At UMBC, students find many resources to help them achieve their academic goals. Listed below are special programs and facilities available to enhance students’ academic pursuits.
Academic Success Center
The Academic Success Center (ASC) provides centralized support services to all undergraduate students at UMBC. Through a coordinated approach and an unwavering commitment to student success, the Academic Success Center fosters a welcoming environment and offers free academic support including Academic Learning Resources, Academic Policy, and Academic Advocacy for students to achieve their academic goals and claim their future with a UMBC degree.
Academic Policy
- Academic policy and petition support
- Course repeat petitions
- Grading method petitions
- Late-add petitions
- Non-applicable semester petitions
- Petitions regarding the General Education Program and/or University Requirements
- Petitions regarding undergraduate commencement participation
- Academic Skills Meetings
- Computing Success Center
- Early Academic Alerts
- Placement testing
- Supplemental Instruction Peer-Assisted Study Sessions (SI PASS)
- Tutoring (Appointment and Drop-in)
- Writing Center
- Proactive, personalized and holistic care to help students identify and navigate academic and institutional challenges
- Coordinated care for students to connect them to appropriate university resources and support services
- Guidance for students in navigating institutional policies, processes, and petitions
- Individual student appointments for academic success
- Response to individual student inquiries and faculty/staff referrals to assess and address academic matters that may be barriers to graduation
Office for Academic and Pre-Professional Advising
The Office for Academic and Pre-Professional Advising (OAPA) offers special assistance to students exploring majors as well as students pursuing allied health programs. OAPA staff also offer help to any students, faculty or anyone needing assistance with advising-related questions and challenges. OAPA staff passionately believe that academic advising should be student-centered, collaborative and focused on helping students make informed and strategic decisions with respect to majors and careers.
Services For Students
- Academic Advising for students who are exploring majors or are interested in allied health programs
- Learn the difference between selecting a major and selecting a career.
- Review of general requirements
- In conjunction with the degree audit available through myUMBC, advisors can assist students in course selection to ensure appropriate courses are taken.
- Provide resources to students about academic success
- Advisors can help get to the root cause of students’ difficulties and help make referrals to campus resources as appropriate.
- Pre-Transfer Advising Assistance
- Advisors help guide students before, during, and after the transfer process. They can help provide you with timely academic and/or career information and resources that help you plan for your success.
- Review and approve Excess Credit Requests
- Advisors work with academically talented students who are interested in taking more than the maximum amount of credits in a given semester.
English Language Institute (ELI)
UMBC’s English Language Institute (ELI) offers courses for current UMBC and prospective international students who seek to advance their English language skills for specific fields and purposes. Undergraduate students who meet the academic requirements for admission to UMBC but fall below the required English proficiency test score,may apply to the ELI directly or to the ELI-Undergraduate Bridge Program. Upon successful completion of Level 5 coursework, students can begin the bachelor’s degree program at UMBC. No TOEFL, IELTS, or other English Language proficiency score is required. A Pathway program is also available to undergraduate students who meet the academic requirements but have English proficiency test scores below requirements.
The ELI offers varied program and course options all year round:
- Intensive English Program (full- or part-time study): These courses are non-credit and for those who want to improve their overall English language skills. Courses are held across proficiency levels ranging from basic (Level Intro) up to advanced (Level 5).
- Academic English Program (full- or part-time study): This program is designed for more proficient English language students at intermediate and advanced levels (i.e., Level 4 through 6) who want to study in an undergraduate and graduate program after their program completion.
- TESOL Training Course (on-campus or online): For those who want to explore the fields of TESOL and TEFL and those who want to teach English to non-native adult English speakers in the U.S. or abroad.
- Summer Courses: The ELI also offers all of their courses during the summer in an extra intensive 8-week session. This session is ideal for students looking to build their English skills before beginning degree programs in the Fall.
- Special Programs: The ELI has a full-service Special Programs office that can work with partners to design customized programming for students, faculty, and professionals
Advantages of ELI programs include access to free individual tutoring, the free Conversation Partner Program, where each student is paired up with an English speaker to practice his/her English, individualized academic and immigration advising, online course options, English language learning software, immigration advising, and more.
For more information please contact the ELI at eli@umbc.edu or visit the ELI website.
Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS)
As a vibrant research university, UMBC attracts a large population of international students who come from more than 100 countries. UMBC’s Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS), in the Center for Global Engagement, offers comprehensive assistance to the university’s population of international students and scholars to ensure all international members of the UMBC community are able to complete their programs of study and research in legal status. The ISSS office assists international students with the documentation needed to obtain their F-1 or J-1 visas and reports arrival and enrollment data to the Department of Homeland Security.
Throughout the student’s stay at the university, OISS provides guidance on matters related to travel, off-campus work opportunities, practical training and other matters related to life in the United States. All new international students are required to attend the orientation program sponsored by OISS at the beginning of each semester. The program is designed to provide valuable information regarding both the legal requirements of their stay in the United States, as well adjustment to life in the United States and the U.S. academic experience.
