ADDENDA TO THIS CATALOG

The Undergraduate Catalog is published each academic year in June prior to the fall semester. The provisions of the Undergraduate Catalog are not to be regarded as a contract between the student and the University of Maryland. The university reserves the right to change its policies, rules, regulations, requirements for graduation, course offerings, tuition, fees, other charges, or any other contents of this catalog at any time.

When necessary, the university will track changes to the Undergraduate Catalog in this addenda section:

  • For addenda related to policies, rules, regulations, tuition, fees and general information, see General Addenda
  • For addenda related to curricula (i.e., descriptions, learning outcomes, and requirements for majors, minors, and certificates), see Curricular Addenda

Note: Updates to course offerings (e.g., course description changes), will be reflected in the following year's catalog and are not tracked in this addenda section.

This section contains addenda related to policies, rules, regulations, tuition, fees and general information. Each addendum contains an excerpt from the catalog as it was originally published as well as the change that was made. To view the full original text, see the catalog page referenced in the addendum.

Division of Administration

Under Division of Administration

  • Effective October 1, 2025, the Interim Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer was appointed as Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer (published October 21, 2025).

Original

Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer: C. Robert Reuning (Interim)

Change

Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer: Charles R. Reuning

University Administration and Deans

Under University Administration and Deans

  1. Effective October 1, 2025, the Interim Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer was appointed as Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer (published October 21, 2025).
  2. Effective September 1, 2025, a new Dean of the School of Public Policy was appointed (published November 6, 2025).

Original

(1) Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer Charles Reuning (Interim)

(2) Dean of the School of Public Policy Steven Fetter, Ph.D. (Interim)

Change

(1) Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer Charles R. Reuning

(2) Dean of the School of Public Policy Gustavo Flores-Macías, Ph.D.

This section contains a list of addenda related to undergraduate program changes. Each listing details changes that have been made to the program or indicates if the program is new.

American Sign Language (ASL) Minor

  • Effective Spring 2026, the American Sign Language (ASL) Minor was established (published November 4, 2025).

Program Director: Michael Dunham

The American Sign Language (ASL) minor is designed for students interested in acquiring intermediate expressive and receptive ASL skills with in-depth understanding of Deaf Culture. The program plan includes four required classes and one elective (5-courses total). Emphasis on engaging with native signers from varied backgrounds is a foundation of the program. Throughout the sequence, experiential learning connects to the rich Deaf Culture in the DMV area known for one of the nation's largest Deaf communities. Participants develop communication skills while examining accessibility for greater advocacy and inclusivity. The core classes focus on sign language skills, Deaf Culture, and immersive community experiences. Electives include offerings in linguistics, world languages, education, and hearing and speech sciences.  The coursework, immersion opportunities, and capstone project will benefit students in all fields of study.

Program Learning Outcomes

  1. Develop competency of expressive and receptive American Sign Language (ASL) skills (e.g., visual gestures, facial expressions, fingerspelling) at the intermediary level.
  2. Recognize intersectionality of identities in Deaf community through exposure to multiple dialects and signing styles.
  3. Demonstrate understanding of Deaf culture, history, and community through responsive and respectful interactions.
  4. Engage in advocacy and accessibility efforts aligned to goals of Deaf led organizations (e.g., accessible spaces).
  5. Students Planning to Continue Studies Post Graduation: Following completion of the American Sign Language Proficiency Assessment achieve a score of 2.0 or higher (pragmatics and linguistics).

Requirements

Program plan includes four required classes and one elective (5-courses total). 

Course Title Credits
Core Courses
CHSE376Fundamentals of Sign Language3
CHSE476Communicating with Sign Language3
CHSE477ASL III: Intermediate Sign Language Communication3
CHSE480Deaf Culture, History, and Community3
Elective Course (choose one from below)3
TLPL253
Language Rights and Repression in Education
TLPL441
Methods for Teaching Multilingual Learners
TLPL442
Foundations of Literacy and Biliteracy Development
TLPL443
Cross-Cultural Communication and Multilingual Learners
HESP420
Deaf Culture and ASL for the CSD Professional
EDHD241
Are Two Languages Better than One: The Science and Controversy of Bilingualism
EDHD310
Your Brain on Education: The Neuroscience of Learning and Development
EDHD411
Child Growth and Development
EDHD425
Language Development and Reading Acquisition
EDSP411
Foundations of Technology Integration for Curriculum Access
LING200
Introductory Linguistics
LING240
Language and Mind
Total Credits15

