The University of Mary Hardin–Baylor is a Christian co-educational institution of higher learning located in Belton, Texas, United States. UMHB was chartered by the Republic of Texas in 1845 as "Baylor Female College," the female department of what is now Baylor University. It has since become its own institution and grown to 3,898 students and awards degrees at the baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral levels. It is affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas.The university is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. UMHB's first doctoral program, leading to the doctor of education, officially began in June 2007 with 21 students in the inaugural class. The university's overall student/faculty ratio is 16:1. This university also now awards the doctor of physical therapy and the doctor of nursing practice degrees.HistoryUMHB's history dates to the time before Texas became a U.S. state. Its original charter was granted by the Republic of Texas (prior to statehood) in 1845 as the female department of Baylor University. Classes began in May, 1846, in a small wooden building on a hillside at Independence in Washington County. The first class consisted of 24 male and female students While it was a coeducational institution, the classes were still separated by gender.
