5 Things You Should Know About the University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Across the United States and the U.S. Virgin Islands, more than 100 HBCUs are shaping leaders and preserving culture. Each campus has its own rhythm, its own history, its own story. Have you ever discovered an HBCU and wondered, what makes this one stand out?
If you’re interested in HBCUs and UMES is not already on your radar, it should be. The University of Maryland Eastern Shore is a small school that makes a big impact. With deep roots, strong academic programs, and outcomes you can actually measure, UMES continues to create real pathways for its students.
Here are five things you should know about UMES.
via UMES.edu
1. UMES Is a Land-Grant University
You’ve probably heard the term “land-grant institution” before, but do you know what it means?
UMES is a public land-grant HBCU. That designation traces back to the Second Morrill Act of 1890, which required states to provide agricultural and technical education to Black students if they wanted to continue receiving federal funding.
Because African Americans were barred from attending Maryland Agricultural College in College Park, the state formalized land-grant education for Black students on the Eastern Shore.
UMES became that institution.
That puts it in company with land-grant HBCUs like Florida A&M University, North Carolina A&T State University, and Tuskegee University.
Land-grant schools were created to teach agriculture, engineering, science, and applied fields. They were built to strengthen communities by teaching hard skills to support the building of economies.
Today, UMES is classified as a Doctoral University with Moderate Research Activity. It offers:
- 38 bachelor’s degree programs
- 14 master’s degree programs
- 8 doctoral programs
- 27 accredited areas of study
UMES is a research-producing institution where advancing knowledge is central to the mission, with faculty and students contributing to projects that shape agriculture, healthcare, environmental science, and technology while educating the next generation of leaders.
2. UMES and Social Mobility
Let’s talk about social mobility.
Maybe you've heard the phrase before, but what does it really mean?
Social mobility measures how effectively a university helps students move up economically. Are students graduating? Are they entering strong career fields? Are they positioned to earn more than their parents?
UMES consistently ranks high in social mobility among regional universities, meaning it helps students graduate, secure meaningful careers, and increase their lifetime earning potential at rates that move families and communities forward.
Many HBCUs serve first-generation and Pell-eligible students. The real question becomes, what happens after enrollment?
UMES pairs access with outcomes.
Professional accreditation in 27 fields. Programs in pharmacy, physical therapy, cybersecurity engineering technology, and food science. Research opportunities in marine and environmental sciences.
So when thinking about UMES, know that it has built infrastructure around upward movement.
3. UMES Has Deep Roots
UMES opened on September 13, 1886, as the Delaware Conference Academy in Princess Anne, Maryland. Nine students, two teachers.
That was the beginning.
The school was established by the Delaware Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church to educate African American students at a time when opportunities for higher education in Maryland were deliberately limited. It was created in direct response to segregation policies that barred Black students from the Maryland Agricultural College, founded in 1856, which would later become the University of Maryland, College Park.
In 1890, after the passage of the Second Morrill Act required states to provide land-grant educational opportunities for Black students in segregated systems, the institution became Princess Anne Academy and received designation as Maryland’s 1890 land-grant institution. That federal recognition expanded its mission to include agriculture, mechanical arts, and teacher preparation.
The evolution continued:
- Princess Anne Academy
- Princess Anne College in 1935
- Maryland State College in 1948
- And finally, in 1970, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore joined the University System of Maryland.
UMES exists because Black students were excluded. It was not an afterthought or a side project. It was a necessary institution born out of injustice and built with intention.
That origin means this campus was created with purpose, and that purpose still echoes today.
via UMES Instagram @umesnews
4. UMES Builds Degrees With Direction
UMES is intentional about its academic offerings. Its degree programs reflect industry demand, regional strength, and its land-grant mission.
At the undergraduate level, programs like Aviation Science, Golf Management, Agribusiness, Construction Management, Environmental Science, Engineering Technology, Hospitality and Tourism Management, and Rehabilitation Services are aligned with real economic sectors.