Cinema and Media Studies Major

Under Cinema and Media Studies Major (ENGL) and Cinema and Media Studies Major (SLLC)

  1. Description: Effective Spring 2026, the program description was updated (published November 4, 2025).
  2. Program Learning Outcomes: Effective Spring 2026, the program learning outcomes were updated (published November 4, 2025).
    • Program learning outcomes #1, #2, and #3 were changed.
    • Program learning outcomes #4 and #5 have been removed.
    • Five new program learning outcomes were added.
  3. Requirements: Effective Spring 2026, the major has been restructured from a single program into two tracks: Critical Studies and Film Production and "Other Requirements for the Major" section has been updated (published November 4, 2025).

Original

(1) Description: Cinema and Media Studies is an interdisciplinary program in the humanities that enables students to explore an influential global art form in its aesthetic, cultural, economic, historical, and technological dimensions.  The major takes a critical, textual approach to film, emphasizing scholarly viewing, interpreting, and writing about moving images. It provides students with a solid background in theoretical, critical, and aesthetic aspects of the study of film, including the history of the medium and the analysis of national cinemas, always keeping in view questions of how new media have changed both cinema itself and the study of cinema.  The Cinema and Media Studies major brings together courses in cinema from varied nations, languages, and cultures and challenges students to understand the systems of transnational exchange that have characterized this medium from its inception.  Courses offered by this program may be found under the following acronyms: FILM (being phased out), CINE, ENGL, and SLLC.

(2) Program Learning Outcomes: 

  1. Students will be able to analyze and interpret film aesthetics and technical structures of editing, cinematography, sound, and mise-en-scene.
  2. Students will be able to identify and analyze diverse genres and movements in the history of film.
  3. Students will be able to situate films produced in various parts of the world in relation to larger historical and cultural developments.
  4. Students will understand the various uses of the moving image in its relation to the political, economic, and social history of the world over the past century.
  5. Students will be able to conduct research in Cinema and Media Studies and to write persuasively.

(3) Requirements: See Cinema and Media Studies Major (ENGL) and Cinema and Media Studies Major (SLLC).

Change

(1) Description: Cinema and Media Studies is an interdisciplinary program in the humanities that enables students to explore all types of moving-image media in their aesthetic, cultural, economic, historical, and technological dimensions. The major is committed to engaging students intellectually in the critical analysis of culture and cultural forms, while at the same time preparing them for the workforce by developing their skills and fluency in written, oral, and visual communication.  Students critically analyze cinema and moving-image media as a cultural experience that spans the entire globe, seeking to understand the ways that this experience might be different and similar across cultures, languages, socio-economic conditions, and historical periods. The program includes two tracks: the Critical Studies Track and the Film Production Track. In both tracks, students will acquire a solid background in theoretical, critical, and aesthetic aspects of the study of cinema and media, including the history of moving image media and the analysis of national and international cinemas, always keeping in view questions of how new media have changed both cinema itself and the study of cinema. The Critical Studies Track focuses on the critical analysis of genres, forms, and theories in the field of cinema and media, bringing together courses in cinema from varied nations, languages, and cultures, and challenges students to understand the systems of transnational exchange that have characterized this medium from its inception. The Film Production Track introduces students to filmmaking techniques and practices, enabling them to apply this analytical training to their personal and creative approach to filmmaking with the support of current technology and with an emphasis on team-building, and providing them with skills they will use in their professional environment as well as for artistic and/or social purposes. Courses offered by this program may be found under the following prefixes: CINE, ENGL, and SLLC.

(2) Program Learning Outcomes:

  1. Broad Foundation: Students will demonstrate critical fluency and knowledge of the basic conceptual framework and lexicon of analysis--namely the concepts and terms used in describing and critically analyzing the four main areas of cinematic structure: editing; cinematography; mise-en-scène; and sound--by deploying this analytical lexicon in the audiovisual analysis of a scene. Students enrolled in the Film Production Track will be able to apply basic concepts and terminology in cinema and media analysis to their filmmaking practice.
  2. Close Analysis: Students will produce analyses of media that integrate knowledge of how the material production, technologies, and cultural practices of diverse types of media shape meaning, by deploying close analysis of formal structures of moving-image media for the purposes of developing critical arguments about cinema and media. Students enrolled in the Film Production Track will use formal structures of moving-image media in their production of audiovisual material in various media.
  3. Contextual analysis: Students will be able to demonstrate a critical understanding of cinema and media's relation to contexts that originate outside of the formal history of the development of cinematic aesthetics and technique. CMS defines "outside" as discourses, discussions, and histories surrounding those issues that have always engaged cinematic media: race; gender; ethnicity; sexuality; politics; social activism and change; violence and war; disabilities and social stigma; climate and the environment. Whether making fiction films or producing documentaries, students in the Film Production Track will be able to address, develop, and comment on issues and discourses that have always engaged cinematic media (such as race; gender; ethnicity; sexuality; politics; social activism and change; violence and war; disabilities and social stigma; climate and the environment) through their narrative and aesthetic choices.
  4. Diversity: Students will be able to identify and analyze genres and movements in the history of film; identify formal and cultural components of films produced in various parts of the world; understand film as a transnational visual medium; and analyze the ways that cinema and media express cultural, social, and political diversity. Students in the Film Production Track will demonstrate how they are able to express, implement, and champion issues of diversity, equity, and justice in their own practice according to the specificities of their medium of choice.
  5. Exposure: Students will demonstrate their breadth of exposure in watching and encountering a broad diversity of representations of people, places, and lived experience. Students will display facility in comparing cinematic representations of diverse experiences in the world-- and how cinema would enable the expression of different lived experience. Students in the Film Production Track will be able to work in a team and assume various responsibilities and positions on shooting sets throughout the semester regardless of their own professional aspirations, personal inclinations, and performing abilities. Students will learn to practice collaboration and fruitful exchanges on diverse cultural, aesthetic, and ethical perspectives.
  6. Communication Skills: Students will demonstrate their ability to convey effective critical and analytical arguments in writing and through video presentation geared toward myriad target audiences (both academic and popular), as well as to communicate through oral presentation leadership in directing critical conversations in the classroom. Students in the Film Production Track will be able to improve their writing expression and narrative in the screenwriting course, and practice communication through the audiovisual medium in the filmmaking/sound/editing courses.
  7. Technical Skills: Students in the Film Production Track will be able to use effectively basic skills in cinematography and screenwriting, update their knowledge as the technology evolves, and apply these skills in various contexts, for various purposes, and towards diverse objectives required by the professional field as well as their own creative engagement.
  8. Creative Engagement: Students in the Film Production Track will demonstrate their use of media and film production as a source of innovation, challenge, and change in their social environment, and will be able to combine knowledge and skills acquired in their training with their personal motivations and commitment. Students will be able to produce individual work and participate in collective projects that demonstrate their new training in a concrete and effective manner.

(3) Requirements:

The Cinema and Media Studies major offers two tracks: the Critical Studies Track, and the Film Production Track. Both tracks begin with the same three-course Foundation Sequence, made up of a prerequisite course in Film Form (ENGL245/CINE245), a course in Media History (CINE301), and a Theory Foundation course (CINE302). The Foundation Sequence assures that students have the necessary analytical tools and historical background to interpret diverse global cinematic traditions. The Foundation Sequence is followed by a Core Sequence of 4 courses in Cinema and Media Criticism that offer all students the opportunity to explore genres, themes, and movements across different historical periods, and to develop their skills in analysis, writing, and research.

Students pursuing the Critical Studies Track select 2 additional courses in Cinema and Media Criticism from the Core Sequence, and 4 Cinema and Media Studies Electives, which may be taken outside the program in consultation with the Advisor.

Students pursuing the Film Production Track select 4 Film Production Required Courses: CINE376 (Screenwriting) CINE310 (Introduction to Filmmaking), formerly CINE319M, CINE415 (Advanced Filmmaking), CINE499 (Capstone Course), and two Cinema and Media Electives, which may be taken outside the program in consultation with the Advisor.

General Policies

  • The Cinema and Media Studies major requires 39 credits (13 courses).
  • A grade of "C-" or better is required in each of the courses making up the 39 credits of the major.
  • Up to nine (9) credits may be taken at the 2xx-level.
  • At least 6 of the 39 credits must be at the 4xx-level.

