University of Maryland Eastern Shore

What is the history of University of Maryland Eastern Shore?

University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) was founded in 1886 in Princess Anne, Maryland, as the Delaware Conference Academy. Its early history is tied to educational opportunities for Black students at a time when access to higher education was restricted by segregation.

The institution later became known as Princess Anne Academy and developed as Maryland's historically Black land-grant institution. Its land-grant role helps explain the continuing place of agriculture, environmental sciences, and community-oriented research in its academic work. After several changes in name and institutional affiliation, it adopted the University of Maryland Eastern Shore name in 1970. Today, UMES is a public university and a historically Black college or university (HBCU) within the University System of Maryland.

What are the faculties and departments at University of Maryland Eastern Shore?

UMES offers undergraduate, graduate, and professional study across agriculture, science, business, technology, education, the arts, and health professions. Its academic organization includes schools devoted to agricultural and natural sciences; business and technology; education, social sciences, and the arts; and pharmacy and health professions, alongside graduate study.

Representative fields include biology, computer science, engineering, aviation, business administration, hospitality, teacher education, criminal justice, pharmacy, and rehabilitation-related professions. The combination of agricultural programs, aviation, and professional health education gives UMES options beyond a conventional liberal-arts curriculum. Applicants should check the catalog for the exact degree and campus requirements: admission to the university does not necessarily mean admission to a selective professional program or clinical placement.

The reported student-to-faculty ratio is 11 to 1. That institution-wide figure is a measure of staffing relative to enrollment, not a promise that every class will have 11 students.

What is the location of University of Maryland Eastern Shore?

UMES is in Princess Anne on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Its setting is a small-town alternative to an urban campus, with some students living at the university and others commuting from surrounding communities.

A car can be useful for regional travel, particularly for students arranging off-campus work or clinical experiences. First-year students should not assume they can bring one: institutional housing information says freshmen are not permitted to register or park a car on campus. Salisbury-Ocean City-Wicomico Regional Airport serves the broader area, though students should compare flight availability and ground transportation before relying on it for travel home.

What is the mission and vision of University of Maryland Eastern Shore?

UMES describes its mission in terms of teaching, research, and public service as a public, historically Black, land-grant university. Its stated priorities include access to education, preparation for professional work, and research and outreach responsive to communities on the Eastern Shore and beyond.

That mission helps explain the university's mix of agriculture, science, business, education, and health-professions programs. Its land-grant identity concerns public education and service; it is not a religious affiliation or a guarantee of any particular student outcome.