Massachusetts uses a coordinated governance model: the Board of Higher Education (BHE) with the Department of Higher Education staff sets statewide policy, approves systemwide frameworks, oversees academic program quality and degree authority (including for private institutions), and advances an equity-focused agenda. The University of Massachusetts (UMass) has a distinct governing board with broad institutional autonomy; state universities and community colleges have local boards operating under BHE policy. The public system comprises 29 campuses across three segments (Six comprehensive state universities, three ”special-mission colleges” (Massachusetts College of Art & Design, Massachusetts College of the Liberal Arts, and Massachusetts Maritime Academy), five campuses of the UMass system, and 15 community colleges) complemented by a large independent sector (85 institutions) represented by the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts (AICUM).
