University of Maryland Global Campus

The University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC), known as University of Maryland University College (UMUC) until July 1, 2019,[3] is a public university focused on online education and headquartered in Adelphi, Maryland. UMGC offers classes and programs on campus in its Academic Center in Largo and at satellite campuses across the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area, throughout Maryland, and in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. UMGC serves over 90,000 students worldwide and is one of the largest distance-learning institutions in the world.[4] UMGC is open to all applicants, with a 100 percent acceptance rate for undergraduate programs.[5] The university offers 120 academic programs in instructor-led and online classes, including bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees, as well as undergraduate and graduate certificates.[6] UMGC is a member of the University System of Maryland, which includes eleven separate public universities in Maryland.[6] University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.[7] Contents 1 History 1.1 University name 2 Academic and degree programs 2.1 Colleges and schools 3 Deployed locations 4 Campus and facilities 4.1 Headquarters/main campus 4.2 Academic buildings 4.3 Satellite campuses 5 Student profile 6 Awards 7 Notable alumni 7.1 Academia 7.2 Arts and entertainment 7.3 Business 7.4 Government and public policy 7.5 Literature 7.6 Sports 7.7 Notable students 8 Notable faculty 9 References 10 External links History[edit] Inn & Conference Center UMGC is an outgrowth of the evening program for adults at the University of Maryland, which began in the 1920s. In 1947, the College of Special and Continuation Studies (CSCS) was established.[8] In 1959, The CSCS became the University of Maryland University College (UMUC). In 1970, UMUC became an independent institution, and it became a member of the University System of Maryland in 1988.[8] UMUC formerly had an international campus in Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany, (near Stuttgart), until 2002. It also ran a two-year residential campus in Munich, Germany, from 1950 to 1992, which then moved to Augsburg, Germany, from 1993 to 1994, and then to Mannheim, Germany, in 1995 until it finally closed in 2005.[9] The residential campus offered a two-year associate degree and mainly served high school graduate children of U.S. military and government personnel stationed in Europe.[citation needed] In 2008 UMUC offered courses on over 130 military installations at locations throughout Europe and the Middle East, as well as in Asia.[8] In 2004, UMUC shared the ICDE Prize of Excellence from the International Council for Open and Distance Education.[10] In FY 2015, UMGC offered on-site classes in 20 countries throughout the world, enrolling almost 11,000 students, in Asia and Europe.[11] University name[edit] UMUC was a college in the traditional American sense of the word, albeit one associated with a university—hence, "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 the University System of Maryland.[12] When UMUC first opened in 1947, the school was named College of Special and Continuation Studies to distinguish it as an institution independent from the University of Maryland, College Park.[12] 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.[12] In 1959, Chancellor Ehrensberger persuaded the University System 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."[12] Therefore, UMUC was not a division of the University of Maryland, College Park, but rather a separate institution within the University System of Maryland.[citation needed] In 2019, the university announced that its name would change to "University of Maryland Global Campus" accompanied by a half-billion dollar national marketing campaign to expand the school's global outreach.[13] The name change request was submitted as SB 201[14] and HB 319[15] in the 2019 regular session of the Maryland General Assembly. The name change was enacted into law on April 18, 2019 when the bill was signed by Maryland Governor Larry Hogan.[16] Academic and degree programs[edit] UMGC is one of the largest providers of distance education in the United States.[4][17] Courses are delivered in traditional classroom settings, as well as online. Even before the advent of online education by way of the World Wide Web, UMGC was a distance education pioneer and offered distance learning using its WebTycho interface by way of dial-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.[citation needed] Colleges and schools[edit] Student and Faculty Services Center Undergraduate School Graduate School Undergraduate[edit] The Undergraduate School offers more than 30 bachelor's degree programs and undergraduate certificates, awarded in business management, computers/information technology, communications, criminal justice/legal studies, and social sciences.[18] Undergraduate students can earn credit through classroom-based and online courses or through the Prior Learning programs. The Undergraduate program serves as a continuation of the Community Colleges of Maryland and elsewhere. The Prior Learning programs offer an escalated degree option for education and training completed in the workplace or military. This program provides general education credits that can be applied towards a degree at UMGC.[19] Graduate[edit] The Graduate School offers more than 55 master's degree programs, graduate certificates, and doctoral degrees.[20] Most graduate programs are available in both classroom and online formats. Several master's degrees are available in an accelerated Executive format or executive online format only.