University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)
UMBC is ranked as Doctoral/Research University (High Research Activity) by the Carnegie Foundation, one of the highest classifications for a research university in the country.
Graduate students with a strong sense of purpose and high aspirations for the future are finding an exciting environment for meeting the challenges of advanced study at UMBC, a rising research university in the Baltimore-Washington, D.C., corridor. UMBC is a medium-sized research university with programmatic emphases in selected areas of sciences and engineering; mathematics; information and computer sciences; the social sciences, with particular emphasis in public policy studies; human services and the arts and humanities.
With almost 14,000 undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral students, UMBC is large enough to provide students with excellent training and research opportunities and small enough for close student-faculty interaction. The campus’ manageable size and open atmosphere create a comfortable sense of community among graduate and undergraduate students, faculty and staff.
UMBC graduate students come from 45 states and 55 countries, and they go on to careers in such fields as university teaching and research, arts and humanities, business, industry and government. Doctoral graduates recently have taken positions with institutions, businesses and agencies such as the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and the Applied Physics Laboratory, Schering-Plough Pharmaceutical Company, Harvard University, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Radar Division of the Naval Research Laboratory, the University of Maryland School of Medicine (Baltimore) and Georgetown University.
UMBC is a major center for graduate education and research. Graduate students work closely with faculty, whose funding sources include the National Institutes of Health, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the U.S. Department of Education and the state of Maryland. Opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration are encouraged through UMBC’s 30-plus research centers and institutes.
University of Maryland Graduate School, Baltimore (UMGSB)
When founded in 1966, UMBC joined the state university’s oldest campus, the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB), in serving the public higher education and research needs of the Baltimore region. The University of Maryland Graduate School, Baltimore (UMGSB), created in 1985, represents the combined graduate and research programs at UMBC and UMB-the University System of Maryland’s (USM) doctoral research campuses in the Baltimore area. Because UMBC is part of the UMGSB, students find it easy to access courses, practical experiences and research opportunities at other USM campuses, including the schools of law, medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing and social work in downtown Baltimore. Several joint programs with UMB permit UMBC graduate students to take advantage of the association of faculty and the wide variety of courses offered at UMB.
All UMB and UMBC graduate programs are reviewed by a joint Graduate Council of the UMGSB.
Location
UMBC’s convenient, suburban campus is surrounded by one of the greatest concentrations of commercial, cultural and scientific activity in the nation. Located at the head of the Chesapeake Bay, Baltimore has all the advantages of modern, urban living, including professional sports, major art galleries, theaters and a symphony orchestra. The city’s famous Inner Harbor area is an exciting center for entertainment and commerce. Just 10 minutes from downtown Baltimore and 30 minutes from the Washington Beltway, UMBC offers easy access to the region’s resources by car or public transportation, including the Appalachian Mountains, Annapolis and Washington, D.C. Libraries and laboratories serving virtually every academic discipline are within easy commuting distance. UMBC graduate students take advantage of this location to do research at such sites as the Library of Congress, the Maryland Shock Trauma Center, the National Institutes of Health, the National Archives, the National Aquarium, the National Security Agency, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, the National Institutes of Standards and Technology, the Social Security Administration and the Smithsonian Institution. There is a steady and growing interchange of ideas, information, technical skills and scholars between the university and these centers.
Part-Time, Flexible Programs
Students find that UMBC’s graduate programs provide highly accessible and flexible learning opportunities. Many UMBC graduate students are professionals, who take advantage of the university’s affordable courses and convenient class times and locations to advance their skills and careers. All of our Programs can be found on the Graduate Programs page.
Academic Resources
Libraries
The university library system includes major research libraries at UMBC, UMB and the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP), as well as those located at the other 11 campuses of the University System of Maryland and Affiliated Institutions (USMAI).
The Albin O. Kuhn Library and Gallery
UMBC’s library contains more than 1 million books and bound journals; more than 3 million photographs, slides, maps, music scores, recordings, microforms and government documents; plus an extensive reference collection and more than 4,000 current journal subscriptions, the majority of which are available as full text online. Many online reserve materials and extensive computing, printing and copying facilities further assist studies. Skilled professionals are prepared to help locate information needed for study and research.
Library users have unfiltered access to the Internet. The online catalog provides access to more than 3 million volumes held by the University System of Maryland and Affiliated Institutions (USMAI). Students also can request USMAI materials online and other materials from around the world through Interlibrary Loan and online document delivery services. In addition, the library also offers access to many online databases and other electronic resources through the library website.
The special collections department houses one of the leading photographic repositories in the country, with more than 1.8 million images, books and other items depicting the history of photography from 1839 to the present. Other collections include the Archives of the American Society for Microbiology and several other archives in the Center for Biological Sciences Archives, the Azriel Rosenfield Science Fiction Research Collection, the Joseph L. Arnold Maryland Collection and the Merkle Collection of English Graphic Satire. The library also houses The Baltimore Sun archives. The library media collection offers audio and video recordings with strengths in American and classical music.
The Library Gallery
UMBC is exceptional among universities in having a major gallery in its library building. The gallery’s mission is to provide to local, national and international communities an exhibition program across the range of subjects, media and aesthetic purposes that support the UMBC campus mission. Among its primary goals are the presentation of scholarly exhibitions of photography, graphic design and historic objects, often showcasing material from UMBC’s expansive special collections; to produce critical publications and to present public programs relating to its exhibitions. The gallery thus contributes significantly to Maryland’s cultural fabric and enhances UMBC’s status as a center of cultural and intellectual activity.
Other Libraries and Resources
UMBC students, faculty and staff enjoy borrowing privileges at all USMAI libraries. A sampling of other scholarly libraries in the Baltimore area includes the Milton S. Eisenhower Library, the Peabody Library, the Welch Medical Libraries of The Johns Hopkins University, the Enoch Pratt Free Library and the Library of the Maryland Historical Society.
At a slightly greater distance from the Baltimore campuses, but still within one hour by automobile, are the Library of Congress; the National Library of Medicine; the Folger Library, Dumbarton Oaks; the National Archives; the State of Maryland Archives; the Smithsonian Institution; the World Bank; the libraries of the federal departments of Labor, Commerce, Interior, Health and Human Services, Education, Housing and Urban Development, and Transportation; and specialized libraries for students and scholars in the arts and humanities, social sciences and natural sciences.
Division of Information Technology (DoIT)
As a technologically advanced campus, UMBC offers students access to an extensive array of computing services for research and study, as well as for communication and collaboration. DoIT provides a wide range of services to students from getting connected to off-campus software site licensing, computer labs, file and Web services to our campus portal (myUMBC), Web-based course systems training, basic consulting and trouble-shooting.
All students receive an account that can be used to access campus services, including myUMBC, file and Web services, student labs and remote access through our modems. Through myUMBC, students can register for classes, check their bills, retrieve transcripts or acquire site-licensed software.
DoIT support to students is handled through our help desk and online services. UMBC provides telephone and walk-in support seven days a week. In addition, students can submit questions electronically or utilize our Web site for the latest information. Short in-class training is available at the start of each semester, and it is augmented through high-quality streaming video, which makes training available around the clock.
Centers and Institutes
UMBC has established a variety of research centers and institutes, which sponsor research, teaching and service projects that involve graduate students in faculty research. Information about most of these centers and institutes may be found on the UMBC Research Center’s website.
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