Degree from UMUC: is it appropriate not to mention that it's from UC?

That's a good point!

In the case of UMUC, the word "university" is mentioned twice (there is no justification for this and it causes confusion) and the word "college" is mentioned once (mixing "college" and "university" causes even more confusion). I can see a name such as: University of Maryland, College of ______ (insert school specialty here). The name UMUC is, frankly, bizarre.

Sorry if I offended anyone.

 

I posted a while ago about not liking their name and was pounced upon - but I think it is intentional by UMUC..... very unfortunate.

 

I agree with you, unfortunately this seems to be a convention in adult/non-traditional branches of a few universities. Apparently this is common naming standard:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_college#United_States

 

I'm going to echo the sentiment of the board here and say that UMUC is most definately NOT the same as the University of Maryland. To imply otherwise would be deceitful and misleading. I am located in Maryland and assure you that UMUC and UM are not the same thing. For example, the business school at UM is The Robert H. Smith School of Business, which is consistently ranked with the elite business programs in the country, particularly at the graduate level. UMUC, while a good school in its own right, is most certainly not the Robert H. Smith School of Business. UMUC offers an executive MBA for about $43,000. University of Maryland offers an executive MBA for about $94,000. Does that sound the same to anyone here?
Pug

 

I love Wikipedia.

University College.

"Universities such as Washington University in Saint Louis, Arizona State University, California State University, Long Beach, the University of Denver, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, the University of Maine, Syracuse University, and the University of Toledo use "University College" for the name of the division dedicated to continuing education and the needs of the non-traditional student. The University of Maryland University College is a separate institution dedicated to non-traditional education.

The University of Rhode Island enrolls all of its new students into its "University College", which does not grant degrees, but instead provides orientation, academic advising, and support for honors students, probationary students, student athletes, and students undecided in their choice of academic major."

 

I have a few UMUC courses on my transcript. But my reason for commenting is to provide some trivia.

For 55 years, UMUC operated a full-time campus in Germany. This campus offered much more than a few evening/weekend classes at the local education center. It opened in Munich in 1950, moved to Augsburg during the first phase of the drawdown in 1992, and then finally closed its doors in Mannheim during 2005 after moving there in 1994.

It wasn't until a few years ago that I actually understood the distinction between University of Maryland - College Park and UMUC.

 

Yes, my three friends from UC Berkeley all say that ANY graduate of ANY University of California campus can claim to be a University of California graduate for the simple reason that that's the simple truth: he or she IS a University of California graduate. They're also quick to point out, however, that the thought of just saying "University of California" has never crossed their minds because "Berkeley" or "UC Berkeley" is how they've always identified the school they're so proud of ("We're a top undergraduate school and we offer the best graduate education in the United States, you know, he he")...

 

I'm shocked to hear that anyone would throw a Chapman resume in the trash. I lived in Orange County in the 60s and 70s and was very envious of my high school classmates whose parents were able to afford to send them to Chapman.

I'm equally shocked and disappointed to hear that RA online degrees are looked on so poorly by employeers no matter what school they are from.

Tricia Schodowski

 

Yes, my friends also say that it's usually new students who get upset about the use of the "Cal" name, but then everybody gets used to it and in the end, it doesn't matter as much since UCLA students, for instance, think they have the best teams anyway and can't be prouder NOT to use the "Cal" name but their own "UCLA" brand.

I think (and I'm glad) that the UMUC issue isn't a problem that California's UC and CSU systems have to deal with. I think (and hope) the same is true for Texas and many other states.

 

It's no different from people trashing degrees just because they were earned through distance learning. Or lawmakers saying that you can't use federal aid to earn a degree from abroad if you don't do it the "dinosaur" (borrowing Aldrin's words) way. Or people saying that love between people of the same gender can't be real for the simple reason that they have the same reproductive organs. [Ooops, that belongs in another forum... ] And to think that we are supposedly in the 21st century already!

 

This sort of conjures up in my mind the discussions some years ago when the University of the State of New York (or, more precisely, the distance learning campus of USNY) changed its name from USNY to Regents College and, later, to Excelsior College (which still grates with me because it sounds chintzy compared to the other names)

People talked about how those with USNY degrees were often mistakenly believed to have SUNY degrees... and, much like the UMUC graduates, I think a substantial portion of USNY graduates either encouraged the confusion or did nothing to clarify unless specifically asked.

The bottom line for me is pretty simple. If a prospective employee has on his or her application the name of any school I know anything about, I will ask him or her about it, particularly if it's one like UMUC or USNY where there's the possibility of confusion. If the applicant is anything other than completely forthright, it's not someone I give any serious consideration to hiring, because if they are willing to be deceptive, whether actively or passively, then they are probably going to continue to exhibit other behaviors that are equally questionable when they are working for my company.

I understand the argument that saying U of Maryland instead of UMUC might give that little push that's the difference between an interview and no interview... but in my mind that's far more than offset by the potential for having one's integrity questioned later.

On a similar note, I was talking to a (bogus) naturopathic doc who had his degree from the unwonderful Westbrook University. At one point we were talking about training and he said something about what he did during his internship and made some comment about the campus. I responded that I didn't realize that Westbrook had any sort of physical campus where students could attend... and he got very uncomfortable before quickly "correcting" himself and saying that his "internship" was with another (probably fake) naturopathic physician. It never ceases to amaze me what people will imply if they think it will help them, but in this case, it pretty much cemented the idea that we didn't want to have anything to do with this guy.

