Stockbridge Tradition

The Stockbridge School of Agriculture, founded in 1918, is an integral part of the College of Natural Sciences at UMass Amherst. Its mission is to offer programs that develop the competencies or applied skills that individuals need in order to be leaders, managers, and entrepreneurs in their chosen occupations. As the nature of agriculture has changed in Massachusetts, the majors at Stockbridge School have also changed. Now our majors reflect agriculture through the food crop, equine and green industries.

In an effort to strengthen agricultural education at the university, Stockbridge School of Agriculture was elevated to a full academic unit in the fall of 2012. This meant that for the first time in its 94-year history Stockbridge School has its own faculty. Also, in addition to the Associate of Science degree that Stockbridge has always offered, the school can now offer Bachelor of Science degrees and higher. In the spring of 2013 three new bachelor degrees were approved. In addition to Plant and Soil Sciences, which already existed, the new degrees are Sustainable Food & Farming, Sustainable Horticulture, and Turfgrass Science & Management. These changes will expand students' educational options, ensure that a Stockbridge education reflects what is current in our industries, and continue to prove to employers that there are no better hires than Stockbridge graduates.