University System of Maryland, UMUC, UMD Confusion

I've noticed that on some discussions about University of Maryland University College that there has been a lot of debate about the differences between UMUC, UMD, what they all are, the differences, which one offers online programs and I think I found a pretty good site that summarizes it all up if anybody would like to have a definitive answer to the questions and debate that people seem to have going on.

http://usmexplain.tripod.com/

 

That must be portb's site. Nobody else cares quite so much.

 

UMD is the acronym for the University of Maryland. This is the traditional day school at college park.

UMBC is a traditional college...University of Maryland Baltimore Campus.

UMUC is the non traditional college, with satellite campus in out of the way places, weekend classes, on-line and other DL methods.


I took UMUC classes while a service member in the Army in Germany 20 years ago.....and transferred them to UMD...

It was a pretty good program back then, with good accredited degrees

 

Thanks.

I already knew that stuff about the acronyms though and the site explained the other things to me. I was under the impression that the UMUC and all the other "University of Maryland"s were the same university but on different campuses, I now know understand that that assumption is incorrect...

I just thought I'd share the site's address with everybody in case others were confused (or misinformed, as I was.)

Oh, also, the site (see above) says that UMBC stood for University of Maryland, Baltimore County Not that it really matters but I thought I'd just point that out.

--Edwin

And what do you mean that UMUC had accredited degrees? Is that no longer?

 

1. Many (most?) people will make the same assumption you did ie U of Maryland is U of Maryland.

2. UMUC IS RA accredited and has a variety of degree programs. The poster was just commenting that his knowledge was from when he attended UMUC

P.S. Portb will post shortly telling me how wrong I am. Lol.

 

Actually, in Maryland all but 2 public tertiary schools are part of the University of Maryland System (so in a sense they are all University of Maryland, although their names might not indicate such). Usually, when someone says U of M they are talking about the College Park Campus (the big one with good basketball and football teams). All others tend to be referred to by their campus names or acronyms.

Edwin is correct; UMBC is University of Maryland Baltimore County (it is generally taken to be the number 2 school bearing the U of M name). There is a Baltimore Campus which houses the medical school, dental school, and law school… that is University of Maryland at Baltimore or UMAB. Typically UMUC is simply referred to by its acronym.

Cheers,
Tony Maranto

 

Okay. Now I'm confused again. The web site said that the University of Maryland System doesn't exist. Also, how can all the universities be the University of Maryland (in a sense) when the site made it very clear that they're not...?

Oh well, it doesn't really matter because my original question had to do with UMUC.

--Edwin

 

Actually, looks like it's now called the University System of Maryland (USM)... but just for grins, here are the particulars.

Cheers,
Tony

http://www.usmd.edu/IndexNB.html

The University System of Maryland (USM) is Maryland's system of public higher education. Its members include all public colleges and universities in the State, with the exception of Morgan State University and St. Mary's College. In addition to its 11 colleges and universites, the USM also includes two research institutions. A complete listing of USM institutions is available on our USM Institutions page, and is also included in the footer menu at the bottom of all of our webpages. The USM is the twelfth-largest university system in the nation, and our 13 institutions offer over 600 academic programs to more than 126,000 students at 200 sites worldwide.

 

University of Maryland System did exist from 1988 to 1997, when it was renamed the University System of Maryland.

Where's portb when we need him to scold us all for our errors?

 

PLEASE........let sleeping dogs lie!!!!

 

Sleeping Dogs

I prefer to be referred to as sleeping cat because I always land on my feet. But that is neither here nor there.

Of all the schools in the system offering undergrad degrees, the only school whose degree says, simply, "University of Maryland" is the University of Maryland, College Park. UMUC, UMCB and the others all have very different degrees with the full institution name on it, including the words "University College", etc.

This is different from the University of California system for example, where all degrees, even from different universities like Cal Berkekely, UC Davis and UC Santa Cruz, say simply "University of California" on the degree.

 

We got it the first 1000 or so times you've explained it.

Or, in the case of this specific thread, we got it the first 2 times, no need for a third.

BTW....what exactly is your connection with the University of Maryland...any of their incarnations?

 

Re: Sleeping Dogs

Yes, although in the body of the diploma are the words, "given at Berkeley blah blah; or "given at Davis blah blah"

 

Let me add to your confusion..

There's yet another UNUC -
University of Minnesota, University College.

This is basically a very flexible design-it-yourself degree completion unit of the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis (aka Twin Cities).

I know it has a checkered existence, competing amidst other programs, including the inter-college program and bachelor of individualized studies (a Skidmore College-like Bachelors program),
http://www.cce.umn.edu/pil/

Googleing for it just now, in fact, I can't find University Collgee at UM! But I know it's been around for decades.

I looked into it in the 90s, but found it too complicated and fussy, requiring rediculous amounts of "degree planning."
In fact, at that point I found it quite horrible!

Anyone else know about this UMUC?

--Orson

 

Bruce,

I have no affiliation per se with UMd. Further, the person who posted the website regarding the differences between the various schools in the USMD system is someone else.

Sorry if you're confused.