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UMUC - A Leader in Higher Education for Adults

The Vision of UMUC
UMUC Europe
Mission
Commitment to Adult Students
Accreditation
Undergraduate Programs
Graduate Programs
UMUC Recognized
President Susan C. Aldridge
Vice President Berg
UMUC Overview

The Vision of UMUC

University of Maryland University College (UMUC) is a visionary institution, committed to the exploration of knowledge, the construction of partnerships, and innovative academic delivery. It is a large and diverse institution, serving 90,000 students around the world and committing itself to lifelong learning and education of adults in the workforce.

UMUC Europe

University of Maryland University College Europe offers a full range of lower and upper level courses for students interested in certificates and associate, bachelor's, and master's degrees. To ensure that courses and programs are readily accessible, the university offers a wide array of on-site and online learning opportunities at over 70 sites throughout Europe and the Middle East. UMUC Europe has been providing quality academic programs and services to members of the U.S. military communities overseas for more than 55 years. Founded in 1947 as the College of Special and Continuation Studies, UMUC has grown to become one of the largest institutions in the University System of Maryland—both in terms of enrollments and its global scope—while earning accolades for the quality of its programs and its innovative use of technology.

Mission

Our mission is to provide top quality academic programs and services to members of U.S. military communities throughout the European Command. UMUC Europe is an integral and important part of a visionary and global university. When you leave Europe, you can continue your education with UMUC in on-site classes in the state of Maryland and the Washington, D.C. areas, at U.S. military bases in Asia, or in distance education classes accessible worldwide.

Commitment to Adult Students

Classes are offered in convenient formats to meet the needs of busy students who are often faced with juggling a career, a family, and an education. UMUC Europe's academic year starts in mid-August and ends in July, and students may begin courses in any of the five terms offered each year. Many courses carry three semester hours of credit. Some courses meet twice weekly for three hours per evening, while others are scheduled four days a week or on alternate weekends. Students can take courses in their local communities or online.

Because many of our students are active-duty servicemembers, we understand that one of the biggest barriers to pursuing a degree while in the military is that servicemembers never know where they may be tomorrow. At UMUC, everything is designed so students can continue their education without interruption, whether they are on temporary duty, relocating, or are deployed in a war zone. And students can continue their education with UMUC even after they leave Europe. Through UMUC and Bowie State programs, students who studied in Europe earned more than 650 associate degrees, 700 baccalaureate degrees, and 100 master's degrees during the past academic year.

Accreditation

University of Maryland University College is accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
(tel. 215-662-5606).

Undergraduate Programs

Undergraduate degree programs are offered in disciplines in the arts, humanities, and communications, business and management, computing, and the sciences. UMUC students have a choice of over 16 majors and 18 minors in Europe. With the expansion of UMUC's Distance Education program, the university's reach now extends across the globe enabling students to take UMUC classes that originate in Europe, Asia, or from the home campus in Adelphi, Maryland. Many students combine the traditional on-site courses with online alternatives to earn their degrees.

Graduate Programs

Emphasizing quality, flexibility, and responsiveness, Bowie State University, in partnership with UMUC Europe, offers graduate-level professional certificates and the following master's degrees: a Master of Arts (MA) in counseling psychology, a Master of Education (MEd) in school counseling, a Master of Public Administration (MPA), and a Master of Science (MS) in management information systems. UMUC Europe also offers a Master of Science (MS) in information technology.

UMUC Recognized

UMUC holds the highest honor given in Web education: the Sloan Consortium Award for Excellence in Institution-Wide Asynchronous Learning Network Programming. The university has won many other awards for its online programs as well, most recently for having the Best Distance Education Course as determined by the Maryland Distance Learning Association.

UMUC recently received two more prestigious honors: the National Security Agency designated UMUC a Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education for the university's programs in information assurance (Internet security) and UMUC's Web site received Forbes magazine's distinction as being "Best of the Web" in distance education.

Last updated: 24 August 2009