Established in 1877, the University of Manitoba now has two distinct campuses, with a number of other satellite sites.
Located in the south end of Winnipeg, the Fort Garry campus is a 233-hectare complex with over 60 major buildings. It is adjacent to the Smartpark Research and Technology Park fosters, which collaborative university-industry research and development with 30 of Canada’s most innovative companies.
Located in downtown Winnipeg, adjacent to the Health Sciences Centre, the Bannatyne campus is a 10-building complex focused on health science education and research in dentistry, medicine, medical rehabilitation and pharmacy.
Read highlights of campus development
Find out more about our satellite sites
Read more about the University of Manitoba's history
Campus Development - Highlights
2014 – Active Living Centre scheduled to open
A proposed LEED-silver building, the new 100,000 square foot Active Living Centre will house a state-of-the-art indoor running track, a 40-foot climbing wall, a social gathering area for students, a strength and conditioning room, a group workout area and three multi-purpose rooms. It will also have space devoted to bringing together service providers from multiple disciplines researchers and graduate students to support people striving to achieve an active lifestyle.
2012 – Art and Research Technology Laboratory (ARTlab) - Opened April 2012!
The modern 70,000 square foot structure will bring together new facilities for art, multimedia and design. Graduate research space will be expanded, offering more opportunities within the School of Art’s new master’s program. The building will house Gallery One One One, art studios, a soundstage, space for workshops, digital labs and a lecture theatre. It will also include state-of-the-art storage vaults for donated works and shared collections.
2012 – Investors Group Field scheduled to open
This new 33,000-seat stadium will be home to the Manitoba Bisons and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
2012 – Biological Sciences and Buller Building reopen
Redeveloped and renovated, the Biological Sciences building and the Buller Building Science Laboratories open.
2011 – Pembina Hall Residence opens
Pembina Hall Residence opens on September 3, 2011. It houses 360 students in a contemporary, urban-style high-rise building situated above the existing Pembina Hall Building and dining room.
2011 – Neil John Maclean Library expansion begins
A $2.7 million expansion and renovation gets underway at the University of Manitoba’s Bannatyne campus.
2008 – Apotex Centre opens at the Bannatyne campus
A $32 million project, this 95,000 square foot building houses the Faculty of Pharmacy and the department of immunology.
2008 – Migizii Agamik opens
Migizii Amamik (Bald Eagle Lodge) houses the Aboriginal Student Centre, the Access Program, some professors in the Department of Native Studies, the Office of University Accessibility and the University of Manitoba Aboriginal Student Association. The building was designed for, and predominantly by, Aboriginal people. It is a place of pride for the university’s 1,600-plus Aboriginal students and staff and strives to be a welcoming environment for the entire campus.
1999 – Smartpark opens
This 100-acre research and technology park at the Fort Garry campus hosts over 1,000 employees, many who are co-op students and graduates of the university. Smartpark serves as a bridge between basic research and industry, facilitating collaboration between the university and more than 30 research-oriented companies.
1999 – Investors Group Athletic Centre opens
Constructed for the 1999 Pan-American Games, this 70,000 square foot building is located just north of Max Bell Centre and features fully retractable seating for over 3,000 spectators and an athletic therapy unit.
1996 – Neil John Maclean Library opens
The Neil John Maclean Health Sciences Library supports the learning, teaching, research and patient care requirements of staff and students from the faculties of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Dentistry and the Schools of Dental Hygiene and Medical Rehabilitation at teaching sites in Winnipeg and rural Manitoba.
1987 – Drake Centre opens
Designed by architect Etienne Gaboury, the building houses the Asper School of Business.
1986 – Wallace Building opens
Built for the department of geological sciences it is named for Robert Charles Wallace, the first professor of geology and mineralology.
1981 - St. Andrew’s College joins the U of M
Established to train the ministry for the Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church, St. Andrew’s became an affiliated college in 1981.
1972 – Freshwater Institute opens
Over the years, the Freshwater Institute has evolved into a complex that now includes the main building, an annex, a Small Craft Harbours facility, a solar warehouse and a wastewater treatment plant.
1969 – Robson Hall opens
Home to the Faculty of Law, the building is named for Hugh Amos Robson, a leading Manitoba Chief Justice.
1965 – Marcel A. Desautels Faculty of Music
Home to the university's music students and music education programs, the faculty was later named for Marcel A. Desautels, a major benefactor of the faculty and generous supporter of the U of M.
