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Former name | College of Special and Continuation Studies (1947–1959)[1] University of Maryland University College (1959–2019) |
|---|---|
| Type | Public university |
| Established | 1947; 78 years ago (1947) |
Parent institution | University System of Maryland |
| Accreditation | MSCHE |
Academic affiliation | CUWMA |
| Endowment | $2.10 billion (2023) (system-wide)[2] |
| President | Gregory Fowler[3] |
| Chief Academic Officer | Blakely Pomietto |
Academic staff | 3,800 |
| Students | 55,838[4](fall 2022) |
| Undergraduates | 47,253[5] |
| Postgraduates | 13,350[5] |
| Location | , Maryland ,United States 38°59′8.93″N76°57′24.12″W / 38.9858139°N 76.9567000°W /38.9858139; -76.9567000 |
| Campus | Large suburb[8] 175+ locations[9] |
| Magazine | Achiever |
| Colors | Yellow, Black and Red[10] |
| Website | www |
 | |
TheUniversity of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) is apublic university inCollege Park, Maryland, United States,[6] and the largest institution in theUniversity System of Maryland.[11] Established in 1947 as the College of Special and Continuation Studies of theUniversity of Maryland, College Park, UMGC is dedicated to serving working adults, military service members, veteran and their families. UMGC offers online, hybrid, and face-to-face instruction at education centers across theWashington–Baltimore metropolitan area, throughoutMaryland, and around the world.
UMGC is open to all applicants for undergraduate and graduate programs,[12] and is among the top 10 recipients of the federalG.I. Bill benefits.[13] The university offers 135 academic programs in online, hybrid and face-to-face classes, includingbachelor's,master's, anddoctoral degrees, as well asundergraduate andgraduate certificates.[11] UMGC is accredited by theMiddle States Commission on Higher Education.[14]
UMGC is an outgrowth of the evening program for adults at theUniversity of Maryland, which began in the 1920s. In 1947, the College of Special and Continuation Studies (CSCS) was established.[15] In 1959, The CSCS became the University of Maryland University College (UMUC). In 1970, UMUC became an independent institution, and was a founding member of theUniversity System of Maryland in 1988.[15]
UMUC formerly had an international campus inSchwäbisch Gmünd, Germany, until 2002. It also ran a two-year residential campus inMunich, from 1950 to 1992, which then moved toAugsburg, from 1993 to 1994, and then toMannheim, in 1995 until it finally closed in 2005.[16] The residential campus offered a two-year associate degree and mainly served high school graduate children of U.S. military and government personnel stationed inEurope.[17]
In 2023, UMGC has more than 175 classroom and service locations on military installations and other education centers throughout the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, as well as in Asia.[15] In 2004, UMUC shared the ICDE Prize of Excellence from the International Council for Open and Distance Education.[18][19]
Known as University of Maryland University College until 2019, it was acollege in the traditional American sense of the word. However, the college was associated with auniversity; hence, it was a "University College." The "University of Maryland" prefix indicated the historical entity to which the college belonged originally. In the university's name, "University College" represented "the specialized concentration on professional development," while "University of Maryland" represented the affiliation of the university with theUniversity System of Maryland.[20]
When UMUC first opened in 1947, the school was named College of Special and Continuation Studies within the University of Maryland, College Park.[20] In 1953, Raymond Ehrensberger, chancellor of the institution at that time, wanted to change the name to something more meaningful and less cumbersome for people to say and remember. Early suggestions for the name included College of General Studies, College of Adult Education and University College.[20]
In 1959, Chancellor Ehrensberger persuaded the University of Maryland's Board of Regents to change the name to University of Maryland University College. The name "University College" was adopted from the British university system to depict an educational institution offering "courses and programs from all academic departments outside the university's walls and normal class times."[20] Therefore, UMUC was not a division of the University of Maryland, College Park, but rather a separate institution within the University System of Maryland.[21][22]
In 2019, the university announced that its name would change to "University of Maryland Global Campus."[23] The name change request was submitted as SB 201[24] and HB 319[25] in the 2019 regular session of theMaryland General Assembly. The name change was enacted into law on April 18, 2019 when the bill was signed by Maryland GovernorLarry Hogan.[26]
UMGC is one of the largest online public universities in the United States.[27][28] Courses are delivered in online, hybrid and face-to-face formats. Even before the advent of online education by way of the World Wide Web, UMGC was adistance education pioneer and offereddistance learning using its WebTycho interface by way ofdial-up access. UMGC later adopted the use of the Web for connectivity to its online classrooms, as well as using television and correspondence courses to deliver course content.
