University of Maryland – University College

The University of Maryland – University College is a private college in Maryland that specializes in distance learning. The University of Maryland established a small program for adult learners in the area in the 1920s. This campus offered training programs and helped adult students gain skills that would help them search for and find jobs. Renamed the College of Special and Continuation Studies in the 1940s, it became its own university in the 1970s and later joined the University System of Maryland.

One of the more unique features of the university is its commitment to helping students around the world. In addition to its flagship campus in Maryland, it operates multiple campuses in the Washington DC area and in parts of Europe. Many of the graduate programs that it offers are available online. The university also operates several education centers near military bases that allow soldiers stationed overseas to earn a college degree. More than 50,000 students attend classes on one of these campuses or online, and most of its students have full-time jobs. The University of Maryland – University College now offers more than 80 certificate programs, near 40 bachelor's programs and 19 programs for doctoral and graduate students.

University of Maryland – University College Accreditation Details

As UMUC is a distance learning school that focuses on online learning and satellite campuses instead of more traditional learning, you may feel leery about whether it has accreditation. You shouldn't worry though because it has regional accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. The MSCHE did an extensive background check on UMUC before granting it accreditation and then went back to ensure that its accreditation was valid. It does reviews at least once every decade and always renewed the university's accreditation. Seven of the programs that it offers has specialty accreditation too, which comes from organizations like:

• Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
• National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education
• International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education
• Project Management Institute Global Accreditation Center for Project Management Education Programs
• Commission for Health Informatics and Information Management Education

University of Maryland – University College Application Requirements

Before you can enroll in UMUC classes, you need to complete the online application. To cut down on the time that it takes to get a response, UMUC streamlined the process. You can apply for any of its graduate programs without taking the GRE or another graduate exam first.

When you start the application, it asks for an email address and lets you create a password of your own. The university will verify that the email address is valid and then let you complete the application. Your email address serves as your user ID and lets you pause your application and return to finish filling it out later. As a prospective student interested in a graduate program, you need to know what program you want to study ahead of time. The application also asks for confidential information and for some general background details. When you submit that application, you can use a debit card or credit card to pay the $50 application fee.

The only other requirement UMUC has is for an official transcript. This transcript must have the name, address and seal of your college or university on it, a list of the classes you took and your grade point average. If you attended any other colleges and earned credits that count towards your degree, you'll need transcripts from those schools too. You must have a bachelor's degree finished before starting a graduate program and a master's degree to enroll in a doctoral program.

Tuition and Financial Aid

The University of Maryland – University College has both a resident tuition rate and a nonresident tuition rate. Residents must show proof that they have permanent residences in the state and that they lived in Maryland for at least one full year. All other students pay the nonresident rate. The rate for residents is $458 per credit hour, and the rate for nonresidents is $659 per credit hour. UMUC offers a discounted rate for employees of the federal or state government. If you are the dependent or spouse of military personnel, you qualify for the resident rate, even if you live in another state.

Financial aid packages are available for almost all students. You need to fill out the FAFSA and file that form online. As soon as the university receives your form, it will process the information and send you an aid letter that informs you of your total aid. Graduate and doctoral students generally qualify for more loans than they do grants or other types of aid. You can borrow just over $20,000 a year in unsubsidized federal loans. The university also accepts alternative students loans and scholarships that you obtain from outside sources. Aid is usually only available to those enrolled full time, and certificate students may not qualify for financial aid.

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Management and Leadership Degrees

UMUC offers three graduate and doctoral programs suitable for those with an interest in management and leadership. Its Management Master's Degree Program has 15 concentrations available, including those in emergency management, marketing, project management, financial management and health care administration. You can do this program online or through a hybrid option, which lets you take some classes on local campuses. Students take core classes like statistics for managers, financial decision making for managers and organizational theory and behavior. Though you must take 36 credits of work, you can take classes within your concentration to fulfill those credits.

The university also has an online Leadership and Management Graduate Certificate program that includes just 12 credits of work. One of those courses looks at the specific problems that human resource managers face and teaches you how to handle those issues in your own workplace. UMUC gives students the flexibility to pick and choose from different classes based on their own interests and careers.

There is also a Doctor of Management program available through UMUC. You must take 48 credits of classes, including data analytics, research methods, decision making for managers and management theory. Doctoral students will also earn 12 credits for the work they do on their dissertations. You'll gain credit for the research and writing that you do as well as the analysis you do of previous research. The University of Maryland – University College requires that you present your dissertation before graduating.