The College offers broad educational opportunities to a wide spectrum of public audiences, conducts applied and basic research that addresses the needs of citizens, businesses, and public agencies and makes numerous outreach opportunities accessible to its constituents.

The Department of Microbiology of the University of Massachusetts Amherst offers programs of graduate study leading to the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in microbiology. Also offers a special "5th Year Masters Program" designed exclusively for its undergraduate Microbiology majors.