Extended Studies

Housed in the Division of Academic Affairs, Extended Studies “extends” higher education beyond traditional boundaries and amplifies the university’s commitment to advance knowledge through innovative learning opportunities that serve diverse student populations locally, nationally, and around the world.

Offered in collaboration with colleges and departments, Extended Studies supports a variety of programs and initiatives to help students achieve their personal, academic, and professional goals:

Summer Session

summer.umd.edu - Extended Studies supports more than 1,100 undergraduate and graduate courses offered over six sessions (two 6-week sessions and four 3-week sessions). With the majority of courses delivered online, Summer Session provides the convenience and flexibility students need to make progress toward graduation. All sessions are open to current UMD students, visiting students, professionals, and lifelong learners. Current UMD students may simply register. A short application is needed for all others.

Winter Session

winter.umd.edu - Extended Studies partners with colleges and schools to provide undergraduate and graduate courses in a 3-week Winter Session between the fall and spring semesters. Students choose from more than 500 courses, most of which are delivered online. Like Summer Session, all courses are open to current UMD students, visiting students, professionals, and lifelong learners. Current UMD students may simply register. A short application is needed for all others.

Freshmen Connection

fc.umd.edu - Extended Studies created Freshmen Connection to provide an opportunity for spring-admitted undergraduate students to start their University of Maryland education in the fall semester. Freshmen Connection students can live on campus, apply their federal and state financial aid, and earn up to 17 credits in the fall. Over the last 20 years, more than 16,000 students have enrolled in Freshmen Connection to begin their studies with their fall-admitted peers, participate in campus activities and events, and forge friendships that last a lifetime.

Offsite Programs

sg.umd.edu | usmsm.umd.edu - Extended Studies provides administrative support for more than a dozen undergraduate and graduate programs offered at the Universities at Shady Grove and the University System of Maryland at Southern Maryland. The offsite undergraduate programs provide a pathway for students to take the upper-level courses (typically 300-400) they need to earn a bachelor’s degree. Extended Studies support is augmented by on-campus services such as academic coaching, career advising, internship preparation, personal counseling, and leadership training to provide students with the skills and real-world experiences they need to begin or advance their careers.

Post-Baccalaureate Programs

postbacc.umd.edu - A joint venture between Extended Studies and colleges and schools, Post-Baccalaureate Programs provide the undergraduate prerequisite courses students need to gain admission into professional graduate programs (e.g., medical school, dentistry, or hearing and speech). Courses are offered in the evening to accommodate working professionals, with many offered online. Students can choose to pursue a plan of study tailored for a specific graduate program or create a customized curriculum and take only the courses they need to reach their academic objectives.

Pre-College: Terp Young Scholars

tys.umd.edu - Terp Young Scholars is the University of Maryland’s premier credit-bearing pre-college program. For three weeks each summer, hundreds of rising high school sophomores, juniors, seniors, and graduating seniors choose a 3-credit course from a variety of offerings, explore an exciting new field, and experience college life by taking advantage of the many educational and campus resources at the state’s flagship institution. Terp Young Scholars delivers an exceptional academic experience at an incredible value with competitively priced program packages for both the campus and online program options.

Professional Graduate Programs

pgp.umd.edu - In partnership with colleges and schools, Extended Studies provides administrative support for more than 70 graduate programs including combined bachelor’s and master’s degrees, graduate certificates, master’s degrees, and doctoral degrees. Nearly half of the graduate programs administered by Extended Studies are delivered online, and the majority of programs offer courses in the evening to accommodate working professionals. Most programs can be completed in two years, with several offering an accelerated 12-week term format.

Continuing Education

moocs.umd.edu | go.umd.edu/openlearning - Extended Studies works with colleges and schools to provide a variety of continuing education opportunities. Taught by UMD faculty and staff, these non-credit opportunities include more than 100 MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) delivered via Coursera and edX, and non-credit courses on Open Learning, as well as customized Executive Education offerings. Most courses are self-paced and delivered online so current students, alumni, professionals, and lifelong learners can gain the skills they need when they need them.