Mission
The mission of the School of Graduate Studies (The Graduate School), operating through the departmental graduate programs, is to conduct programs of instruction leading to advanced degrees and certificates. Degree programs and non-degree study may provide the advanced specialized training to meet the needs of professions and occupations seeking a pool of skilled professionals, practitioners and researchers for entry level and career advancement positions, or the needs of individuals seeking career change, continuing education or lifelong learning opportunities.
As a background for the mission, UMES is the only doctoral degree granting and research institution on the Eastern Shore of Maryland as well as the 1890 Land Grant Institution in the state. Traditional and specialized Master’s and Doctoral degrees are offered, such as the Master of Science, the Master of Education, the Master of Arts in Teaching, the Doctor of Philosophy, the Doctor of Education and the Doctor of Physical Therapy. The Master’s programs number ten offered over eight departments. The Doctoral programs number six, offered over five departments/units.
The Graduate School, or the Graduate Studies Office as a central unit, provides administrative monitoring and coordination for degree and continuing education programs, and the leadership for and promotion of graduate education and research in unison with the graduate faculty and the academic departments. Graduate School functions are both centralized and decentralized with the academic programs and departments.
Academic support units within the School—the Offices of Continuing Education and Elderhostel – complement the extended education mission of the campus.
Goals
The goals of the Graduate School are to:
- Educate students in the scholarly methods of intellectual inquiry and critical analysis, in general, and specifically in the field of study;
- Prepare and train students in the discipline and skills necessary for understanding and undertaking applications and practice or conducting research in the field of study;
- Promote the intellectual climate conducive to the search for knowledge and truth and the stimulation of creativity and scholarship by both students and faculty;
- Promote the recruitment, retention, graduation, and diversity of graduate students; and,
- Respond to the broad community needs for offering new master’s and doctoral degree and certificate programs, and continuing education credit and non-credit programs, and enhancing their instructional delivery through technology.
Objectives
The objectives of the Graduate School are to:
- Stimulate intellectual discourse among students and faculty through professional and research development opportunities;
- Maintain academic standards and quality of program offerings through regularly scheduled academic program reviews, professional accreditation processes and other assessments;
- Effect cross-fertilization of ideas and efficiency of operations through interdisciplinary and interinstitutional approaches to learning and to program development and implementation;
- Aid recruitment and retention in general and of underrepresented minorities, through more responsive advising and mentoring of students and sufficient financial support;
- Aid recruitment and retention by promoting the expanded funding of assistantships and other types of financial assistance;
- Accommodate the needs of non-traditional students through alternative scheduling formats and delivery systems, and
- Promote linkages, locally and regionally, with the community, government, industry and business to ascertain their needs for graduate education, the employment of UMES graduates, and their interest in obtaining technical services from UMES.
