The university's graduate programs award more master's degrees than any other institution in the state, serving roughly 5,000 students annually.

The University of Colorado created the Department of Medicine and Surgery in September 1883 in the Old Main building on the Boulder campus.

[11] By 1892, the last two years of classes were taught in Denver because the larger population afforded more practical experience.

However, in 1910, CU got an amendment to the state Constitution passed which allowed them to move back to Denver.

[2][11] In 1925, the School of Medicine moved to the campus on Ninth Avenue and Colorado Boulevard in Denver.

[18] By the end of 2008, academic and research operations of all CU Denver health sciences schools and colleges relocated from the Ninth Avenue and Colorado Boulevard campus to the new Anschutz campus, joining the affiliated University of Colorado Hospital and Children's Hospital.

Johnson Building at 509 17th Street, where a single, full-time faculty member ran the school with the help of part-time teachers.

On January 11, 1973, lawmakers, upon proclamation of the governor, amended the state constitution to establish additional CU campuses, transforming the University of Colorado—Denver Center into the University of Colorado Denver (CU Denver).

In August 2011, the regents approved a name change to the "University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus"[26] (including the vertical bar), while the legal name of the dual institution remained "University of Colorado Denver".

[36][1] The campus is located in the heart of the central business district and is in close proximity to the Ball Arena, Elitch Gardens, the Colorado Convention Center, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Larimer Square, and the 16th Street Mall.

[37] University of Colorado Denver offers bachelor's, master's, doctoral, and first professional degrees.

The most popular undergraduate majors at CU Denver were biology, psychology, pre-engineering, music, and economics.

[44] The university offers degrees in a wide variety of academic fields such as music industry, engineering, business, film & television, culture, history, language, digital design, the natural sciences, and biomedical sciences.

CU Denver hosts 8 schools and colleges: The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is CU Denver's largest school offering 23 baccalaureate degrees, 17 master's degrees, and 4 PhD programs.

The curriculum is hands-on and students generally start making films in Production One during the second semester of their freshman year.

[54] Graduate programs at the Anschutz Medical Campus offer MS and PhD degrees focusing on basic, clinical and translational research in the biomedical sciences.

[55][56][57] The University of Colorado Denver Business School is accredited by AACSB International.

The online Master of Criminal Justice program was recently ranked in the top 10 nationwide by U.S. News & World Report.

[63] The school also offers a Ph.D. in Public Affairs and recently launched a highly successful Bachelor of Criminal Justice undergraduate degree.

[72] University of Colorado Denver has over 100 student organizations, honor societies, professional organizations and faith-based groups,[74] that offer social, service, and professional opportunities for their members within the university and community.

[77] CU Denver provides a variety of sports and recreation activities to students, faculty and staff, including personal training, intramural basketball, volleyball, soccer, squash, and tennis, and sports equipment checkout for on or off campus use.

[80] The Distinguished Lecture Series hosts an array of speakers which has included David Horowitz and Malcolm-Jamal Warner.

CU Denver's club teams compete against other programs in Colorado and the greater mountain west region.