On September 23, 1911, the College of Agriculture was established in Mayagüez as part of the University of Puerto Rico.
It was in this College that the Mayagüez Campus had its origin and a year later the name was changed to College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts (CAAM), the name by which it was known for 50 years.
In 1942, a general reform began at the University of Puerto Rico, which brought accelerated growth to the CAAM. The faculties of Agriculture, Engineering and Sciences were created. Growth continued into the 1950s. The College of Science became the College of Arts and Sciences, the Nuclear Center, and several new and undergraduate academic programs were established.