The roots of University of Mississippi Health Care stretch back to 1903, when a two-year medical school was established at the university's Oxford campus. At that time, certificate graduates had to go out of state to complete their doctor of medicine degrees.

In 1950, the Mississippi Legislature enacted a law to create a four-year medical school. On July 1, 1955, the University of Mississippi Medical Center opened in Jackson, with its medical school offering both medical and graduate degree programs. The campus included a teaching hospital and a library.

The following years saw a great deal of advancement and growth. The Oxford campus' nursing department moved to Jackson in 1956 and was granted school status in 1958. In 1971, the School of Health Related Professions was added and began offering baccalaureate curricula two years later. In 1973, the School of Dentistry was authorized, and its first students were admitted in 1975. The graduate program was elevated to school status in 2001 and designated the School of Graduate Studies in the Health Sciences.

As the caregiving arm of the Medical Center, UMHC is renowned as one of the most experienced, respected and advanced health care facilities in the state. We've enjoyed a glorious past during which we have not only added to our prestige as an institution of learning, but in the process touched the lives of hundreds of thousands of residents of our state. As we look to the future, we'll continue to uphold the spirit of care and commitment to quality that has guided us since our founding.