The University of Maryland, College Park is a public research institution of higher learning. It is known as Maryland’s flagship university and it was ranked as number 12 for all public universities in the U.S. and 36th in the world by a recent international survey. The university strives to provide a meaningful learning experience that promotes a commitment to critical thinking, responsible citizenship, involvement in the community, and development of lifelong affiliation with the university. It is committed to fostering academic success and growth at the professional and personal levels. The University of Maryland, College Park is also dedicated to accomplishing excellence as Maryland’s main center of research and graduate education and a popular choice for driven undergraduate students.

The University of Maryland, College Park offers 127 undergraduate degrees and 112 graduate degrees through its 13 schools of education. The undergraduate academic programs focus on the student’s chosen field as well as general education course. The university takes pride in employing highly qualified and distinguished faculty members and four of previous and past faculty members are Nobel Prize laureates.

The University of Maryland, College Park is committed to developing responsive and innovative educational programs that are easily accessible and convenient. It strives to extend learning beyond the traditional classroom. It offers online graduate programs in engineering through its Online Studies department. The department utilizes the most up-to-date online technologies and tools to enable all students to access the various resources the university has to offer. Online engineering programs include master degrees and post-bachelor certificates in bioengineering, nuclear engineering, energetic concepts, project management, reliability engineering, fire protection engineering, sustainable energy engineering, and technology ventures and innovation.

The Office of Extended Studies also offers online courses in various subjects such as African American studies, American studies, anthropology, criminology and criminal justice, economics, English, family science, geography, government and politics, health, history, information management, philosophy, and women studies.

The University of Maryland, College Park dates its history back to 1856 when Maryland Agricultural College was chartered. The college first awarded degrees in 1862 and it became a preparatory school in 1864. It became a state institution in 1866 and reopened as a college in 1867. It changed its name to Maryland State College in 1916 and also in that year it admitted the first women. The college organized into seven schools in 1919 and became a university in 1920. In 1925, the university received accreditation and it continued to expand throughout the mid-1900s. In 1985, College Park enrolled more than 38,500 students and it became the flagship university of the University of Maryland university system in 1988. Throughout the 1990s the university consistently grew and added new programs and structures. Today, the University of Maryland, College Park educates more than 37,000 students.