University of Miami Mission Statement

The mission of the University of Miami is to transform lives through education, research, innovation, and service.

We are committed to freedom of inquiry-the freedom to think, to question, to criticize, and to dissent. We will pursue excellence in our research and educational missions with the single-mindedness that marks great commitments. We will prepare our students for rewarding lifelong careers and will instill in them a continued and permanent dedication to the search for knowledge and the search for truth. We will provide them with the foundations for ethical citizenship and service to others, a respect for differences among people, and a commitment to high standards of thought and communication. We will provide service to our community and beyond, including the delivery of high-quality, compassionate care through an academic health system. We will strive to transform the world in positive ways through innovative education, impactful research and scholarship, and the translation of knowledge into solutions.

Founded in 1925 by a group of Miami citizens who believed that an institution of higher learning was necessary for the development of their young and growing community, the University has matured into a major research university and academic health system. Located within one of the most dynamic and multicultural cities in the world, the University is a distinctive community with a variety of races, ethnicities, customs, genders, and faiths. Its geographic location uniquely positions the University to be both local and global in outlook and outreach.

We aspire at the University of Miami: to be a global university with an intentionally hemispheric strategy, pursuing inclusive engagement as a bridge across the Americas to the rest of the world; to be an excellent university, striving to achieve the highest standards of performance in every aspect of our work; to be a relevant university, connecting scholarship to real-world solutions; and to be an exemplary university, offering a model to society through the steadfast achievement of our mission.

College/School Mission Statements

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  • Architecture

    Mission Statement

    Prepare students for professional leadership and lifelong learning in architecture, design, urban planning, real estate and related fields.

    Preserve and develop knowledge for the profession through research and practice.

    Share knowledge locally and internationally through community service.

    Design for environmental responsibility, social equity and economic sustainability.

    Philosophy

    The School of Architecture’s mission is founded in the faculty commitment to excellence in design and architecture at every level. 
    Faculty and students draw upon the current and evolving body of knowledge of architecture while seeking an understanding of the history of the profession; traditional building methods, materials, form, and organization. 

    We affirm the essential need to design environmentally responsible buildings that promote social integration and economic sustainability and support life comfortably without reliance upon extravagant use of land and energy which adversely affect our ecosystems. The faculty and students capitalize on new knowledge and technology while grasping the 5000 year legacy of building.

    We acknowledge our responsibility to contribute to the built environment by making it more sustainable, resilient, and beautiful. We recognize and demonstrate through the curriculum that most of the buildings architects design are fabric buildings – making the walls of the outdoor rooms of community in our neighborhoods, districts, towns, and cities – and that the instances of monuments are special opportunities to speak for and about culture. Furthermore, we affirm our responsibility, shared with allied professions, for the design of the plazas, parks, thoroughfares, bridges and roadways that link the community.

    Sharing with our national colleagues the goal to build a better professional community, the School of Architecture itself seeks to be a model of that community. The basic model of the school as a family recognizes that students may be new to architecture but experienced in other areas, with individual character, insight, and the ability to make significant contributions to the advancement of knowledge. To extend this understanding to a larger world, we dedicate ourselves, through a clear engagement of principles of history, structure, material, and form in design, and by means of a responsible use of resources and technology to participate practically and empathetically in the life of other cultures, religions, ethnicity, and life experiences, so that we might emerge with the knowledge, and later, the wisdom we need to build a better world.

  • Arts and Sciences

    The College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Miami is a community of scholars and students that encourages the quest for a deeper understanding of the human experience and fosters a personal commitment to lifelong learning, intellectual growth, and the enduring values of the liberal arts.

    The College is dedicated to helping students develop analytical and communication skills, creative abilities, and a sense of civic responsibility needed in an increasingly complex society. It strives to provide them with a rigorous grounding in their chosen field, an awareness of the interconnectedness of disciplines, and an exposure to the discovery of new knowledge.

    The College seeks to create an intellectual environment that enhances individual growth and supports scholarly activities and creative endeavors that augment human knowledge and understanding.

  • Business

    The mission of the Miami Business School is to develop innovative ideas and principled leaders that transform global business and society. We are thought leaders that redefine business knowledge and practice in the broadest possible terms, shape business scholarship and how business is conceived, and to set the standard for business education.

  • Communication

    The School of Communication's mission is to prepare forward-thinking, analytical, and responsible communication professionals for success in a global society. The school is committed to quality undergraduate and graduate programs in communication that emphasize the relationship between theory and practice. We believe in freedom of expression and creativity and encourage both collaboration and independent thinking as we prepare future scholars, professionals, and leaders for a lifetime of service and learning.

  • Education

    Vision

    To be a center of excellence in the study, promotion, and integration of educational, psychological, and physical well-being in multicultural communities.