 

Why wouldn't you say that you have a degree from University of Maryland University College? Both schools are excellent and highly regarded.

 

I think some would disagree that they are the same, hence I think the question.

 

This topic comes up all the time at Harvard Extension.

While the programs at the Harvard Extension School are serious and demanding, there is a feeling that some folks try to confuse people by "cloaking" that they got their degree from the Extension School as opposed to one of the other programs (Harvard College, the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences) that has a more competitive admissions process.

This problem is exacerbated by the general inability of the general public to comprehend non-traditional programs at traditional universities (especially good ones). Invariably, the confusion sets in when people make assumptions about attendance in a traditional program when the reality is somewhat different. Of course, unless you go to great lengths to clear up any possible confusion, people feel misled if they misunderstand.

I know that some folks count on this misunderstanding to gain an advantage but I can tell you from experience that when I tell people that I'm going to Harvard Extension, they stop listening once I get the word Harvard out of my mouth. I have to spend something like 10 minutes explaining the program to make sure they get it and don't go telling people that I got into Harvard.

Now...to avoid the topic entirely, I just tell people that I take my classes over the Internet from a small liberal arts school in Boston. I don't even mention Harvard. Even people who go to Harvard College and the Harvard GSAS will tell you that there is a strong reaction to mentioning the school. Many avoid discussing it entirely. It's considered taboo to flout any association with Harvard and people learn quickly to not make that mistake twice.

As for noting the degree on your resume, Harvard Extension permits the use of the following:

"Associate in Arts (AA) or Bachelor of Liberal Arts (ALB) in Extension Studies, Harvard University."

There is no mention of the Extension School at all in that line but it does indicate the name of the degree and the extension program. Most people just put:

"Bachelor of Liberal Arts (ALB), Harvard University."

since no one knows what the heck "extension studies" is. The ALB designator is enough to let people know the degree is from the extension school. (The College awards the AB, Bachelor of Arts, and the GSAS awards the Ph.D and the AM, Master of Arts.)

I can tell you that I make no effort to mislead anyone about the program I'm in but it can be a real chore to explain it to people to make sure they "get it." I think the HES programs are great and they certainly compare very favorably with the other programs at the school but because there isn't a competitive admissions process at HES, we suffer from the perception that the school isn't selective, and thus, unworthy. Of course, that's bunk. They just use a different process for selection: grades in their classes.

In my opinion, the original poster should list "University of Maryland, University College" on their resume. I certainly practice full disclosure on my resume and use the opportunity to explain the HES programs as a way to present the ALB program in the best possible light.

 

A minor correction, though it is something that I think adds to the confusion: the school's name is University of Maryland University College, sans comma.

I think when the comma is mistakenly included, it adds to the confusion in that the comma seems to suggest the school is a branch campus or a subordinate unit of the University of Maryland, rather than its actual role as a separate institution in its own right.

 

IF the Harvard Extension School was NOT founded as a separate institution and is, in fact, a bonafide part of the university like Harvard College and Harvard GSAS, then you should, without embarrassment, a feeling of inferiority, or the fear of misrepresenting anything, have all the right to claim that you ARE a student of Harvard University. If people have issues with that, just smile and let them wallow in their bigotry and snobbery.

 

Believe me...you are preaching to the choir.

For what it's worth, the professors and staff have never let me feel like I was anything but a worthy member of the Harvard community.

The student population is another matter. I can tell you with certainty that the majority of the general student population at Harvard College is nearly to completely ignorant of the nature and character of the Extension School. I had a TF for a class that was offered in both the GSAS and the HES and he was unaware (after helping teach a class in which I was a student) that we could earn degrees through the program. Once he learned about it, he had few reservations about the place of HES students in the larger Harvard community.

That's the biggest problem: ignorance drives a certain prejudice among the "anointed." It seems that no matter how much information is put out there about the program, people just don't care to learn much about it. It can be an uphill battle to convince people that it's not some sort of scam.

This kind of reaction leads to a kind of reticence among the HES graduates to be too forthcoming about the degree and the association with Harvard. Saying you went to Harvard just opens up too many avenues for further questioning and most people would rather not take on the burden of explaining the program every time. I try but it can be a difficult row to hoe.

In the end, I only really disclose my Harvard affiliation to people whom I know and trust.

That said, HES is an excellent school. I often think about how lucky I am to have stumbled upon a program that combines first-rate teaching and flexible delivery formats. I really believe that they are the best non-traditional program available. Their record of getting alumni into excellent graduate programs is very good. This might be because of reputation or because you really have to be a certain kind of self-starter student to make it all the way through the programs. Maybe a little of both.

 

I was speaking with a member of the Cambridge Police Department the other night, and he told me one of their favorite things to do when it's slow is watch old booking videos of arrested drunken Harvard students as they rail on about how important their parents are, they'll have their jobs, etc.

 

I would take the opposition approach...why arrest me; I am a no-body...arrest one of those rich kids and get your name in the paper...

 

He actually had some great stories about Harvard; the CPD books and holds prisoners for the Harvard University Police, and he said you would be amazed at some of the people who have been whisked out of the cellblock and "unarrested" by the HUPD once the high muckity-mucks from the university administration were notified. He told me a few, but swore me to secrecy.

He also said it's quite entertaining when Harvard students arrested by the CPD don't get the special treatment or have it referred for campus discipline. That's usually then the F-bombs and the "don't you know who I ams" start.