1964 – University College opens
University College provides lecture and office space for the Faculty of Arts and is also home of the university planetarium.
1962 – Biological Sciences building opens
Designed by architects Blankenstein Coop Gillmor and Hanna for the Faculty of Pharmacy.
1962 – Animal Science/Entomology
Situated immediately to the west of the old Executive Poultry Building, the building’s courtyard, which is surrounded by a reflecting glass curtain wall of dark tinted glass, was designed by eminent Canadian horticulturalist Stan Westaway.
1961 – Isbister building completed
Completed for the departments of commerce and psychology, the building now houses the departments of sociology and geography.
1960s – University College and University Centre open
The Fort Garry campus saw significant growth in the 1960s, growing to meet the demands of the baby boom generation with the addition of University College, University Centre and new teaching facilities.
1959 – Russell Building
Built for the Faculty of Architecture, the building is named after John A. Russell, a member of the faculty for 38 years.
1958 – St. Paul’s College opens at Fort Garry campus
The end of the 1950s brought a major expansion of the college through the construction of a totally new facility on the University of Manitoba campus. In 1970 the college was fully integrated into the University of Manitoba.
1938 - Brandon College founded
Originally part of the University of Manitoba, Brandon College later became Brandon University in 1967.
1940s – Avenue of Elms planted
Planted in honour of Manitoba’s fallen soldiers, the Avenue of Elms stretches from the Administration Building to Pembina Highway along Chancellor Matheson Drive.
1932 – Tier Building opens
Named after the former dean of Arts, William Tier, this building has been the location of social science and humanities teaching and research for more than 80 years.
1932 – Buller Building
A “cousin” to the Tier Building because of its rough-hewn limestone exterior, it is home to the departments of microbiology and botany.
1931 - St. Paul’s College becomes an affiliate of the University of Manitoba
St. Paul's was founded in 1926 as an English-language Catholic institution of higher learning by the Archbishop of Winnipeg, Reverend Alfred A. Sinnott. It began as a high school and added a university division in 1928. When it became an affiliate of the U of M in 1931 the campus moved to the former Manitoba College on Ellice and Vaughan Street.
1913 – Dairy Science building opens
The most elegant of the original smaller agricultural buildings constructed on campus.
1912 – Agricultural Engineering building opens
This long rectangular building was designed by architects Samuel Hooper and V. W. Horwood for the campus Stock Judging Pavilion.
1912 – Art Barn opens
Constructed as a dairy barn, this L-shaped building is now situated behind the agricultural buildings complex. Its north face was once fully visible from Dafoe Road and it ranked as one of the most important campus buildings when the campus was originally organized in 1912.
1912 – Home Economics building opens
First opened as the horticultural and biology building, it became home to the Faculty of Human Ecology (then Home Economics) in 1950 after the construction of an addition.
1912 – Tache Hall opens
When it opened, this student residence was the largest of the original campus buildings, accommodating 200 women and 300 men. Facing northeast towards the Administration Building, its facade stretches the full 550-foot depth of the Duckworth Quadrangle.
1912 – Administration Building opens
Originally the Manitoba Agricultural College, its central location and striking visual lines continue to make it the focus of the campus. The history of the Fort Garry campus is evident on the Administration Building which is adorned with the University of Manitoba’s name on its western side and the Manitoba Agricultural College’s name on the eastern side.
1911 – Campus construction begins
The Fort Garry site of the Manitoba Agricultural College was selected to house the University of Manitoba campus.
1906 – Manitoba Agriculture College founded
1902 – Manitoba College of Pharmacy founded
1888 – Methodist Church’s Wesley College founded
1877 – University of Manitoba founded
The University of Manitoba is Western Canada’s first university, founded on February 28, 1877 just seven years after the province of Manitoba and only four years after the City of Winnipeg. In the beginning, it was a university in name only, created to confer degrees on students graduating from its three founding colleges – St. Boniface College, St. John’s College and Manitoba College.
In 1967 United College, which had been formed by the merging of Wesley College and Manitoba College, became the University of Winnipeg. Collège universitaire de St. Boniface retains its affiliated relationship with the University of Manitoba while operating independently on its own campus on Cathedral Ave. in St. Boniface.
University of Manitoba Sattelite Sites
- William Norrie Centre for social work education for inner-city residents.
- University of Manitoba Downtown: Aboriginal Education Centre.
- Glenlea and Carman agricultural research stations.
- Field stations at Star Lake and Wallace Lake.