The University of North Dakota (also known as UND or North Dakota) is a public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of North Dakota, it is the state's oldest.
UND was founded with a strong liberal arts foundation, but has grown into a prominent scientific research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as having high research activity, and is considered one of the top academic and research institutions in the northern Midwest.
The University offers a variety of professional and specialized programs, including the only schools of law and medicine in the state of North Dakota. Its best known college is perhaps its John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences, which is the first in the country to offer a degree in unmanned aircraft systems operations, and programs in aviation and aerospace. Several national research institutions are on the university's campus including the Energy and Environmental Research Center, the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, and the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center.
