Hampton University has embraced the principles of “Education for Life” and “learning by doing” since its founding in 1868 during the days of Reconstruction. Originally opening its doors as Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute to prepare promising young African American men and women to lead and teach their newlyfreed people, the University has continually sought to instill in its students the precepts of integrity, character, and service to society—standards that continue to remain both timeless and relevant. Founded on the banks of the Virginia Peninsula by Brigadier General Samuel Chapman Armstrong, Hampton became an oasis of opportunity for the thousands of newly freed people gathered behind Union lines. With the aid of the American Missionary Association, the school was established to train selected young men and women to “go out to teach and lead their people” and to build a viable industrial system on the strength of self-sufficiency, intelligent labor, and solid moral character.
In 1878, Hampton established a formal education program for Native Americans, beginning the Institute’s lasting commitment to serving a multicultural population. Hampton’s historic Native American education program spanned more than forty years, with the last student graduating in 1923.
In the early days, support for the Institute came from the Freedman’s Bureau, Northern philanthropists, and religious groups, with the first classroom building erected in 1870. The first baccalaureate degrees were awarded in 1922. Two years later, the school’s name was changed to Hampton Institute, reflecting college-level accreditation. In 1984, Hampton’s Board of Trustees formally adopted a university structure and changed the name to Hampton University, which today represents the unparalleled standard of excellence in American higher education.
The University offers doctoral degrees in atmospheric and planetary science, nursing, physics (medical, nuclear, optical, and plasma), business administration, counselor education and supervision, educational management, nursing, physical therapy, and pharmacy. In recent years, Hampton has added dozens of programs to offer students more choices among academic majors and professional careers, including music engineering technology, marine and environmental science, entrepreneurial studies, and sports management. Hampton is the first Historically Black College or University (HBCU) to offer the Ph.D. in Nursing. The Undergraduate College and the Graduate College are the colleges that comprise Hampton University. The University is comprised of seven schools: the James T. George School of Business; the School of Engineering, Architecture, and Aviation; the Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications; the School of Liberal Arts and Education, and the Schools of Nursing, Pharmacy, and Science. Online degree programs are administered through the Hampton University Global virtual campus. Hampton University offers bachelor’s degree programs, master’s degree programs, and doctoral degree programs as well as professional degrees and graduate certificates.
The University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) and the Department of Education of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Various schools and departments within the University also maintain specialized accreditations of their own. The University holds membership in the American Council on Education, the Council of Graduate Schools, the Council of Independent Colleges in Virginia, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, and the United Negro College Fund.
Our exceptional faculty includes distinguished scholars in a range of academic disciplines, as well as accomplished professionals from business, government, science and technology, and the arts. The result is a synthesis of classroom theory and practical experience that permeates virtually every facet of campus life. Each year, Hampton faculty members are cited for outstanding achievement in a range of scholarly activities, including teaching, research, writing, and the arts. Some 88 percent hold doctoral or other terminal degrees. All faculty share a commitment to excellence in education.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 15:1 provides for more personalized instruction and advisement for each student and enables the University to more effectively track and support individual student progress. Interactive classroom activities are complemented by experiences that extend learning far beyond the boundaries of the campus. Research projects, internships, international study, and numerous other activities are integral to the Hampton experience. You will learn from nationally and internationally noted guests—including visiting scholars, professional experts, and artists—further expanding the array of learning opportunities to prepare you for tomorrow’s competitive global marketplace.
Visitors to the Hampton campus in recent years include: former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama; former President George H. W. Bush; Vice President Kamala Harris; former Secretary of Energy Hazel O’Leary; Dr. Regina M. Benjamin, former U.S. Surgeon General; U.S. Senators Corey Booker, Mark Warner, and Tim Kaine; former Virginia Governors Terry McAuliffe and George Allen; Don Scott, the first Black speaker in the Virginia House of Delegates’ history; Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott; former Virginia Senator George Allen; Katherine G. Johnson, former NASA mathematician, 2015 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient and one of the leading inspirations behind the film Hidden Figures; Bishop T.D. Jakes; Sheila Johnson, co-founder of Black Entertainment Television; Arne Duncan, former U.S. Secretary of Education; television celebrity and alumnus Spencer Christian; former NAACP President Kweise Mfume; U.S. District Judge and alumnus Vanessa Gilmore; Rev. Jesse Jackson; authors Ernest Gaines, Langston Hughes, Toni Morrison, and Alice Walker; journalist, author and former Dean of the School of Journalism and Communication Tony Brown; former Essence magazine editor Susan Taylor; poet Dr. Maya Angelou; actor Lou Gossett Jr.; Miss America Debbye Turner; scholar Lani Guinier; actor Danny Glover; author Bebe Moore Campbell; and comedian and actor Sinbad.