UMUC - What's with the name?

[Gonzo]

I started and finished my degree in Europe. For some reason, the European division doesn't offer the IA degree. When I started, there was an "IA track" that went along with the IFSM degree, but UMUC Europe eventually did away with it. I never thought to check UMUC Stateside or Asia to see if they had different degree programs.

After looking over the IA degree requirements, I see that the IA degree is more structured. The IA degree requires a capstone course, while the IFSM degree doesn't. Also, the IA degree is more specific in the required courses, while the IFSM degree gives you the liberality of taking different IFSM, CMIS, CMIT, CMSC, or CMST courses.

If I could do it all again, not to mention if I knew about it, I would have done the IA degree. The IFSM degree allowed me to take courses that I liked. I took network security classes vice planning and policy classes. Looking back, I should have take more of the IFSM courses that are specified in the IA degree. But then again, the IFSM courses that I liked where being offered face to face, while the other IA specified IFSM courses were only being offered online. On the other hand, the IA IFSM courses would have probably better prepared me for graduate school, but at that time I had it in my mind that I wanted to first start off with a technical job and later on decide if I wanted to move up to a management job. I'm pretty sure I'll do a second bachelors to prep me for grad school. If so, I'll do those IFSM courses and get the IA degree. But then again, I'm still very undecided. I might just forget the masters and do a bunch of certs.

Well, I hope you have a clearer idea of what it is that you want do.

[matt]

Gonzo - I appreciate your reply / info. I think I've made the right decision. I did my MCSE certification (years ago, the old NT 4.0 track) and really want to focus on technology management now. It seems that the IA degree does just that. To take a course specifically on disaster recovery planning, for example, is very appealing to me.

In any event, it is impressive to me that UMUC offers BS specialties in IT. We have the option of choosing the exact discipline of interest.

Thanks again

Matt

[peppamint]

Part of the problem may be that UMUC is headquartered on the same campus as UMCP (Univ MD, College Park) - which is the flagship institution. So without a geographic distinction, we wound up with "Univ College" Not the greatest name but it's ok with me.

Actually, the tiny UMUC "headquarters" is about a mile or two away from the gargantuan UMCP and they do, in their own special way, try to make the distinction as being different from UMCP. Different crest (logo), very different address, website with no direct links to UMCP, etc. While the two do cooperate very closely they clearly have their differences. When I have tried to deal with UMCP for a UMUC-related task, I found all the "traditional college" beaurocracy to be a bit irritating vs. the "ease of doing business" with UMUC.

[lovetheduns]

I actually liked UMUC. I even drove from NC to UMUC to take a few exams before I realized Strayer would proctor them for me here in NC.

The major difference is that UMUC is a university within the University of Maryland System.

UMUC has its own President and Deans, etc. It is a completely separate entity from UMd- College Park. It just happens to share some professors, classrooms, buildings, etc. They are still two very unique institutions.

UMUC may have started out as an extension of College Park but at the end of the day it became its own entity and is now UMUC. As for the name, it is what it is. I would have thought at one time they would have called it University of Maryland - Adelphi. I always thought the University College sounded hokey.

I worked the university system of NC as an intern years ago for several years.

We had multiple campuses--

UNC - Chapel Hill
UNC - Charlotte
UNC Pembroke
UNC Greensboro, etc

Back then the only school which could be called singularly University of North Carolina was the flagship university at Chapel Hill. It was proper that if you were at UNC Charlotte-- to say UNC Charlotte. Same governing body, different schools with different admissions selectivity and with that notoriety, etc. Much like, it would be considered deceitful to say you graduated from UNC if you really graduated from UNCP. Same thing with UMUC-- you are supposed to say UMUC versus saying University of Maryland since that does refer to College Park.

I find it interesting that the Harvard Extension School-- so many folks from the College get their knickers in a wad over HES graduates saying they graduated from Harvard.

Unlike say UMUC-- the Extension School all reports right up into Harvard University's leadership. It is truly an extension of Harvard and not a completely different entity who may share professors and classes. The same as Harvard Business School is not a separate entity but a school within Harvard. Same goes for HES. I am more interested in HES not to try and deceive folks (IF i ever get the degree-- "open enrollment" looks easy until you are smack in the middle of the work and not able to make your minimum of 3 Bs, complete the residency requirements or even complete your thesis if need be) and pretend like I was some incredible undergrad who made it into the College or into HBS, but rather because this is the cheapest ability to receive that kind of world class education and to be able to learn from professors at the HBS is an incredible bargain. If I manage to make it through the brutal coursework (as I have read, reviewed, etc) then I will not have shame saying I graduated from HES which is part of Harvard itself. I think it is pretty darn obvious that an ALM in Extension Studies Management Concentration is NOT an MBA-- they both have Harvard University written on the degree but obviously they both had different degree requirements.

