Washington, D.C.
U.S. Capitol Building	Lincoln Memorial	Washington Monument

Attracting them are more than 100 undergraduate majors, 88 master's programs and 69 doctoral programs. As of 2002, 65 undergraduate and graduate programs rank among the Top 25 nationally for their academic quality.

Maryland is one of only 30 public research universities that are members of the prestigious 58-member Association of American Universities. It is classified as a Research-I university by the Carnegie Foundation by virtue of the range of its baccalaureate programs, the amount of federal support received and the number of doctoral degrees awarded each year, sharing that honor with the top research universities in the country.

Baltimore, MD
The Ballpark at Camden Yards	Baltimore native Babe Ruth	Baltimore's Inner Harbor

High-tech, engineering, and service industries thrive in close proximity to campus, offering a wide spectrum of internships, work-study opportunities and career choices for students. And, the campus is surrounded by the dynamic cultural opportunities that only a major metropolitan area can provide.

Whether your focus is the sciences or the humanities, a small-town atmosphere or a metropolitan feel, Maryland offers a wide range of educational and cultural opportunities. There truly is no better place to be than the University of Maryland at College Park.

Annapolis, MD
Main Street	State Capitol Building	Annapolis Harbor

"Strive for clarity, but accept and understand ambiguity."
That phrase captures one way in which an educated person approaches the world and its challenges. Students who graduate from the University of Maryland have been exposed to the tools that allow them to put that perspective to work. Imparting such a perspective may be an ambitious project for undergraduate education, but to aim for anything less would be unworthy of a great university’s goals for its students. Thirteen years ago, Promises to Keep, a plan for undergraduate education at Maryland, articulated those goals so eloquently we repeat them here.

Undergraduate education at Maryland "aims to provide students with a sense of identity and purpose, a concern for others, a sense of responsibility for the quality of life around them, a continuing eagerness for knowledge and understanding, and a foundation for a lifetime of personal enrichment."

As we learn with and from one another, we try to "develop human values," "celebrate tolerance and fairness," "contribute to the social conscience," "monitor and assess private and collective assumptions," and "recognize the glory, tragedy and humor of the human condition." Your years at the University of Maryland can provide you with all the tools you need to accomplish these goals. Students here are "educated to be able to read with perception and pleasure, write and speak with clarity and verve, handle numbers and computation proficiently, reason mathematically, generate clear questions and find probable arguments, reach substantiated conclusions, and accept ambiguity."

Flagship Status
In 1988, the University of Maryland, College Park was designated as the flagship institution for the University System of Maryland. As well as pursuing a serious research mission and continuing its high level of service to the state, the university rededicated itself to providing the highest quality graduate and undergraduate education. Increased undergraduate opportunities for research and individual study; the development of the College Park Scholars Program and the expansion of the University Honors Program; the genesis of Honors Humanities and Gemstone; the creation of CORE, the general education program; and the establishment of the Center for Teaching Excellence all affirmed the legislature’s designation of flagship.

Libraries
Seven libraries make up the University of Maryland library system: McKeldin (main) Library, Architecture Library, Art Library, Engineering and Physical Sciences Library, Hornbake Library, Performing Arts Library, White Memorial (Chemistry) Library.

These libraries constitute the largest university research library institution in the Washington metropolitan area, providing vital resources to researchers, visiting scholars, and businesses througout the region. The libraries’ holdings include more than 2.5 million volumes, 24,000 subscriptions to periodicals and nearly 5 million items available in microfilm format.

Research
Opportunities for conducting research abound at the University of Maryland, College Park, and in the surrounding area, both for faculty to advance their own expertise and bring their insights into the classroom, and for students to begin their exploration of their special interests with practical experience. On campus, special facilities and a number of organized research centers, bureaus, and institutes promote the acquisition and analysis of new knowledge in the arts, sciences and applied fields.

The university’s enviable location — just nine miles from downtown Washington, D.C., and approximately 30 miles from both Baltimore and Annapolis — enhances the research of its faculty and students by providing access to some of the finest libraries and research centers in the country.

Service
Programs of public service are central to the overall mission of the university. The philosophy is reflected in the wide array of programs and initiatives that benefit the state’s business, agriculture and education communities.

With more than 90 high technology firms in the three-county area of Montgomery, Prince George’s and Frederick counties, the university has found abundant opportunity to extend its business and technology outreach programs to the region.

Many of these programs are part of the Engineering Research Center, which operates the Technology Advancement Program and the Maryland Industrial Partnerships, programs designed to provide Maryland entrepreneurs and small businesses with research facilities, technical assistance, administrative support, and access to technology that will advance their economic base.

The Institute for Systems Research has formed partnerships with major corporations, including Lockheed Martin, Westinghouse, BF Goodrich, Hughes Aircraft and Dupont to apply advanced systems research to solving industry problems in the fields of communications, manufacturing, controls and robotics.

The University of Maryland features a diversity of cultural and recreational activities. Four art galleries, more than 200 annual musical performances and countless dance and theater productions, expose audiences to the broadest range of programs in the arts. Additionally intercollegiate, club and intramural sports provide students of all levels an opportunity to participate as spectators or athletes.