     

    Mission

    To produce knowledge and prepare the next generation of leaders, researchers, and agents of change and well-being in education and the community.

  • Engineering

    The College of Engineering transforms lives by:

    • creating new knowledge
    • re-creating knowledge for education
    • translating knowledge for commercialization, and
    • applying knowledge to serve the community

  • Graduate School

    MISSION AND GOAL STATEMENT
    The mission of the Graduate School is to promote graduate education, scholarship, and research; to support individuals, departments, and programs in the pursuit of excellence; to foster innovative, multidisciplinary, and interdisciplinary activities; and to maintain high ethical and academic standards in graduate studies.


    The standards of study and conduct in the Graduate School are high. They are not set by the Graduate School but rather by the faculty who determine the standards for their individual program. The Graduate School through its Council sets no course requirements for a degree. It does set certain general residence, grade and examination standards. Fundamentally,
    the Graduate School delegates responsibility to the student and his/her program. Within this broad responsibility the recommendation for the degree rests with the Committee.

  • Law

    The Law School has three fundamental missions:

    • To foster the intellectual discipline, creativity, and critical skills that will prepare its graduates for the highest standards of professional competence in the practice of law in a global environment subject to continual ― and not always predictable ― transformation. The Law School seeks to achieve this mission through a rich and demanding curriculum, instruction in legal research and writing, a wide variety of opportunities for professional skills training, and support for its students and alumni in planning and achieving rewarding professional careers.
    • To cultivate a broad range of legal and interdisciplinary scholarship that, working at the cutting edge of its field, enhances the development of law and legal doctrine, and deepens society's understanding of law and its role in society. The Law School seeks to achieve this mission through support for a wide range of research, writing, and other scholarly activities, and through maintenance and continued improvement of a law library suited to the demands of an excellent research institution.
    • To fulfill the legal profession's historic duty to promote the interests of justice. The Law School seeks to achieve this mission by pursuing its educational and scholarly aims in the context of a diverse faculty and student body; by enhancing representation in the national and local bar of communities that have historically been disadvantaged for reasons such as race, ethnicity, disability, culture, or economic status; and by instilling in its graduates rigorous professional ethics.

    The three missions are closely related to one another. The faculty's scholarship and teaching inform one another, and the Law School's commitment to justice invigorates both.

  • Medicine

    The mission of the Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine and the University of Miami Health System is to be a state-of-the-art academic medical center. This will be accomplished by:

    • Delivering high-quality, compassionate health care
    • Leading life-changing discoveries and transforming patient care through innovative research
    • Educating the next generation of medical leaders
    • Promoting the health and well-being of our community
    • Nurturing diversity, equity and inclusivity

  • Music

    The mission of the Frost School of Music

    • To provide students with a highly innovative, inspiring and relevant education so that they can be leaders in the world of music;
    • Contribute to the advancement of music performance, creativity and scholarship;
    • Have a transformative effect on the community through engagement and outreach, and;
    • Enrich the world with vibrant, innovative and brilliant cultural offerings.

  • Nursing

    The mission of the School of Nursing and Health Studies is to educate students and support faculty committed to excellence in nursing and health science. Through research, education and practice, the school will create and disseminate health knowledge and prepare culturally competent leaders to provide safe service to our community, the nation and the world.

    Established in 1948 as the first collegiate nursing program in South Florida, the school educates students at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels, preparing them to provide compassionate, quality care to communities locally, nationally, and internationally. 60-years after it all began, in 2010, The University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies has developed a “world class reputation” as one of the top healthcare educational programs in the world. The program is continuing to change to meet the demands of global healthcare. In 2010, The School of Nursing and Health Studies Doctoral Program became one of the first in Florida and the nation to implement a Doctor of Nursing Practice. In February 2005 the school expanded its program offerings to include UM’s health science program and changed its name to the School of Nursing and Health Studies. The expanded curriculum includes programs leading to the B.S.N., M.S.N., and Ph.D. degrees as well as the B.S. in Health Science degree.


    The school is committed to academic excellence and service to society. The school’s undergraduate and graduate curricula are community-based, with a strong emphasis on cultural competency and evidence-based practice. Recognizing that every ethnic community has unique health beliefs and practices, the school prepares health professionals who can adapt care to specific health needs. Through coursework and outreach programs, clinical faculty prepare students to address the health needs of our increasingly diverse and rapidly changing society.

  • Rosenstiel

    Our mission is to deepen our collective knowledge of our planet through cutting-edge scientific research on the oceans, atmosphere, geology, biota, and the human dimension, while training the next generation of scientists. We transfer the knowledge gained to our students, the national and international scientific community, and to policymakers and the public.

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