The university has three schools:
UMGC offers more than 30bachelor's degree programs and undergraduate certificates, awarded in cybersecurity, biotechnology, business management, computers/information technology, communications, criminal justice/legal studies, and social sciences.[29] Undergraduate students can earn credit through coursework and prior-learning programs, which recognize professional and workplace experience, including military service.[30]
UMGC offers more than 55master's degree programs, graduate certificates, anddoctoral degrees.[31] Most graduate programs are available in online and hybrid formats.
UMGC offers face-to-face courses and support for students at U.S. military locations inBahrain,Djibouti,Egypt,Kuwait,Qatar,United Arab Emirates,Australia,Guam,Japan,Okinawa,Singapore,South Korea,Diego Garcia,Spain, andItaly.[32][33]
The headquarters for UMGC is located in Adelphi, Maryland near the campus of the University of Maryland, College Park. Until late 2000, the UMGC headquarters was listed inCollege Park, Maryland. In an attempt to establish its own identity as an independent university, UMGC changed its postal address to Adelphi, an unincorporated community that borders College Park. The address change with the U.S. Postal Service involved no physical move of people and facilities. The marketing decision to change its postal address was one of many undertaken by UMGC to distinguish the university as one of the largest distance-education centers, with over 248,000 students enrolled worldwide in FY 2015.[19]
UMGC retrofitted its headquarters in Adelphi, Maryland, to meet"green" building requirements forLEED certification.[35] UMGC followed the same process as it did to achieve LEED certification in 2005 for its Inn & Conference Center, which became the first hotel complex in theUnited States to achieve certification as a green building.[35][36]
In the greaterBaltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area, classes are held at 20 locations, including on the campus of University of Maryland, College Park. The satellite campuses offer varying academic services, including advising and computer labs.
UMGC operates a facility inDorsey Station (Md) adjacent to the DorseyMARC Train Station.[37] In partnership with Maryland community colleges and otherUniversity System of Maryland institutions, UMGC offers courses and degree programs at several higher education centers throughout the state. It also offers classes and advising services at theCollege of Southern Maryland. A consortium of universities led byAnne Arundel Community College, including UMGC, operates a higher education center adjacent to Arundel Mills mall inHanover, Maryland.[38] In addition, the University offers courses at theUniversities at Shady Grove andUniversity System of Maryland at Hagerstown, which are part of theUniversity System of Maryland.
InEurope, theMiddle East, andAsia, UMGC offers courses on military bases for service members, contractors, Federal employees, and their families.[39] In addition todistance learning via the Web, the university offers on-site, instructor-led classes and/or services at 175 overseasUS military bases in 20 countries throughout the world.[15] Overseas instruction is coordinated through its Europe Division,[40] which coversUSCENTCOM installations in theMiddle East, and Asia Division.[41] UMGC divisional headquarters are located inKaiserslautern, Germany (following the closure ofUnited States Army Garrison Heidelberg) and onYokota Air Base,Tokyo, Japan, respectively.[42][43]
| Race and ethnicity | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 33% | ||
| Black | 26% | ||
| Hispanic | 18% | ||
| Unknown | 11% | ||
| Two or more races | 5% | ||
| Asian | 5% | ||
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 1% | ||
| Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | 1% | ||
| International student | 1% | ||
| Economic diversity | |||
| Low-income[a] | 29% | ||
| Affluent[b] | 71% | ||
UMGC specializes indistance learning for adult,non-traditional students in Maryland, across the country, and around the world by operating education centers and offering online instruction.[45] In FY 2023, the university enrolled almost 53,000[19] military-affiliated students from around the world.[19] In FY 2023, more than 32,000Marylanders attended UMGC.[19]
About three-quarters of the undergraduate students attend part-time.[46] Over 92% of UMGC students are employed full-time.[47] The majority of undergraduate students are female.[46] The median age of stateside undergraduate students is 31. Almost two-thirds of the graduate MBA students are married, half are female, and over a third are minorities.[48] Over a third of UMGC's stateside students were African-American, and this minority group earned over a third of the degrees awarded by the university.
