UMR was originally an MU offshoot
called the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy (MSM) founded in 1870 as the first
technological learning institution west of the Mississippi river.
Early in its beginnings, the School of Mines was focused primarily on mining and
metallurgy, but by the 1920s, had
expanded into civil, electrical, mechanical, and chemical as
well as chemistry, physics, mathematics and geology.A greater emphasis was placed on research and graduate education during the 1950s. In
1964, the School of Mines joined the newly created University of Missouri system as the
University of Missouri, Rolla campus. The campus curriculum was expanded to include all the engineering disciplines and also
liberal arts.UMR now ranks in the top 25 schools in the number of bachelor's degrees awarded in engineering.