A Wired World
Students at the University of Maryland are part of an academic community that enjoys free access to networked computer resources and facilities that are among the best in the country. Free computer accounts enable users to store class work on a networked server, download classroom support materials and other electronic information from campus networked resources such as inforM, or send electronic mail to faculty, fellow students or friends at other universities.

Colleges & Schools

College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources offers a variety of academic programs that apply science, management, design and engineering to improve the world in which we live and work. Feeding the world population, developing scientifically-based land-use practices and policies, understanding animal and plant biology, improving nutrition and its effects on human health, and profitably managing farms and agribusinesses in harmony with ecosystems are all vital concerns of the college.

School of Architecture
The School of Architecture offers a four-year undergraduate program leading to the bachelor of science degree in architecture, and a graduate program leading to the professional master of architecture. The undergraduate major in architecture is designed to minimize the time required to complete the curriculum leading to the professional degree. Students receive rigorous and comprehensive instruction from a faculty whose members are active in professional practice or research. Many faculty members have distinguished themselves across the professional spectrum and represent different approaches to architectural design. The B.S. degree in architecture will qualify graduates to pursue a career in any number of fields, such as construction, real estate development, public administration, or historic preservation, or to continue in graduate work in professional fields such as architecture, urban planning, or law.

College of Arts and Humanities
The College of Arts and Humanities embraces a heterogeneous group of disciplines, all of which value the development of critical thinking, fluent expression in writing and speech, sensitivity to ethical and aesthetic standards, and a complex understanding of history and culture. Preparation provides valuable background for careers in a broad range of fields.

College of Behavioral and Social Sciences
The College of Behavioral and Social Sciences is comprised of a diverse group of disciplines and fields of study all of which emphasize a broad liberal arts education as the foundation for understanding the environmental, social and cultural forces that shape our world. Disciplines in the behavioral and social sciences use approaches that range from the scientific to the philosophical, from the experimental to the theoretical.

Robert H. Smith School of Business
The Robert H. Smith School of Business recognizes the importance of education in business and management to economic, social, and professional development through profit and non-profit organizations at the local, regional, national and international levels. The faculty are scholars, teachers, and professional leaders with a commitment to superior education in business and management, specializing in accounting, finance, decision and information sciences, management science and statistics, management and organization, marketing, logistics and transportation, and business and public policy.

College of Computer, Mathematical, and Physical Sciences
The College of Computer, Mathematical, and Physical Sciences contributes very substantially and effectively to the research activities of the University of Maryland. This college is like a technical institute within a large university. Students majoring in any one of the disciplines encompassed by the college have the opportunity to obtain an outstanding education in their field.

College of Education
The College of Education is a professional college committed to advancing the science and art of teaching/learning, including the practices and processes that occur from infancy through adulthood in both school and non-school settings. The college’s mission is to provide preparation for current and future teachers, counselors, administrators, educational specialists, and other related educational personnel, and to create and disseminate the knowledge needed by professionals and policy makers in education and related fields.

A. James Clark School of Engineering
The mission of the A. James Clark School of Engineering is to provide quality engineering education, with sufficient scope to include both fundamental and specialized engineering training, so that graduates are prepared to serve the current and emerging needs of society. In addition to its teaching role, the school feels a related responsibility to conduct strong research programs that contribute to the advancement of knowledge.

College of Health and Human Performance
The College of Health and Human Performance provides preparation leading to the bachelor of science degree in the following professional areas: physical education (K-12), health education (school and community), and family studies. The college also offers curricula in kinesiological sciences and safety education. In addition, each department offers a wide variety of courses for all university students.

Philip Merrill College of Journalism
Located just nine miles from the nation’s capital and 30 miles from the bustling commercial port of Baltimore, the Philip Merrill College of Journalism is one of six comprehensive journalism schools in the 10 states stretching from New York to Virginia — the nation’s most populous region. But the college has much more than geography going for it. The National Assessment of Journalism Education by the Freedom Forum Media Studies Center at Columbia University designated the college one of "Eleven Exemplary Journalism Schools" nationwide.

College of Information Studies
The College of Information Studies offers degree programs for individuals interested in careers in information services and management. At the master’s level, students may specialize in several fields, including archival studies, geographic information systems, health information services, school library media services and science and technology information systems.

College of Life Sciences
The College of Life Sciences offers educational opportunities for students in subject matters relating to living organisms and their interaction with one another and with the environment. Programs of study include those involving the most fundamental concepts of biological science and chemistry and the use of knowledge in daily life, as well as the application of economic and engineering principles in planning the improvement of life.

School of Public Affairs
The School of Public Affairs provides graduate-level, professional education to men and women interested in careers in public service. Five disciplines are emphasized: finance, statistics, economics, politics, and ethics. Students specialize in international security and economic policy, public sector financial management, environmental policy, or social policy.

