Thomas Harper Adams was a wealthy Shropshire gentleman farmer. On his death in 1892 he bequeathed his considerable estate 'for the purpose of teaching practical and theoretical agriculture'. The marriage of the developing science of agriculture to the practice of farming was seen by an increasing number of people as the only solution to the agricultural depression. The 1890s saw substantial financial support for agricultural education and several colleges and university departments specializing in agriculture made their appearance at this time. Harper Adams Agricultural College, however, was the first institution of its kind to be financed by private bequest. Harper Adams currently has more than 4,000 students, with about 2,600 students on undergraduate and postgraduate awards, a number which is growing year on year. The high quality of teaching, learning resources, and personal and career development opportunities offered at Harper Adams University led to it achieving the sixth highest score in the country for student satisfaction in the National Student Survey 2014.Undergraduate courses are offered in the fields of agriculture, animal health and veterinary nursing, agricultural engineering and off-road vehicle design, estate and countryside management, tourism, agri-food marketing and business management, fresh produce management, food studies and food retail management. The University also offers a range of masters courses (MSc and MBA) and research opportunities at PhD and post-doctoral levels.

　　托马斯·哈珀·亚当斯是什罗普郡一位富有的绅士农场主。1892年逝世时，他将庞大遗产遗赠“用于传授实践与理论农业”。当时越来越多的人认为，将日益发展的农业科学与实际耕作相结合，是解决农业萧条的唯一途径。19世纪90年代，农业教育获得大量资金支持，多家农业学院及大学农业系相继成立。然而哈珀亚当斯农业学院是首所由私人遗赠资助的同类机构。哈珀亚当斯大学目前拥有4000多名学生，其中约2600名学生攻读本科及研究生学位课程，且人数逐年递增。该校凭借卓越的教学质量、丰富的学习资源以及完善的个人与职业发展支持体系，在2014年全国学生满意度调查中位列全国第六。本科课程涵盖农业、动物健康与兽医护理、农业工程与越野车设计、地产与乡村管理、旅游业、农业食品营销与商业管理、新鲜农产品管理、食品研究及食品零售管理等领域。该校同时提供多种硕士课程(理学硕士与工商管理硕士)以及博士和博士后研究机会。