Undergraduate Catalog 2008-2010 Contents Academic Resources 1 Special Opportunities 5 The First-Year Experience 9 Life on the UMBC Campus 11 Continuing and Professional Studies 16 Admission to UMBC 18 Tuition and Fees 22 Paying for College 25 Academic Requirements and Regulations 28 Requirements for the Bachelor’s Degree 34 Academic Programs 37 Course Descriptions 188 University Officials 343 Faculty 344 Student-Related Administrative Offices 366 Appendices 368 Index 391 Campus Map 398 At UMBC, you find dynamic, nationally known faculty who are also great teachers. Whether you choose science, social science, humanities or fine arts, you will be learning from some of the very best. With UMBC’s Baltimore-Washington location and connections to business, industry and government, you can access a wealth of real- world experience. And the friendly environment makes learning exciting and fun. ACADEMIC RESOURCES 1 ering careers in those fields. peer advisors and Graduate The office also develops Advising Fellows collaborate Academic and distributes a compre- to provide extensive program- hensive calendar of health ming across campus, includ- professions related events on ing workshops and briefings Resources campus, including visits by for faculty, staff and students deans or admissions officers on advising-related issues. At UMBC, students find many resources from professional schools. Decision-making and applica- The Office for Academic and to help them achieve their academic tion-preparing support is also Pre-professional Advising provided to students who plan evaluates student requests goals. Listed below are special pro- to enter other graduate pro- to enroll for credits in excess grams in the arts, humanities, of the normal limits per se- grams and facilities available to sciences and engineering. mester or per special session, based in part on a recom- enhance students’ academic pursuits. The Office for Academic and mendation from the student’s Pre-professional Advising also academic advisor in the collaborates with the Office major. The student’s overall of the Registrar to identify academic performance, the Academic Services students throughout the students who are struggling nature of the course schedule complex application process academically at UMBC. The proposed and how well the Office for Academic and for admission to professional advising office coordinates student has managed over- Pre-professional Advising school. A Health Professions a campus-wide process for load semesters in the past evaluating specific cases for are other factors taken into The Office for Academic and Evaluation Committee, com- the appropriate academic ac- account in these decisions. Pre-professional Advising posed of faculty and coordi- nated through the College of tion and/or advising interven- provides advising services to tion. Students who receive Finally, the office provides exploratory (undeclared) and Natural and Mathematical Sciences and the advising letters about academic jeopar- leadership to academic pre-professional students and dy, probation, suspension or advising efforts across the manages a comprehensive office, helps students prepare for and gain entry to medical, dismissal and have questions campus through regular system of academic advising about their status or need meetings of the academic for all undergraduate stu- dental, optometry or veteri- nary medicine programs. help planning next steps are advising community and other dents that begins at orienta- assisted by advisors in the communications. tion prior to enrollment at In addition to individual stu- office, as are students later UMBC and continues through dent advising in connection seeking reinstatement after The Office for Academic and graduation. The office orga- with orientation and registra- a period of suspension. The Pre-professional Advising is nizes and trains a team of tion, the Office for Academic office works with the Learning located in room 102 of the academic advisors who assist and Pre-professional Advising Resources Center to provide Academic Services Building. entering students in select- provides information and ap- academic skills training to Appointments and walk-in ing and registering for their propriate referrals to students students experiencing aca- advising hours are Monday first classes at UMBC as part about academic enrichment demic difficulties through the through Friday from 9 a.m. of the orientation program. and career development LRC 101A course—Academic to 4 p.m., with some later Ongoing academic advising at opportunities, such as study Success for Lifelong Learning. appointments available upon least once each semester is abroad, undergraduate request. A person in the provided primarily by faculty or research, experiential learning Trained undergraduate office may be reached by professional advisors in a stu- and internships. The advising students employed as peer calling 410-455-2729 at any dent’s major department, with office is particularly active in advisors assist students time during service hours. exploratory students advised assisting undeclared stu- making advising appoint- by staff in the advising office. dents to explore majors and ments, seeking answers to New Student associated careers. Through basic advising questions Orientation Programs The office also advises stu- or perusing the library of workshops, a handbook, an UMBC conducts New Student dents pursuing allied health major/career/graduate school online occupational prefer- Orientation for new freshmen careers (such as pre-nursing, materials. These trained peer ence inventory and a variety and transfer students prior pre-pharmacy, pre-physical advisors provide additional of printed and online materi- to the fall and spring semes- therapy) in concert with advis- support to the office through als, exploratory students are ters. The program begins ing in the academic major, advising outreach in the resi- able to assess their interests with Course Selection Day, if one has been declared. dential communities, through and find fields most closely a day-long event designed Pre-professional students in commuter services offices, matched to those interests. to provide students with medicine, dentistry, veteri- student clubs and organiza- Similarly, in support of its information necessary to nary medicine and optometry tions and other campus role advising for the health begin their academic career receive advising from a spe- venues. Graduate students professions, the office offers at UMBC. During the program, cialist housed in the College and recent graduates called workshops, fact sheets, lists students will learn more of Natural and Mathematical Graduate Advising Fellows of relevant links to profes- about academic requirements, Sciences who supplements provide front-line advising sional societies, program meet with an academic advi- the advising provided by services and carry out special materials from specific pro- sor and register for classes the major department. This projects helping to assess fessional schools, directories online. The program includes advising helps students the effectiveness of advising and other resources useful to sessions designed to give develop competitive applica- services at UMBC. The full- students planning or consid- students an introduction to tion portfolios and supports time staff and the part-time UNDERGRADUATE CATALOG 2 ACADEMIC RESOURCES the values of UMBC and life ◆ The Freshman-Year Inter- ◆ TOEFL preparation ademic data, SSS identifies outside the classroom. New vention (FYI) Program, a those students whose aca- Student Orientation contin- mid-semester notifica- For more information, call demic profiles indicate they ues with Welcome Week, a tion program that informs 410-455-2831 or visit www. may experience difficulty with week-long series of social freshmen about their ac- umbc.edu/elc. some introductory courses. and educational events. ademic performance Once identified, these stu- International dents are invited to apply to In addition, a family orienta- ◆ The UMBC Placement Education Services (IES) participate in SSS. Applicants tion program is offered for Testing Program As a vibrant research univer- are screened to determine if family members who want to they meet the federally de- ◆ Skill development cours- sity, UMBC attracts a large learn more about UMBC, as fined eligibility criteria. They es in mathematics, college population of international they too become part of the must: university community. During reading, academic suc- students who come from about 97 countries. UMBC’s the program, families learn cess, and ESL oral commu- ◆ Be first-generation, de- Office of International more about the activities and nication. gree-seeking candidates Education Services offers opportunities available to stu- (neither parent has a ◆ Services for non-native comprehensive assistance dents at and around UMBC. bachelor’s degree) English speakers who to the university’s popula- First-Year Seminars and wish to improve their spo- tion of international students ◆ Have family incomes below Introduction to an Honors ken and written English and scholars to ensure all the maximum level University (IHU) Seminars are international members of the established by the federal ◆ Study skills resource ma- also available to students UMBC community are able to government for the current terials for developing test- to further assist in their complete their programs of year. transition to UMBC. For more taking, college reading, study and research