General Requirements for Academic Majors and Minors

The University’s individual academic departments have set forth requirements that must be met in order to complete a major in a given area of study. For specific major requirements, students should consult the appropriate departmental section of this catalog and their academic advisors.

Each major and minor has its own minimum number of required hours. To fulfill a major generally involves a minimum of 36 credit hours of course work. To earn a minor in a subject, a minimum of 18 semester hours, according to departmental specifications, must be met. For courses completed outside the major or minor, an overall grade point average of “C” is necessary for graduation. PSYC 205  and HUEC 203  are similar courses, taught in different departments for their majors. Students may have credit for one or the other but not both courses.

Major Core Requirements

A grade of “C” or better is required in every course counted toward the major and/or minor.

Supporting Area Requirements

A grade point average of “C” or better is required for the group of courses representing the supportive area requirements.

General Education Requirements (Gen Ed Curriculum Area)

A minimum of 38 credits is required. (39 credits if taking a 4 credit math course).

All students are expected to complete a common body of academic coursework.  The General Education Program (GEP) is designed to promote the development of a comprehensive educational base that will effectively support a student’s choice of a major. Therefore, students should consult with their freshman or departmental advisors when making course selections. See Course Descriptions for descriptions of courses in the General Education.  Fundamentals courses and MATH 099  do not meet the General Education Requirement and do not apply toward graduation requirements. General Education Requirements are distributed as follows:

Undergraduate Degree Programs

UMES offers the Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Bachelor of General Studies (B.G.S), and the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degrees. In addition, there are many options and specialties that are described in the catalog sections pertaining to each academic program.

All four-year degree programs at the University require a minimum of 120 semester hours with the exception of Professional Golf Management. Semester hour requirements beyond 120 credits have already received prior approval from the USM Board of Regents.

Students who complete one or more of the courses of study offered by the University will be awarded the degree as indicated by the academic department.

Degree Requirements

It is the responsibility of departments to publish clearly defined degree requirements. Responsibility for knowing and meeting all degree requirements for graduation in any curriculum rests with the student. Students should check with the departmental academic advisor to ascertain their standing in this respect no later than the close of the junior year. For this purpose, the student should review their academic requirement report and print an unofficial transcript from HawkWeb at the end of each semester.

Ordinarily, all students must take their final thirty (30) credit hours at UMES. Under extraordinary circumstances, the Provost may grant permission to take a maximum of six hours of the final thirty (30) hours on another campus. However, in no case does this permission waive the minimum residence requirement of 30 semester hours.

Academic requirements for graduation are a minimum of 120 semester credit hours (some programs may require additional credit hours) with a “C” (2.00) cumulative average, excluding remedial courses and MATH 099.

Second and Double Baccalaureate Degree Requirements

A student who has already received one baccalaureate degree may receive a second degree from UMES by completing 30 credits at UMES, provided the total number of credits of the first and second degrees combined is at least 150 credits. In no case will a second baccalaureate be awarded to a student who has not completed the last 30 hours at UMES.

A student who wishes to receive two baccalaureate degrees from UMES simultaneously must complete the regularly prescribed degree requirements of each program and complete a minimum of 150 credits. Candidates for a double degree must file a formal program outline with the departments involved. The program outline must include the courses required to fulfill each major and supporting area, as well as the general education and elective requirements of both curricula. A copy of the program outline showing all requirements for each degree must be filed with the Office of the Registrar. If the double degree involves two different departments, the student must designate which department is responsible for maintenance of records.

No course in either curriculum used to satisfy a major or supporting area requirement may be used to satisfy the General Education Requirements.

Accreditation and Professional Memberships

The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104. (267-284-5000). 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. UMES is accredited by or hold membership in the following agencies:

• Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET);
• Accreditation Commission on Programs in Hospitality Administration (ACPHA);
• Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND);
• Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE);
• American Chemical Society Committee on Professional Training (ACS);
• American Council for Construction Education (ACCE);
• The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International);
• Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education (CADE) of the American Dietetic Association;
• Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE);
• Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP);
• Council for Accreditation of Education Programs (CAEP);
• Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE);
• National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE);
• National Council for Social Sciences (NCSS);
• National Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE);
• National Science Teachers Association (NSTA);
• Professional Golfers’ Association of America

The University is recognized by the University Aviation Association (UAA) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Membership is held by the University with the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC), the National Council of Educational Opportunity Association (NCEOA), the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAEOHE), the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU), the American Council on Education (ACE), and the National American Association of Summer Sessions, the American Association for Teacher Education (AACTE), and the National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE).