Academics at UMBC
Explore every angle at UMBC. We offer 100+ majors, minors, and certificate programs from the arts and engineering to pre-professional studies and social sciences. Whatever your area of academic interest, our programs and innovative teaching will prepare you for life…and a promising career.
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Colleges, Schools, and Departments
UMBC is divided into three colleges and three schools, as well as the UMBC Graduate School.
Scholars Programs and Honors College
Join a close-knit community of scholars and programs dedicated to helping you define your future through innovative approaches to study, mentorship, and support.
Professional Programs
Jump-start your career with an applied Master's degree or Certificate from UMBC. Programs available in Technology, Engineering, Education & Training.
Schedule of Classes
Browse the public schedule of classes, along with information about academic policies, degree requirements, academic programs and resources.
Summer and Winter Sessions
UMBC summer and winter sessions offer courses in condensed flexible formats, including hybrid, online, and in-person classes.
Additional Opportunities
Academic Programs
UMBC’s academic programs include everything from the arts and engineering to pre-professional studies and social sciences. Plus, you can make your own path by blending disciplines in creative ways.
Academics at UMBC
According to the Princeton Review, our students say “UMBC is a place where it is cool to be smart.”
UMBC’s Programs Meet You Where You Are…
…and take you where you want to go. Our university is small enough to provide personal attention, yet large enough to provide a rich and diverse experience. When you combine small classes and personal attention from expert professors with all of the opportunities and partnerships our location provides, you have an undergraduate academic experience that will prepare you for wherever life takes you.
My advice to others who are uncertain about the major they chose is to not put pressure on yourself. It’s OK to question and to explore. Make the best of volunteer opportunities that can introduce you to different fields.
Celena Dang ’21
Psychology and Biological Sciences
A Top-Ranked Education
We’re ranked in the top 4% of universities worldwide.
Celebrating Academic Excellence: Grit-X Talks
Each year during Homecoming, invited alumni, faculty, and grad students present their passion projects. It’s a celebration of the research and creative achievements of our Retriever community!
Scholars Programs
A set of scholarship programs dedicated to helping you define your future through innovative approaches to study, mentorship, and support.
Honors College
An academic home for students who seek intellectual challenges, an interdisciplinary liberal arts foundation for their field of study, and a community of like-minded and dedicated scholars.
Undergraduate Research
A set of scholarship programs dedicated to helping you define your future through innovative approaches to study, mentorship, and support. A highlight of our academic year, URCAD is also known as Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day–a day-long symposium featuring students’ mentored research, scholarship, and creative work.
My goal as an engineer is to help solve the world’s problems and studying abroad helped me view problems through a different lens.
Aliyah Smith ’19
Mechanical Engineering
Study Abroad
Research shows students who study abroad have greater self-confidence and maturity, better grades, and graduate from college at higher rates. You can apply for semester, full-academic year, and winter and spring study abroad programs.
Service Learning & Community Engagement
Service-Learning engages students in weekly service with a designated service placement. This encourages students to build solid relationships, which is a positive experience for both students and the community they serve. 96% of service-learning respondents would recommend an internship/work/co-op-research/service placement to another student.
Academic and Career Support
“UMBC is an institution that fosters community and diversity, and students can find support anywhere.”
– Janerra Allen, Electrical Engineering
Student Resources
With the right tools, all students have the ability to flourish. We’re here to connect you with what you need to keep your academic progress on track.
Academic Engagement & Transition Programs (AETP)
AETP ensures new students have a smooth transition into their first year as a Retriever. They support First-Year and Transfer Seminars, Living-Learning Communities, Summer and Winter Bridge Programs, American Sign Language Courses and more.
Connect with Top Employers
You’ll have access to internships with top employers–the kind of experiences that lead our alumni to high-impact careers.
UMBC at the Universities at Shady Grove
Programs at UMBC’s Shady Grove campus in Rockville, MD continue to expand and welcome students transferring in from other institutions.
Middle and High School Opportunities
Learners of all ages and backgrounds can access community programing to build connections through explorations, discovery and smart fun.
UMBC is a member of the University System of Maryland
The University System of Maryland’s 12 institutions (including UMBC), 3 regional centers, and system office work closely together to leverage their collective expertise and resources, share best practices, increase the system’s effectiveness and efficiency, and advance USM’s mission to improve the quality of life in Maryland.
Students who attend USM schools such as UMBC benefit from expansive access to affordable, high-quality educational opportunities as well as our close partnerships with business, government agencies, nonprofits, and other organizations dedicate to making an impact.