The UMass Amherst was founded in 1863 as a land-grant agricultural college set on 310 acres with four faculty members, four made of wood buildings, 56 students and a program of study combining modern for those times farming, science, technical courses, and liberal arts. After a while, the programs of study, facilities, and number of students grew larger and faster than the educational institution's original project. In 1892 the first female student was enrolled and graduate degrees were approved. By 1931 the necessity made enlarge the set of courses and the institution had been transformed into Massachusetts State College. In 1947 Massachusetts State College became the University of Massachusetts Amherst now also known as UMass Amherst.
After World War II, UMass Amherst underwent fast and significant development in facilities, programs and employment and there were already 4000 students in 1954. By 1964, the undergraduate enrollment in UMass Amherst attained 10,500, which is explained by Baby Boomers coming of age. The turbulent political atmosphere also contributed to the newly erected Whitmore Administration Building of UMass Amherst. By the end of the decade, the completion of Southwest Residential Complex, the Alumni Stadium and the establishment of numerous new academic departments gave the UMass Amherst much of its contemporary status.
In the 1970s constant expansion of UMass Amherst resulted in a shuttle bus service on campus as well as quite a lot of important architectural embellishments such as the Murray D. Lincoln Campus Center with a hotel, office space, fine dining restaurant, campus store and passageway to a parking garage; the Du Bois Library, and the Fine Arts Center with performance space for music, dance and theater.
In the subsequent two decades UMass Amherst materialized as the most important research institution with the construction of the Lederle Graduate Research Center and the Conte National Polymer Research Center. Some other projects in UMass Amherst also knew considerable development. In 1996 the UMass Amherst Basketball team became Atlantic 10 Conference champs and went to the NCAA Final Four. Before the millennium, the versatile sports and convocation facility William D. Mullins Center as well as the Paul Robsham Visitors Center rushed around with activity, welcoming thousands of visitors to the UMass Amherst campus each year.
The UMass Amherst entered the 21st century as the flagship campus of the state's five-campus University system, enrollment of nearly 24,000 students and a national and international reputation for excellence and distinction.