Education Abroad Office
The Education Abroad Office, which handles all matters related to academic programs abroad, also operates out of the Center for Global Engagement. Please see Education Abroad under Special Opportunities for more information on summer, semester, academic year, and faculty-led, short-term international opportunities, as well as on the many global scholarship opportunities supported by the office.
Further information is available by contacting CGE staff at educationabroad@umbc.edu, or visiting the Education Abroad Office’s website.
Office of Student Disability Services (SDS)
The mission of SDS is to ensure that UMBC students with documented disabilities are afforded an equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from all University programs, services, and activities through the provision of accommodations and reasonable modifications that allow for equal access and inclusion. Examples of services provided through SDS may include: alternate format texts, readers, scribes, accommodated testing, notetaking assistance, and American Sign Language or cued speech interpreters. Adaptive equipment and assistive technology are available in the office and in the Albin O. Kuhn Library.
Students with disabilities who would like to request classroom, housing, or program accommodations will need to register for services through submission of disability documentation and scheduling of an intake appointment with a disability specialist.
Students may get more information or register by visiting the SDS website, visiting the office in the Mathematics/Psychology Building, room 212 reception desk, calling 410-455-2459, or emailing disAbility@umbc.edu.
Office of Academic Opportunity Programs (AOP)
AOP houses programs focused on assisting students who are traditionally underrepresented in higher education: low-income students, students who are the first generation in their family to earn a bachelor’s degree, and/or members of ethnic and racial groups underrepresented in higher education. The programs include TRIO Programs (Educational Talent Search, Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement, Upward Bound, and Upward Bound Math/Science), and the Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP).
The McNair Scholars Program serves UMBC students who are low-income and first generation or members of ethnic and racial groups underrepresented in higher education who are interested in pursuing a PhD. The Program provides experiences that prepare students for graduate education in all disciplines. It involves students in research, mentoring, and other scholarly activities. McNair participants are from diverse backgrounds and demonstrate strong academic potential.
The LSAMP Program seeks to increase the numbers of students matriculating into and successfully completing high quality degree programs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines in order to diversify the STEM workforce. Particular emphasis is placed on transforming undergraduate STEM education through innovative, evidence-based recruitment and retention strategies, and relevant educational experiences in support of racial and ethnic groups historically underrepresented in STEM disciplines: African Americans, Hispanic Americans, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Native Pacific Islanders.
More information about any of the programs in AOP is available at the AOP website, at the main office in the Mathematics/Psychology Building, room 007, or by calling 410-455-6763.
The Honors College
The UMBC Honors College is a special opportunity for students seeking to enrich their academic experience by taking small, intensive courses in areas of special interest. Many courses involve in-depth treatment of materials covered in regular class sections, while others resemble graduate seminars in their small size and depth and intensity of scholarship. Admission to the Honors College is highly selective. Academic records are weighed along with individual characteristics such as seriousness of purpose and intellectual promise as reflected in an essay and short answer questions. For high school students, the curriculum, overall GPA and grades in advanced coursework are particularly important. A separate application is required for admission to the Honors College. A detailed overview of the Honors College and admissions procedures is available on the Honors College page of the Catalog or the Honors College website. Students may also visit the Honors College in the Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery, suite 216, call 410-455-3720, or email honors@umbc.edu.
Library Resources
The Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery contains more than 1,000,000 books and bound volumes of journals, more than 2,000,000 photographs, DVDs, maps, music scores, recordings, microforms, and government documents. In addition, the library provides over 13,000 online journals and 50,000 ebooks and access to streaming video. Course reserves, most of which are online, and extensive computing, printing and scanning facilities further assist studies. The Digital Media Lab and Equipment Loan program provide access to audiovisual equipment suitable for a wide variety of projects. The Alan and Wendy Wilson Innovation Lab is a dedicated makerspace for students to develop ideas, prototype projects, and seek mentorship on innovation and entrepreneurship. The Library Media Collection supports academic programs across the curriculum with audio and video recordings, as well as provides music and film offerings for recreational use. The library cooperates with 17 other University System of Maryland and Affiliated Institutions (USMAI) libraries through an extensive automated system featuring an online catalog of UMBC and USMAI holdings and a discovery tool for locating full-text articles. The library web pages serve as a gateway to the holdings of many other U.S. academic libraries providing online materials and document delivery on request. The Retriever Learning Center is always open, with food and drink available, digital monitors and whiteboards for collaboration, and spaces for individual and group study. Highly skilled professionals are prepared to help students locate information needed for study and research in-person at the library, or through phone, email and chat services. Study rooms, a Presentation Practice Room, and an Assistive Technology room are available for students, faculty and staff.
