The origins of Universiti Putra Malaysia can be traced to the School of Agriculture, which was officially established on 21 May 1931 by John Scott, an administrative officer of the Straits Settlements. The school was located on a 22-acre land in Serdang. The School offered two programmes then, namely a three-year diploma programme and a one-year certificate course. By 1941, the School succeeded in training 321 officers - 155 obtained the diploma and 166 the certificate.