The University of Maryland, College Park (also known as UMD or Maryland) is a public research university that was established in 1856 as a state agricultural school. It is located in College Park, Maryland and is one of the largest universities in the Washington Metropolitan Area. The state took control of the institution in 1916 and it was renamed the Maryland State College. In 1920, the college was integrated into the existing University of Maryland.
UMD is counted among premier institutions for research globally. It is known for its ground-breaking research in fields such as bioengineering, food safety, climate change, and cybersecurity. In 2020 alone, Maryland allocated US $1.1 billion towards research expenditures. Commensurately, the university has been categorised as an ‘R1: Doctoral University’ in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education–a classification granted only to institutions that engage in extensive research activities and invest significant financial resources in them.
In 2004, the university constructed a 150-acre “M Square research park”. The research park hosts several federal agencies such as the FDA/UMD Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, the USDA Animal and Plant Health inspection service, and the NOAA center for weather and climate prediction. The University of Maryland, College park ranking was 12th among the US’ public engineering schools on the US News and World Report 2022 for research and development spending.
Some of Maryland’s notable alumni include eminent personalities across several fields such as Sergey Brin, the cofounder of Google; Carl Bernstein, investigative journalist; Larry David comedian, actor, and television producer; Carly Fiorina, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard; and Mike Auldridge, Grammy Award-winning musician, among others. Let us learn more about this historic institution in this article.
Admissions at University of Maryland
The admissions requirements for applying to the University of Maryland – College Park are as follows :
- English Language proficiency scores.
- Original transcripts from high school.
- Certificate of completion from a secondary school examination such as IB (International Baccalaureate) or GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education).
- You must mention the types of institutions that you have attended.
- If you wish to study at the University of Maryland you will be required to submit bank statements. This is to demonstrate that you have adequate funds to meet all expenses during your course of study.
For the Fall of 2022, there were over 56,000 applicants for a class size of 4500 for the freshman year. Therefore it is imperative that you apply to the university with a well rounded profile that includes good academic grades and extracurricular activities as well.
Academics at University of Maryland
At the University of Maryland, you have over 90 undergraduate majors to choose from spread out across 12 colleges. Some of the most popular courses are listed below :
| Undergraduate courses | Graduate Courses |
| B.A (Bachelor of Arts) Communication | M.A (Master of Arts) French Language and Literature |
| B.A (Bachelor of Arts) English | M.A Germanic Studies |
| B.A Cinema and Media Studies | M.A, Human Development |
| B.A (Bachelor of Arts) in Art Education | M.Ed (Master of Education) School Counselling |
| B.S (Bachelor of Science) in Human Development | Full-time MBA (Masters in Business Administration) |
| M.S in Computer Science | |
| B.S in Information Science | MIM (Masters of Information Management) |
Among all the programmes offered, the University of Maryland, College park computer science programmes are one of the more popular degrees that many students seek admission to. There are several specialisations that you can choose from as well in this course such as Cybersecurity, Data Science, Quantum information, and much more.
The 12 schools and colleges that offer the above-mentioned programmes are follows:
| A. James Clark School of Engineering College of Arts and Humanities College of Agriculture and Natural Resources College of Behavioral and Social Sciences College of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences College of Education | College of Information Studies Robert H Smith School of Business Philip Merrill College of Journalism School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation School of Public Health School of Public Policy |
Student Life
There are plenty of services and facilities available to students on campus. Some of them are:
- Career Center: It helps students navigate through the various steps in their career journey. You can explore careers, find jobs and internships that suit your interests, and more. In addition to this, the students also receive assistance for writing resumes and cover letters, learning how to negotiate salaries, building their professional networks, and learning effective search strategies.
- Counselling Center: Students at Maryland are provided counselling services that aids their personal, academic, and social success. The Counselling Center conducts wellness workshops periodically on a broad range of topics. These are usually skill-building workshops and not therapy sessions.
- University Recreation and Wellness: The Division of Student Affairs comprises 15 departments and over 3000 staff members. This department is in charge of recreation activities, housing, dining, career, and social development. There are several indoor and outdoor facilities available and you can select an activity of your preference. The indoor facilities include a multipurpose facility that offers access to a wide range of sporting activities such as basketball, swimming, badminton, cardio, and weight training, among others. The outdoor facilities include softball fields, tennis courts, row fields, soccer games, an outdoor aquatic center, an outdoor basketball court, and a golf course, among others.
Tuition and Scholarships
The estimated cost of tuition for a non-Maryland resident is us $ 57,344 annually. This is inclusive of annual tuition and mandatory fees, books and supplies, meal plan, on-campus residence hall room, and cable, among others.
There are several financial aids provided to students in the form of scholarships, grants, loans, and Federal work study (a programme designed to aid students to pay for their living expenses through part-time employment). Some of the scholarships provided by UMD are Gilman International Scholarship, James G Stemler Study Abroad Scholarship, and Butex International Scholarship, among others.
We hope this article has helped you gain a better understanding of the University of Maryland. If you wish to pursue an education at Maryland, then we suggest that you begin your admissions process at the earliest as it is one of the top-ranked universities in the world. Good Luck!