Special Collections
The library’s Special Collections include one of the nation’s major photographic archives, with photographs by Ralph Gibson, Mildred Grossman, Lewis Hine, Lotte Jacobi, Jaromir Stephany, Alfred Stieglitz, and many others. Archival collections include: the Center for Biological Sciences Archives (CBSA) encompassing manuscripts, personal papers, and archives generated by individuals and institutions involved in the biological sciences; the Baltimore Sun newspaper archives, including Sun newspapers dating to the first issue in 1837, photographic prints and negatives, and historic labor and financial records; the Azriel Rosenfeld Science Fiction Research Collection, containing science fiction and fantasy books, periodicals, criticism, and reference works, original manuscripts and personal papers, and a large collection of amateur press fanzines; the Alternative Press Center (APC) Archive; UMBC University Archives; Maryland history, including the Joseph L. Arnold Maryland Collection, the Maryland State Art Council’s Maryland Folklife Program, and Maryland Traditions records. These diverse and unique collections support the research of faculty, staff, students, and outside scholars across multiple disciplines.
The Library Gallery
The Library Gallery’s mission is to provide exhibitions with accompanying publications and educational programming across a range of subjects, media and aesthetic purposes that support the UMBC mission. In the context of a research university, the Gallery serves as a crucible for the discovery of and encounter with ideas greater than any single book, object, image, or concept. The Gallery promotes accessibility of Library collections, particularly the nationally recognized Photography Collections. Exhibitions drawn from the Photography Collections bring to fruition research related to the holdings and result in the publication of catalogues which make valuable scholarship accessible to a wide audience of students, faculty, staff, and citizens of the region and the state. The Gallery, thus, contributes to UMBC’s status as a center of cultural and intellectual activity.
Division of Information Technology (DoIT)
As a technologically advanced campus, UMBC’s Division of Information Technology (DoIT) offers students an array of computing services for research, study, and collaboration. In addition to a robust, campus-wide network and Wi-Fi, computer labs with printing services are available seven days a week. Students can even use the same PC lab software online anytime, anywhere, with any device through the virtual desktop environment. The Technology Support Center (TSC) is located next to the Retriever Learning Center on the first floor of the Albin O. Kuhn Library. In addition to walk up and phone support, the TSC also curates the campus’ very popular Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and resolves or escalates most IT support requests through the RT (Request Tracker) ticketing system. Students can find or request help at the myUMBC Help website.
All entering students should create an account on myUMBC, a campus Web portal to access personal information, campus systems and UMBC’s online community. In addition to UMBC’s Google Apps for Education (including Gmail), students can check course availability, register for classes, use Blackboard for coursework, retrieve final grades, pay bills, reserve library materials, and much more. Also, with a myUMBC account, students, faculty, and staff have access to Box and Google Drive online storage as well as a wide range of software, including Microsoft Office 365, various statistical packages, database and text processors, and many special-purpose software and programming languages. While UMBC requires students to own or assure they have access to a computer, more than 90 percent typically bring a laptop. DoIT provides computing recommendations for students and faculty/staff.
Student Computing Requirements
To help ensure students are equipped for academic success, UMBC requires all undergraduate students to be technologically self-sufficient. Minimally this requires students to have a reliable personal computer (preferably a laptop) and internet access. To assist students in preparing for these essential IT needs, the Division of Information Technology (DoIT) provides a wealth of resources and support, including minimum specifications to consider when purchasing a computer. More information is available on the Student Technology Resources website.
Mobile, Internet Access, and Electronic Services
Over 1,800 wireless access points cover the campus and provide wireless connectivity through all academic buildings and residence halls. Many outside areas are getting wireless connectivity and Internet access is provided to the campus through two, 10 Gigabit/s connections. All administrative services, from parking to bill paying, are done through myUMBC.
Support for Innovative Teaching & Learning
DoIT supports faculty across all delivery modes in the effective integration of instructional technology into their courses, but also partners with Summer and Winter Programs on a hybrid course redesign program called the Alternate Delivery Program (ADP). In addition, the New Media Studio supports faculty use of digital storytelling in several classes.
Connected Classrooms
DoIT’s Desktop and Audio Visual Services provides and maintains academic media support on campus for classroom technology services, all audiovisual presentation equipment and lecture halls, and the use of audience response systems.
Conservation and Environmental Research Areas (CERA)
Established in 1997, the Conservation and Environmental Research Areas (CERA) of UMBC were created to support environmental education, research, and conservation at UMBC. At present, CERA covers about 50 acres of the UMBC landscape and is located in two areas. The larger tract, covering approximately 45 acres of the south end of the main campus, has a variety of ecological settings including mature upland forest, early and mid-successional forests, and riparian and wetland environments. The second, much smaller CERA area (about three acres) surrounds Pigpen Pond. There are also several areas within CERA where evidence of previous human occupancy and use can be found. In addition to teaching opportunities for faculty, CERA offers a wide range of opportunities for students and faculty to undertake short- and long-term research projects in various disciplines. Management of CERA is guided by the need to maintain these landscapes as natural areas to be preserved and protected for approved uses in education, research, and wildlife observation. Faculty and students who want further information or who wish to use CERA for research and/or teaching are encouraged to contact the CERA Steering Committee (Sandy Parker, Chair, cera@umbc.edu) or visit the CERA website.
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