The College of Management Science was developed in 1971 and offered a range of degree programs in business administration.

[6] The school was named after Manning, a 1984 graduate of UMass Lowell, after he and his wife donated $5 million to the university.

[8] The building is named after alumnus John Pulichino '67 and his wife, Joy Tong, who committed more than $4 million in scholarship funds for Manning School students.

[9] The Pulichino Tong Business Center has over 54,000 square feet of classroom, office, and conference space.

U.S. News & World Report ranked the Manning School 30th in the nation for Best Online Graduate Programs (excluding MBA) in 2018.