A+B. Intro_SJ.1 - University of Maryland University College

The Graduate School
25 Years of Excellence
This academic year, the UMUC Graduate School celebrates
25 years of excellence in graduate education.
In 1978, Dr. Milton A. Grodsky, the first dean of the Graduate
School, was given the difficult mission of offering high-quality
graduate programs in management and technology to working
professionals. The first degree offered was the Master of General
Administration (MGA). This program was carefully designed for
middle and senior-level managers and emphasized the tasks such
people need to perform—planning, budgeting, and resource
allocation; organizational communication; managerial leadership;
and evaluation of personnel and productivity.
Based on this solid foundation, the Graduate School has experienced
enormous growth, expanding from 260 students to more
than 10,000 in the last fiscal year. The number of graduates has
increased from 12 (in 1982) to 1,199 (in 2003). Degree programs
have expanded from a single degree to 17 master’s degree
programs in four areas—management, technology, international
management, and education—and a doctoral program.
UMUC looks forward to celebrating the success of the Graduate
School with current students, alumni, and faculty. Additional
information about planned events will be provided in coming
schedules and on the UMUC Web site at www.umuc.edu as it
becomes available.
Mission Statement
UMUC’s Graduate School prepares students for effective leadership
and citizenship in a global environment characterized by
workforce diversity, increasing competition, and technological
innovation. Programs are offered at the doctoral and master’s
levels and are designed to extend educational access to adult students
in a convenient format.
The Graduate School strives for excellence in the quality of programs
offered and in their delivery. The curriculum emphasizes
leadership, communication, technology, globalization, diversity,
systems thinking, critical thinking, information literacy, research
competency, and ethical practices. The Graduate School challenges
students and faculty to continuously demonstrate effective
leadership as they apply what they study to their professions and
their daily lives.
The Graduate School serves the Baltimore-Washington region
and the state of Maryland, as well as other areas of the nation
and world. It builds collaborative relationships with other institutions
and organizations to achieve its mission. The goal is to
become one of the premiere worldwide graduate institutions of
choice among students and faculty.
Student Profile
Approximately 75 percent of the Graduate School’s students
have completed nonbusiness-related studies such as engineering,
computer science, biological and medical science, or social science.
Most of the Graduate School’s students are midcareer professionals
who have made steady progress in their chosen fields.
These students are now at the point where they desire additional
preparation in anticipation of a new managerial assignment. The
purpose of UMUC’s varied graduate degree programs is to provide
students with an opportunity to fully develop themselves as
managers so they can confidently accept a more challenging role
within their organizations.
The average student age is 35 years. Approximately 4 percent
of all applicants to the Graduate School hold prior graduate
degrees and slightly more than 50 percent of the students are
women.
Instructional Sites
Graduate courses are offered at the following Maryland sites:
Adelphi/College Park
UMUC Headquarters
3501 University Boulevard East
Adelphi, MD
800-888-UMUC
Annapolis
UMUC Annapolis Center
190 Admiral Cochrane Drive, Suite 120
Annapolis, MD
410-255-3774 or 301-261-8119
| 8 | 2003–2004 Graduate Catalog