Ouro Preto ("Black Gold") was founded in 1698 as Vila Rica ("Rich Village"), due to the discovery of large deposits of gold. In 1823 Vila Rica became the Imperial Cidade de Ouro Preto ("Imperial City of Ouro Preto"), as capital of the providence of Minas Gerais. The name Black Gold was chosen because the gold found was covered in iron oxide, giving it a dark look. In 1789, Ouro Preto was the stage of the movement for Brazil's independence from Portugal, called mineira inconfidence. 

The richness of the city is reflected in it's architecture, which is named Minas Gerais Baroque. Characteristic for this architecture is the use of monuments integrated into the city landscape, created by artists such as Aleijadinho and Manoel da Costa Athaíde. Due to this unique style Ouro Preto was included into the list of “Cultural Heritage of Humanity” by UNESCO in 1980.

This historic city in Serra do Espinhaço has several attractions such as Tiradentes Square, named after the martyr of Brazil's independence, the architecture of the buildings in the historic center, its mines and the beautiful churches with baroque architecture.

Visitors will be able to enjoy the rich gastronomy of Minas Gerais, handcrafts, waterfalls, cultural life, as well as trips to São Bartolomeu, known for its artisanal sweets, and Lavras Novas, for those who appreciate natural beauty and waterfall bathing, both are districts of Ouro Preto located 18 and 20 km away, respectively.

The headquarters of the NMR School will be the School of Pharmacy of the Federal University of Ouro Preto (UFOP), the first in Latin America, with 184 years of history. It operated autonomously until 1968, when, together with the Escola de Minas, the Federal University of Ouro Preto was created. The UFOP School of Pharmacy was a reference for the creation of other courses in the health area, such as the first medical course in Minas Gerais, the Faculty of Medicine of Belo Horizonte (1911), today belonging to UFMG (Federal University of Minas Gerais). The first Dentistry course in Minas Gerais was also created at the School of Pharmacy and, later, the Nutrition course that gave rise to the UFOP School of Nutrition as well as the recently created UFOP Medicine course.

The former School of Pharmacy, located in the historic center, became a Pharmacy museum. Currently, the new facilities are located on the UFOP Morro do Cruzeiro Campus.