UMGC was ranked #1 inThe Military Times “Best for Vets: Colleges 2015” list of top online and nontraditional schools in 2015.[49]Military Times “Best for Vets” is one of the most respected and comprehensive rankings for veterans who are considering higher education.[50][51] The publication looked at U.S. Department of Education statistics on student success and academic quality, as well as areas such as university culture, student support, and academic policies in evaluating hundreds of schools.[52]
| Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Januarius Jingwa Asongu | 2002 | President ofSaint Monica University | [53] |
| Scheherazade Forman | Dean of Student Development Services atPrince George's Community College | [54] | |
| Arthur Quinn Tyler Jr. | 1978 | Former president ofSacramento City College | [55] |
| Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dale Dye | United States Marine Corps retired captain and actor | [56] | |
| Deanna McCray-James | 2011, 2008, 2005 | Chief of Marketing and Outreach at theLibrary of Congress | [57] |
| Deshauna Barber | 2015 | The first woman serving in the military to be crownedMiss USA (2016), Mrs. District of Columbia America 2009, Mrs. Maryland United States 2005 | [58] |
| Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Hastings | Senior Vice President of Communications forBell Helicopter | [59][60] |
| Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ray Lewis | 2004 | formerNFL football player with theBaltimore Ravens | [68] |
| Jalen Rose | 2005 | formerNBA player and currentbroadcaster onESPN | [69] |
| Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frederick H. Bealefeld III | FormerBaltimore police commissioner | [70] | |
| Barbara A. Frush | Current Maryland State Delegate for District 21 | [71] |
| Name | Department | Notability | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Betsy Boze | Senior Fellow at theAASCU | ||
| Jiří Březina | Current geology professor | ||
| Barrie Ciliberti | Former Maryland Delegate and dean atBowie State University | [72] | |
| Eric B. Dent | Mathematics | Complexity theory expert | |
| Donald L. Graham | District Judge for theUnited States District Court for the Southern District of Florida | ||
| J. Greg Hanson | Computer Science and Information Technology | First AssistantSergeant at Arms andchief information officer of theUnited States Senate | |
| Donna Leon | Author of theBrunetti series, includingDeath at La Fenice | [73] | |
| Patrick Mendis | Public Policy & Trade | Author ofTrade for Peace andCommercial Providence | [74] |
| Charlene R. Nunley | Former president ofMontgomery College, former member of theCommission on the Future of Higher Education, and current professor | [75] | |
| Walter Ratliff | Humanities/Philosophy | Associated Press journalist | |
| Arnold Resnicoff | FormerU.S. Navy Chaplain and National Director of Interreligious Affairs for theAmerican Jewish Committee | ||
| David P. Weber | Accounting | Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation Fellow and former Assistant Inspector General for Investigations, and whistleblower, concerning theBernard Madoff,Allen Stanford, and Cyber-compromise matters. | [76][77] |
| Christopher Yavelow | Composer |
UMUC(UMUC means "University of Maryland University College")
3501 University Blvd. East, Adelphi, MD 20783
This prestigious acknowledgment follows the University's VETS Campus designation received from the state of Tennessee in late 2023, further solidifying Belmont's position as a leader in veteran education.
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