There is no place better to be than the University of Maryland. As university President C.D. Mote Jr. noted in a Baltimore Sun front-page story on March 28, "This place is clearly on a tear."

With top-ranked academic programs (60 in the top 25, according to U.S. News and World Report), an honors program that competes with the Ivy League for top students, a prize-winning faculty (topped by a Nobel and five Pulitzers, among others), a highly diverse population, and a beautiful 1,580-acre campus located between the cultural and population centers of Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, Md., it’s little wonder that more of Maryland’s top high school graduates choose the University of Maryland over all other Maryland colleges, public and private, combined.

In the latest U.S. News and World Report rankings, Maryland was 24th nationally among all public universities. The colleges of engineering, education, computer, mathematical and physical sciences, and information sciences are all ranked in the top 25 nationally. So are many of the individual programs in those schools and others, including criminology, journalism, public relations, counseling and others. The Robert H. Smith School of Business has been ranked among the top business schools in the world by the Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times of London.

More than 40 percent of all entering freshmen at Maryland are now enrolled in high-achieving programs like the Honors Program, Honors Humanities, College Park Scholars, Gemstone and a growing roster of living-learning communities where students with common interests in such topics as civil society and entrepreneurship can live and study together. With their wide variety of subject areas and top faculty from throughout the university, these programs compete for students with the best public and private universities in the country. Supporting the research needs of students and faculty are some of the country’s best research facilities.

The University of Maryland has boasted its best freshman class ever for each of the last 10 years, and the entering freshmen for 2001 are no exception. The academic credentials – high school grades and SAT scores – are again the best ever. And more of those accepted by Maryland are now choosing to enroll here.

The average GPA for freshmen planning to enroll in fall 2001 is 3.72, compared with 3.0 in 1990. SAT scores of the middle 50 percent are 1180 to 1330, up from 980-1150 in 1990.

What is more remarkable this year is how the university’s successes in establishing quality programs – academic and athletic – and cementing a major role in the community, have attracted more of the best students than ever. Of those who were admitted to Maryland this year, nearly 43 percent confirmed their plans to attend, compared with less than 40 percent the previous year.

In its survey of the colleges of choice of top graduates in Maryland high schools last year, the Washington Post found that more than half picked the University of Maryland. No other single school was even close. The most technically advanced research archives in the world — National Archives II — moved to College Park. In addition, just outside of College Park are the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Institution and the National Libraries of Agriculture and Medicine, among others. The university itself has the most comprehensive library system in the area. High tech, engineering and service industries thrive in proximity to the campus, offering a wide spectrum of internship and work-study opportunities that only a major metropolitan area can provide.

Whether your focus is the sciences or the humanities, a small town atmosphere or a metropolitan feel, the University of Maryland, College Park offers a wide range of educational and cultural opportunities. There is no better place to be than the University of Maryland, College Park.

Did You Know?

The University of Maryland has produced scores of distinguished alumni that have excelled on and off the playing field.

Jim Henson, Creator of "The Muppets"

Boomer Esiason, Quarterback & Sportscaster

Tim Brant, Sportscaster

In 1991, Maryland had one program listed among Top 25 entrants in the U.S. News & World Report Rankings. Maryland now has 60 programs ranked among the nation’s elite.

A report card published in Technology Review rated the top U.S. universities in their quest for intellectual property, commercial partners and profits. Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland (28th) were the Mid-Atlantic (Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, District of Columbia) schools to make the "campus patenting" top 50 list.

Black Issues In Higher Education ranked the university 12th in graduating black males with baccalaureate degrees in all disciplines. (Maryland is second among non-historically black schools.) Maryland is 23rd in black male undergraduate enrollment figures among all schools.

The Wall Street Journal ranked the Robert H. Smith School of Business No. 13 among the world’s business schools. Maryland is the top-ranked school in the Mid-Atlantic region (Delaware, Maryland, District of Columbia, Virginia). The Financial Times of London ranked the Robert H. Smith School of Business No. 4 in information technology, No. 6 in faculty research and No. 7 in entrepreneurship.

In the only undergraduate program rankings released by U.S. News & World Report–business and engineering–both the Robert H. Smith School of Business (No. 21) and A. James Clark School of Engineering (No. 22) were ranked among the top 25. In business, the management information systems specialty was No. 7; entrepreneurship No. 12; general management specialty No. 21; e-commerce No. 8; human resources specialty No. 10. In engineering, the aerospace/aeronautical/astronautical specialty was No. 11.

An economic impact study conducted by the economists with the Jacob France Center, an applied economics analysis center at the University of Baltimore, concluded that the University of Maryland generates $5.93 of economic activity for every dollar appropriated by the General Assembly, for a total statewide effect of nearly $1.8 billion.

Maryland appointed William Phillips, a Nobel laureate, in physics to its faculty during the spring.

Phillips will establish a world-class atomic, molecular and optical physics group on campus. The Philip Merrill College of Journalism now has five Pulitzer Prize winners on its faculty. A sixth faculty member, Eugene Roberts, directed the Philadelphia Inquirer to multiple Pulitzer’s as managing editor.