Campus of the University of Massachusetts Amherst

A map of the Massachusetts Agricultural College, c. 1912

The campus extends about 1 mile (1.6 km) from the Campus Center in all directions. The university owns significant amounts of land in the neighboring towns of Sunderland and Hadley.[2]

The campus may be thought of as a series of concentric rings. In the outermost ring are parking lots, the admissions center, playing fields and barns for the animal science program. In the middle ring there are the seven residential areas and dining commons (There are four dining commons on campus: Franklin, Worcester, Berkshire and Hampshire. Though Berkshire was most recently renovated and is considered the premier dining hall, Worcester sees the highest volume of diners.). The innermost ring has most of the classroom buildings and research labs.

John F. Thompson Hall is part of the campus. It contains the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, and is connected to the Thompson Lowrise. It was named after the late John F. Thompson.

University of Massachusetts Amherst Campus Planning, which is a division of Facilities and Campus services, performs tasks similar to municipal level planning departments. Its mission statement is:

To support the overall mission of the University of Massachusetts by guiding the physical development of its flagship campus through the creation, maintenance and administration of a campus master planning process. This is accomplished through communication and collaboration with the campus community supported by the use of dynamic and innovative planning processes and tools to produce creative, comprehensive and feasible solutions.[6]

The University of Massachusetts Amherst first engaged in campus planning in 1866 with the help of Fredrick Law Olmsted. The most recent plan was adopted in 1993 and updated in 2007. As of 2011, the most prominent issues that need to be addressed are the accommodation of increased enrollment and the deterioration of some existing facilities.[7]

The dining commons and campus center have qualified for the (OS1) Green Certified Cleaning Program, a program that stresses environmental health and specific standards.[8]

The award-winning Central Heating Plant, opened in 2009, is one of the cleanest-burning plants in the nation. It reduces greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 75 percent from the previous coal-burning plant that dated back to 1918.[9]

Across campus, other conservation measures have cut campus greenhouse gas emissions by 24 percent since 2004.

Sustainability Studies is offered through the University Without Walls,[10] the university's adult bachelor's degree completion program.

Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium

Major sporting events, such as UMass's hockey and basketball team games, are held in the Mullins Center, amidst the fields to the west. Other locales for sporting events include Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium (where UMass holds its women's lacrosse games, and where it held its football games until 2011) and Garber Field, which is an artificial-turf field adjacent to Boyden Gym used for lacrosse, field hockey, and various team practices.

In the fall of 2007, ground was broken across the street from the Mullins Center on a new $50 million recreation complex. The Recreation Center was completed in the spring of 2009 and spans three floors, including weight and cardio equipment, a basketball court and jogging/running track, activity rooms, locker facilities, and a juice bar. The Rec Center is free for undergraduates, and available for a fee to graduate students and faculty/staff. The building was originally scheduled to open in early September, but was delayed due to problems with fire safety and security systems. The Rec Center opened to the public on December 3, 2009.[11]

On campus are two other gyms: Totman (adjacent to the North Apartments) and Boyden (near the Southwest residential area). Prior to 2009, both gyms held fitness centers which were then replaced by the Rec Center. Both buildings also hold basketball courts (although the Totman court remained closed in the fall 2009 semester), locker room facilities, and pools. Both buildings also hold classrooms and offices; Totman in particular is home to the kinesiology department and has a student-run body shop. Four small in-dorm gyms are available for a fee as part of the Wellness program; in Lewis (in Northeast), John Quincy Adams and Washington towers (in Southwest), and Webster (in Orchard Hill). To the west of campus are numerous fields used for recreation and intramural sports. There is also a set of tennis courts located north of Boyden.

The baseball team plays its home games at Earl Lorden Field, adjacent to the Mullins Center practice rink. Down the street, near Southwest, is the UMass Softball Complex as well as Rudd Field, home of the UMass men's and women's soccer teams.

In addition to Totman and Boyden, there is Curry Hicks Cage, which hosts a small indoor track, pool, and basketball court. It is also occasionally used as a venue for guest speakers (such as the fall 2006 visit from comedian Bob Saget) and for the Western Mass high school basketball championships and other similar sporting events. The Cage was the home of the UMass men's and women's basketball teams before the Mullins Center was built.

UMass and the PVTA, employing student workers, provide campus bus service throughout both the UMass Amherst campuses and the northern region of the PVTA service area.

The campus bus system was established in 1969 as the Student Senate Transit Services (now UMass Transit). In 1973, a demonstration grant secured money to set up a fare-free transit system. This, coupled with increased parking fees and strict parking regulations, was used to alleviate vehicular congestion and parking problems on campus. In 1976, the University of Massachusetts Transit Services became a contractor for PVTA. UMass Transit (UMTS) introduced an honor-based system in which any potential rider (not including students with valid UCards) during certain reduced service periods times of the year (or PVTA employees at any time of year) is expected to possess a ticket purchased locally in Amherst that grants either single or multiple rides, or a days or weeks pass purchased in Amherst or from a Springfield or Northampton bus. UMTS is a contractor for the PVTA, and runs its Amherst routes from a garage based on campus. It serves not only the University of Massachusetts campus, but also the surrounding colleges and communities. This bus system is run primarily by University students, and is free for students, which allows them to easily get to classes at the other four colleges.

At UMass Amherst, only freshmen are required to live on campus.[12] Housing is open to all full-time undergraduate students, regardless of year. Upper-class students who have continuously lived on campus during their first and sophomore years are guaranteed housing as long as they choose to live on campus. If, however, a student is admitted after their sophomore year, or moves off campus, and wants to move back onto campus, they are not guaranteed housing, but instead must go through a housing lottery, since demand outstrips supply. Housing assignments are accomplished by a complex process[13] that takes into account building seniority as well as class year; those choosing to move from their building are subject to a lottery system. There are approximately 12,000 students living on campus.

Parking at UMass is open to all students via Parking Services for a fee. Cost varies depending on seniority and location. Most typical student parking permits range from $60 to $300 for the year. It is a color-coded system with Green, Purple and Yellow Lots available to students. Purple Lots are typically closest to the dorm/housing areas; Yellow Lots are the cheapest but the farthest away; Green Lots are for commuter students.[14] Parking is also available in the campus garage for a fee of $1.50 per hour during the day. The night rate is $3.00. Payment options include cash or ucard. Metered parking is also available at select locations throughout campus. The meters accept nickels, dimes, and quarters only.

• Chestnut Ridge Historical Area
• East Ridge Historical Area
• Ellis Drive Historical Area

• History and architecture of Hampshire House