In 1922, the Maryland Legislature established a commission to determine a location for a two-year college on the state’s Eastern Shore. A site at Salisbury was selected and the institution opened in September 1925.

The college’s two-year course of study was increased to three years in 1931 and to four years in 1934. Following this, and by action of the Legislature of 1935, the College was authorized to grant the Bachelor of Science.

The academic program expanded in 1947 and in 1960, offering four-year programs in arts and sciences and providing students with a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science. The University continues to meet the increasing demands of society for quality education and today offers a variety of undergraduate programs in liberal arts, sciences and in the professional fields of business administration, education, medical technology, nursing, respiratory therapy and social work.

In 1962, the State Board of Trustees approved a graduate program leading to the Master of Education, followed with a Master of Arts in English (1974), a Master of Business Administration (1981), a Master of Science with a major in nursing (1982). The Board of Regents for the University System of Maryland has subsequently approved a Master of Education with a major in public school administration (1994), a Master of Arts in Teaching (1996), a Master of Arts with a major in history (1998), a Master of Science in Applied Health Physiology (2000), and a Master of Social Work (2001).

Today, Salisbury University is a nationally accredited, four-year comprehensive university offering 54 distinct undergraduate and graduate degree programs in a friendly atmosphere that encourages close relationships between faculty and students.