The University of Massachusetts is a five campus public university system of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts which includes UMass Amherst, UMass Boston, UMass Dartmouth, UMass Lowell and UMass Medical School. There is also an online school called UMassOnline. The mission of the school is to ¡°provide an affordable and accessible education of high quality.¡± The university has had several notable alumni including Joseph Abboud a fashion designer, David Branch the commissioner of the Canadian Hockey League, Gerry Callahan a sports radio talk show host on WEEI in Boston, and Kelly Overton, writer and founder of People Protecting Animals and their Habitats.

UMass Amherst

UMass Amherst is the flagship and also the largest campus. You should definitely do a stop over here with your Boston Car Rental if you are interested in visiting one of the University of Massachusetts campuses. With a student body of over 25, 000 students it was also the first campus established. UMass Amherst was originally founded in 1863 as a land grant college. In 1937, it became the Massachusetts State College. In 1947, it officially became the University of Massachusetts.

With over 5.8 million items, UMass Amherst has the largest state supported library system in New England. Another reason to visit UMass Amherst with your Boston car rental is to go and see the architecture on campus that were commissioned by the Commonwealth and designed by world ? renowned architects.

UMass Boston

UMass Boston is renowned as a major research university. Located on the Columbia Point peninsula in Boston, the area is a great place to tour with your Boston Car Rental as it is surrounded by the Boston Harbor, the John F. Kennedy Library, the Massachusetts State Archives and the headquarters of the Boston Globe. UMass Boston has over 13, 000 students which makes it the second largest campus in the system.

UMass Dartmouth

UMass Dartmouth started out as the New Beford Textile School in 1895, than the Bradford Durfee Textile School and later on the Southeastern Massachusetts University before actually becoming Dartmouth. It is located in the center of the South Coast region and has a student body of approximately 9, 000 students. The universities specializes in training engineers, health care workers, marine scientists, teachers, performing and visual artists, business people and graduates in the liberal arts.

The University Presidents

William Bulger was the University President from 1996 to 2003. He was also the president of the Massachusetts State Senate for seventeen and was a prominent Democratic politician. Buger was forced to resign after he was ousted by Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney. Jack M. Wilson, former CEO of UMassOnline became the interim President in 2004 following the departure of William Bulger. In October 2004, Wilson was inducted into the United States Distance Learning Association Hall of Fame for his work at UMass Online.

Attending the University of Massachusetts

If you are touring the campus with your Boston car rental and are interested in attending one of the campuses the university has several undergraduate and graduate programs. You can learn about admissions from one of the admission counselors during the admission information sessions held on weekdays. Weekend sessions are available during the fall, winter, and spring semesters.

Before you go

Tours are offered on all campuses, schedule varies but they typically run in September through December, Monday through Saturday 11:00 am, 1:30 pm, and 2:30 pm. Tours on Saturday are also are available when you travel with your Boston car rental.

For more information on the University of Massachusetts when you travel with your Boston Car Rental visit their official website at http://www.massachusetts.edu