In 1859 it was initially established as an agricultural school and in 1897 it became a scientific university college (vitenskapelig høgskole).
From 1897 onwards, it was known as the Agricultural University of Norway (NLH) until receiving university status in 2005.
UMB is comprised of 8 departments and works closely with 5 centres on campus. Education at UMB is characterised by its high professional quality, constant teacher-student interaction and a pleasant social and physical environment.
UMB is recognised as a leading international centre of knowledge, focused on higher education and research within environmental- and biosciences.
The university's main specialisation areas are:
Biology
Environment
Food
Land Use and Natural Resource Management
Together with other research institutes established at Aas, UMB provides state-of-the-art knowledge based on a broad range of disciplines.
A broad range of study programmes are offered at Bachelor, Master and PhD level.