It is of most importance to know the history of our University.

The background of higher education in Tabasco began in 1861 when “Don  Victorio Victorino Dueñas “ did all the arrangements, before the President of the Republic “Licenciado Benito Juarez Garcia”, to create a professional teaching center in the state.

This proposal was approved and President Juarez authorized and a budget item of  $52,000. 00 pesos from nationalized assets. And in 1879, the first courses were opened at “ Instituto Juarez” by the governor of the state “Dr. Simon Sarlat Nova”, the first director of the Institute was “Manuel Sanchez Marmol.”

In the last two decades of the XIX century the following degrees were offered: Agriculture, Veterinary, Surveying, Notary, Law, Commerce, Pedagogy, Jurisprudence, Pharmacy as well as secondary and high school studies. The enrollment at “Instituto Juarez” was approximately of 100 students per year.

According to the government records of “General Abraham Bandala”, in that same period due to the excessive number of students in the Law degree, the study plans, syllabus and regulations of the Institute were reformed to offer the students a better teaching methodology and also benefit the society of Tabasco.

Then on May 15th and June 13th 1895 the reforms of the internal regulations and Syllabus were issued. According to these reforms the degree in Jurisprudence would last six years, Notary and Surveying would take 3 years and Pharmacy, as well as Higher Primary Professor, four years.

During the first decades of the XX century the plans and programs of the syllabus were modified several times, in 1917 the degrees in Law and Notary  reinitiated since they had been suppressed in 1912 . In 1919 the degree in Jurisprudence was closed and the degrees in Topography engineering, Commerce, accounting and Higher education (Educación  Normal) were offered.

In his annual report, governor “Noe de la Flor Casanova” pointed out  that the Institute had 227 students and a budget of $65,000.00 pesos, the amount was provided by the Federal Government preceded  by  General  “Manuel Avila Camacho.”

The following year in the same patriotic date, governor “De la Flor Casanova” referred to the subsidy provided by General “Avila Camacho” and informed that it had increased to a budget of $50,000.00. This enabled the construction of the right wing of the building, the second floor and an extension on the left wing of the building for new classrooms.

After some arrangements were carried out by governor  “Francisco J. Santamaria”, “Instituto Juarez” joined the  “Asociación Nacional de Universidades e Instituciones de Educación Superior” (ANUIES) on August 1st 1947. (National Association of Universities and Institutions of Higher Education).

Under the government of “Licenciado Belisario Colorado”, the president of the Republic, “Licenciado Miguel Aleman Valdez” visited the facilities of Instituto Juarez on April 25th 1950 and asked for the foundation of the University of Tabasco. The petition was authorized and the pro University Committee of  Tabasco was created. The Organic Law of “Instituto Juarez” was published in 1954.

In 1958 the director of the Institute “Licenciado Antonio Ocampo Ramirez” draft  a law in order to transform the Institute into a University. The congress of the state approved the project and the “Universidad Juarez Autónoma de Tabasco” was founded.

“ Licenciado Ocampo Ramirez” had the honor of being appointed the first Rector of the Institution and issued  the corresponding  Organic Law. Back then the university offered the following degrees: Law, Engineering, Veterinary and Zootechnics, Commerce. Teacher’s  Higher Education (Normal Superior), Nursing, Obstetrics and High school.

Thanks to the great support and encouragement provided by the governor of the State  “Carlos Alberto Madrazo Becerra”, the University campus was built and opened officially in 1964 by the Mexican President “Adolfo Lopez Mateos.” The facilities were for the degrees mentioned above including Medicine and Law, except for the diurnal and night shift high schools.  

December 1966 was a memorable date for our university, its autonomy was awarded and it was officially named,  “Universidad Juarez Autónoma de Tabasco.”

On July 1976 the modification to the University Organic law was published in the official newspaper of the state and it lead to the organization of schools and institutes. In that same year the degrees in Electric Mechanical Engineering and Administration were created. Then the descentralization of the University began with the separation of High schools, they were located on the road Villahermosa –Teapa on km 25 and the facilities of the schools of Medicine, Veterinary and Zootechnics were named “Rancho Escuela” (Farm School).

In 1978 the President of the Republic “Jose Lopez Portillo” and the governor “Ing. Leandro Rovirosa Wade”, were special guests in the official opening ceremony of the Law School, located in colonia Reforma. In 1982 as part of the descentralization process, the facilities for the Engineering degrees were officially opened in the municipality of Cunduacan by the President of the Republic “Jose Lopez Portillo”, some time after, the degree in Chemistry was offered.

Three years later the integration reform project of the University began and was named Academic Excellence Enhancement 1985-1988, the project was the first Institutional Development Plan which designed a university model. According to the project an organization model was established for the university. In this way the educational programs in knowledge areas were agglutinated in Faculties.

In 1987 the Decree with number 662 was issued by the local congress which holds the Organic Law of our University.  In 1990 the University Board approved five new degrees: Architecture, Natural Resources Management, Languages, Psychology, Nutrition and Major field studies in Teaching. Public Administration, Income tax and finances, The University Board approved in 1991 the creation of the Arts and Education Faculty in the central campus with the following degrees: Mass Media, Education Sciences and languages, including cultural Workshops and the Language Center. That same year,  the Teaching performance scholarships were granted for the first time to  teachers who had shown an outstanding teaching performance.

In  1996 the examination “Exámen General  Profesional de Calidad”  was introduced as an option to major from a degree . A year after, in order to expand the education services, a new campus was opened “Extension Universitaria de los Rios”, located in the municipality of Tenosique.  The support for this project was provided by the Constitutional Governor of the State “Licenciado Roberto Madrazo Pintado”. The campus offers the following degrees: Business Administration Information, Food Engineering, Aquaculture Engineering, and a Degree in Law in the Open System and Distance Education.