Aviation Science prepares students for a field facing national pilot shortages and sustained global growth. Construction Management connects directly to infrastructure expansion and urban development. Agribusiness and Environmental Science reflect the ongoing importance of sustainable food systems, climate resilience, and environmental stewardship.
UMES leverages its geography strategically. Located near the Chesapeake Bay, the university has built strength in agriculture, marine science, and environmental research. Water quality, coastal resilience, and food production are not theoretical topics. They are research priorities tied to regional and national needs.
At the graduate level, that focus sharpens.
Programs in Applied Computer Science and Cybersecurity Engineering Technology respond to the accelerating demand for digital infrastructure protection and innovation. Food and Agricultural Sciences continue the land-grant tradition of strengthening food supply systems. Criminology and Criminal Justice prepare students to engage with policy, reform, and legal structures in meaningful ways.
At the doctoral level, UMES awards degrees in Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, Marine-Estuarine-Environmental Sciences, Food Science and Technology, Organizational Leadership, and Education Leadership. These are high-impact fields connected to healthcare access, environmental sustainability, public health, and institutional leadership.
The university’s academic reach extends beyond the traditional campus as well. UMES was ranked #8 in Forbes’ Top 10 Online HBCUs, signaling national recognition for the strength and accessibility of its online programs. That ranking reflects not only curriculum quality but also the university’s ability to expand access while maintaining academic rigor.
UMES degrees are structured with purpose. They prepare students to enter sectors that build economies, strengthen communities, and shape policy. The academic model reflects both where industries are headed and how education continues to evolve.
via UMES.edu by Brian Waller, Waller Photo Services.
5. UMES is Positioned for Growth
UMES has a lot going for it, but they also have the resources to back it up. It has the capital, partnerships, and institutional backing to expand the very strengths that define it.
In 2020, philanthropist MacKenzie Scott donated $20 million to the university. In 2025, she followed with an additional $38 million, the largest single gift in UMES history. That level of investment strengthens scholarships, expands research capacity, upgrades facilities, and stabilizes long-term institutional planning.
These resources directly support the priorities already driving the university forward. Research in agriculture, environmental science, cybersecurity, healthcare, and food systems gains additional funding. Graduate and doctoral programs expand. Students receive increased financial support. Faculty recruitment strengthens.
UMES also benefits from its place within the University System of Maryland, giving it access to statewide partnerships, research collaborations, and governance infrastructure that supports sustained growth.
Athletics contribute to that ecosystem as well. As a founding member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, UMES carries a legacy of competitive excellence, including five undefeated Black college football seasons between 1947 and 1960. Athletic visibility fuels alumni engagement, recruitment, and community pride.
Philanthropy, research designation, land-grant status, accreditation, and system-level support converge to position UMES for continued advancement.
UMES is One to Watch Out For
If you step back and look at the full picture, UMES is more than a small campus on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. It is a land-grant institution born in 1886 out of exclusion and built into a research university with measurable impact. It carries the weight of history and the responsibility of opportunity at the same time.
UMES pairs access with outcomes. It builds degrees that respond to real industries. It produces research that matters to agriculture, healthcare, environmental sustainability, and technology. It moves students forward economically. It attracts historic philanthropic investment. It stands firmly within the University System of Maryland while maintaining the cultural strength and community focus that define HBCUs.
UMES was created with purpose, and today, it operates with direction. As it continues to grow its research profile, expand doctoral education, and invest in student success, one thing is clear:
The University of Maryland Eastern Shore is not just preserving a legacy. It is actively building the future.
Shop for UMES apparel and take a look at our other HBCU collections at HBCULeggings.com.
Love and Leggings,
Bibi
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bibi Mama is a first generation Beninese-American actress born and raised in Mansfield, CT. Growing up she watched her father, an English professor and author, continue the Yoruba oral tradition through storytelling, which inspired her. She earned her B.F.A. from Howard University and recently finished her MFA at the Old Globe/University of San Diego MFA Graduate Acting Program.