[lrgaul]

[QUOTE=lovetheduns]I am more interested in HES not to try and deceive folks (IF i ever get the degree-- "open enrollment" looks easy until you are smack in the middle of the work and not able to make your minimum of 3 Bs, complete the residency requirements or even complete your thesis if need be) and pretend like I was some incredible undergrad who made it into the College or into HBS, but rather because this is the cheapest ability to receive that kind of world class education and to be able to learn from professors at the HBS is an incredible bargain. If I manage to make it through the brutal coursework (as I have read, reviewed, etc) then I will not have shame saying I graduated from HES which is part of Harvard itself.QUOTE]

[SIZE="2"][COLOR="Navy"]The truth is that Harvard's reputation is more about elitism than it is about anything else. Am I saying that Harvard does not "turn out" more successful graduates than XYZ University? No. Maybe Harvard does live up to its reputation. However, I would be willing to bet that in almost every case, it is because Harvard is more selective about taking in students who are destined to be successful to begin with.

I attend college at a traditional B&M and I can honestly say that very few of the students in my cohort can keep up with me the way the people on this forum can. Overall, we are very high-functioning adults! IMO, Harvard was missing out on a large group of people who could have been quite successul at its institution. This is largely because there are many brilliant people all over America who choose not to follow the traditional path, which virtually "bans them" from attending Harvard's traditional program. Perhaps this is why Harvard created the HES.

When I was in high school, I was too busy falling love with my future husband and the father of my three children to perform to my full potential. Does this mean I am not brilliant? No. Does this mean I am not bright enough to go to Harvard? No. This just means that my priorities were different when I was 18 years old.

It wouldn't surprise me one bit if you went to Harvard and earned every "A" that was important to you at the time. If you graduate from Harvard, put it on your resume and know that your degree is worth every bit as much as anyone else's degree from Harvard. There is no deception involved in earning a credential and proudly putting it on your resume. In fact, if the only reason a Harvard degree is valuable is because the school made it hard for people to get in, then what good is it? On the other hand, if a Harvard degree is valuable because the people who hold one received a world-class education and lived to tell people about it, then the HES degree should be just as good as the traditional Harvard degree.[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[lovetheduns]

Oh I definitely agree with you lrgaul!

I actually think people on this forum are far more dedicated than most of the counterparts I have run into sitting in a classroom.

[creationstory]

here is the link to univ of maryland uc transfer policies. they actually require at least 30 credits of classes there.

Transfer Credit Policies - School of Undergraduate Studies - UMUC

a lot of limitations on cleps and dantes.

Credit by Examination

UMUC may award as many as 60 semester hours of credit by examination toward the bachelor's degree (30 semester hours toward the associate's degree), provided that (1) there is no duplication of other academic credit, and (2) the scores presented meet UMUC standards.

[Zombie]

Some critical facts distinguish University of Maryland-University College from other institutions, even within the University of Maryland System
1. The University of Maryland system itself has heavily advertised and billed itself as "University of Maryland" to hundreds of thousands of servicemen and women throughout the world, particularly in Europe. Partly this was because having University of Maryland-(name your post or base) would simply not have been feasible. It was by far the most prestigious college available to service members and their dependents.

The University itself can't be heard to claim that using the University of Maryland name alone is somehow unethical or misleading. I should also mention that the number of students overseas probably rivaled the number of students at College Park at one time.

2. Others have noted how, geographically, stateside students attended classes at the same location regardless of the moniker. When I took a couple of summer courses with "UMUC" I had a College Park professor and was graded on the same scale as regular MD students, although I don't know whether they were called College Park or UC students for summer classes.

3. Bottom Line: The University of Maryland system is unique by virtue of what I call its dual-flagship arrangement. College Park is the state flagship, while internationally "University of Maryland" was the flagship. Hundreds of thousands of service people and family members took classes based in part on the implied flagship status.

4. There is simply no comparison to other flagship situations, at least when it comes to undergraduate education. One of the draws for me is the ability to say "University of Maryland" without being disingenuous. This is in contrast to the other campuses, like UMBC, though I am sure UMBC alums don't care.

[scorched]

I have to agree with the OPs first post, I always thought the name UMUC was wonky. Welcome to the department of redundancy department.
So while I liked the broad expanse of degrees, classes and how helpful the admission staff was, I had to wave off my thoughts of going there because of price.
UMUC is a pretty good program, as long as you live in maryland or are active duty. But $499 a credit for out of state undergrad, not so much.
I hoped that UM would be reciprocal to virginia, or even that I am a veteran and would get that $250 a credit option.

Leading me to seek my degree elsewhere, otherwise I would probably have attended UMUC.