University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Opened in 1966, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County is based on a 500-acre site close to the city of Baltimore and only 30 minutes’ drive from Washington, DC. From the beginning, the university was performing as innovative, interdisciplinary, inclusive with ground-breaking research and a relentless focus on undergraduate success going hand-in- hand.

Today UMBC is a dynamic public research university integrating teaching, research and service to benefit the citizens of Maryland. As an Honors University, the campus offers academically talented students a strong undergraduate liberal arts foundation that prepares them for graduate and professional study, entry into the workforce, and community service and leadership.

UMB is Maryland is only public health, law, and human services university. Undergraduate courses are largely on the liberal arts model, though many graduates stay on to study science, engineering and IT.

Particular areas of research strength include life sciences; environmental sciences; big data, cybersecurity and high-performance computing; and public policy. UMBC is growing strongly in all these areas and classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a university with high research activity.

Though it is a public university, one of 12 institutions within the Maryland university system, UMBC has always stressed innovation and interdisciplinarity. It has never been afraid to pioneer new models of teaching and research, and new ways of contributing to the regional economy. It was responsible, for example, for creating the state’s first university research park, to promote local entrepreneurship. This can be found on a separate but adjacent 71-acre site and has proved highly effective in nurturing start-ups, offering support for existing businesses and providing networking opportunities.

In 2017 the university was ranked 80 th among the most liberal colleges in America by Baltimore County Rankings. In the 2017 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities University of Maryland it was placed 159 th .

There are 3 colleges and 4 schools in the university:

• College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
• College of Engineering and Information Technology
• College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences
• The Erickson School
• Graduate School
• School of Public Policy
• School of Social Work

The most popular majors by the number of students are biology computer and information sciences, psychology, social science, engineering, economics.