University of Maryland Graduate School

The Graduate School of the University of Maryland[1] was formed during academic year 1918-1919. Twelve graduate students were enrolled at that time, with five departments offering graduate courses. Departments offered standard graduate work and sought to place the quality of work on par with the best graduate schools in the nation. Work in accredited research labs such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other agencies was accepted as partial fulfillment of the resident requirement for future degrees. The Baltimore campus of the Graduate School awarded the first master's degrees in 1924[2], the first PhD in 1933.[3]

Fast foward to the present day, the Graduate School now offers graduate education and training in biomedical, health, and human service sciences.  We offer Master of Science (MS) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree programs, and post-baccalaureate certificate programs in these areas of study. We also offer dual degrees with the university's professional schools including PhD/MD, PhD/PharmD and PhD/DDS degree programs, and we participate in inter-institutional studies in biochemistry, and gerontology with other University System of Maryland campuses. We have been offering master’s and doctoral studies on the UMB campus since 1918. All doctoral students are actively engaged in research with faculty members to address some of society's most pressing problems and biomedical research's most challenging questions in basic and translational research. These innovative efforts, supported by research grants and contracts, are undertaken collaboratively with the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the University of Maryland Medical Center, the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, the Institutes for Human Virology, and others.

Mission

The mission of the Graduate School is to empower scholars, practitioners, and researchers to become agents of innovation and leaders of change through distinctive, relevant, and rigorous education.

Vision

The Graduate School aspires to be the global leader in health and biomedical graduate education and research by cultivating students who solve critical world problems.

Accreditation

The University of Maryland, Baltimore is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Every 10 years, UMB undergoes a reaffirmation of its accreditation with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). The process is an opportunity to strengthen the university through a comprehensive evaluation. The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education accreditation.

[1] At College Park, the Maryland State College of Agriculture was founded in 1856. The College merged in 1920 with the Baltimore professional schools to form an enlarged University of Maryland with campuses at Baltimore (UMAB) and College Park (UMCP) (Chapter 480, Acts of 1920). http://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/25univ/system/html/systf.html

[2] The 1928 commencement bulletin is the first one we have that specifies “College Park and Baltimore Divisions.” This is the first one in the HS/HSL Digital Archive that lists names of the candidates in the grad school. http://hdl.handle.net/10713/1301 

[3] 1984 UMB catalog