class music, dance and theater.

The next two decades saw the emergence of UMass Amherst as a major research facility with the construction of the Lederle Graduate Research Center and the Conte National Polymer Research Center. Other programs excelled as well. In 1996 UMass Basketball became Atlantic 10 Conference champs and went to the NCAA Final Four. Before the millennium, both the William D. Mullins Center, a multi-purpose sports and convocation facility, and the Paul Robsham Visitors Center bustled with activity, welcoming thousands of visitors to the campus each year.

UMass Amherst entered the 21st century as the flagship campus of the state’s five-campus University system, and enrollment of nearly 24,000 students and a national and international reputation for excellence.

Campus

UMass Amherst, the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts system, sits on nearly 1,450-acres in the scenic Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, 90 miles from Boston and 175 miles from New York City. The campus provides a rich cultural environment in a rural setting close to major urban centers.

Library

The W.E.B. DuBois library is the tallest library in the United States and the tallest academic library in the world. It is also well regarded for its innovative architectural design, which incorporates the bookshelves into the structural support of the building. It is home of the memoirs and papers of the distinguished African-American activist and Massachusetts native W. E. B. Du Bois as well as being the depository for other important collections, such as the papers of the late Congressman Silvio O. Conte.

• Special Collections include
• Social change and movements for social change
• African American history and culture
• Labor, work, and industry
• Literature and the arts
• AgricultureThe history of the region
  
  The library system is the largest at a state-supported institution in New England with more than 6.1 million items.
  

Academic Reputation

U.S. News and World Report's 2009 edition of America's Best Colleges placed UMass Amherst at #102 on their list of "Best National Universities" ranking it the joint 46th amongst Public Universities. The Times Higher Education Supplement ranked UMass Amherst as the 175th best university in the world. The MBA program is highly ranked by the Princeton Review.

School and College

• School of Education
• College of Engineering
• College of Humanities and Fine Arts
• Isenberg School of Management
• College of Natural Resources and the Environment
• College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
• School of Nursing
• School of Public Health and Health Sciences
• College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
• Stockbridge School of Agriculture

University of Massachusetts Amherst was ranked 191 in the 2008 THES-QS World University Ranking.