The Cinema and Media Studies major requires 39 credits, distributed as follows:

Core Program

Course Title Credits
Foundation Courses
CINE/ENGL245Film Form and Culture 13
Equivalent by permission of department
CINE301Cinema History I: The Silent Era 23
CINE302Cinema History II: The Sound Era 23
Program Core Courses
One course in Film Theories3
One course in Documentary, Animation, Experimental Cinema or other Visual Media3
One course in National/International Cinemas3
One course in Genres/Auteurs/Movements3
Track: Select Either Critical Studies Track or Film Production Track (see track requirements below)18
Total Credits39

 Critical Studies Track (18 Credits)

Course Title Credits
Critical Studies Track Requirements 3
One courses in Genres/Auteurs/Movements3
One course in National/International Cinemas3
Four Cinema and Media Studies Electives 412
Total Credits18

Film Production Track (18 Credits) 

Course Title Credits
Film Production Track Requirements
Two Cinema and Media Studies Electives 56
CINE310Introduction to Filmmaking 13
CINE376Writing the Feature Film3
CINE415Advanced Filmmaking3
CINE499Directed Study in Cinema and Media Studies3
Total Credits18
1

Fulfills Gen Ed req. in Humanities. Cinema and Media Studies majors must take ENGL245/CINE245 before they take other 3xx or 4xx-level Cinema and Media Studies courses. We recommend that it be taken no later than sophomore year.

2

Students may take the two courses in any order.

3

At least one course in this category must be taken at the 4xx-level. The courses must be selected either from the pre-approved CINE rubrics or from a list of film electives available from the Cinema and Media Studies Advisor. Please consult the full list of courses accepted for the major: https://sllc.umd.edu/fields/cinema-media/courses/.

4

Up to two courses may be taken at the 200-level. Students select either two courses from pre- approved CINE rubrics and two courses in this area from other programs with the approval of the advisor; or four courses in consultation with the Cinema and Media Studies Advisor to explore a specific area of interest or an area related to their future academic or professional plans.

5

Up to two courses may be taken at the 200-level . Students select select two CINE courses (CINE315, CINE317) or two courses from other programs in a similar area of studies with the approval of the Cinema and Media Studies Advisor.

Other Requirements for the Major

In both the Critical Studies Track and the Production Track, CINE245 is a prerequisite for many 3xx-level courses in the major.  Students are advised to complete that course early in their academic careers. Successful completion of CINE245 allows students to proceed to two courses required for both tracks: CINE301 and CINE302.

Students in both tracks are required to take 4 program core courses in the following four rubrics: National/International Cinemas; Film Theories; Genres/Authors/ Movements; Documentary, Animation, Experimental Cinema and Other Media.

Students in the Critical Studies Track are required to take 1 additional course in National/International Cinemas and 1 additional course in Genres/Auteurs/Movements, as well as 4 Cinema and Media Studies electives. Students in the Film Production Track are required to take 4 courses: CINE376 (screenwriting), CINE310 (introduction to filmmaking), CINE415 (advanced filmmaking) and CINE499 (capstone course), as well as 2 Cinema and Media electives. 

Communication Major

Under Communication Major

  • Admission to the Major: Effective Fall 2025, the Communication major is no longer classified as a Limited Enrollment Program (LEP). As such, the Admission to the Major section is no longer applicable. (Published July 25, 2025)

Original

Admission to the Major

First-time Freshman

All first-time freshmen who designate Communication as a major prior to the end of the final exam period of their first semester will be admitted directly to the program. They must sign a Memorandum of Understanding that states that they understand that by the semester in which they attain 45 University of Maryland credits (excluding AP), they must meet the following gateway requirements:

  1. Complete one of the following courses with a grade of "C-" or better: BMGT230, CCJS200, EDMS451, PSYC200, SOCY201, STAT100, or equivalent.

  2. Complete COMM107, COMM200, or COMM230 with a grade of "C-" or better

  3. Complete COMM250 with a grade of "C-" or better and

  4. A GPA of 2.0 or better

Students may repeat only one of the gateway requirements and that requirement may be repeated only once in their attempt to meet the requirements. Students who fail to meet the gateway requirements by the semester in which they attain 45 credits will be dismissed from the program and cannot reapply.

Transfer Students

Internal and external transfer students who meet the gateway requirements specified above must also have a cumulative GPA of 2.70 in all college-level coursework to apply to the program.

Appeals

All students may appeal admission decisions. Students directly admitted as freshmen, who are dismissed because of failure to meet gateway requirements or a failure to be in good academic standing at 45 credits, may appeal directly to the undergraduate director in the Department of Communication. All other students who are denied admission may appeal to the university's Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

Change

Admission to the Major: This section is no longer applicable.

Global and Foreign Policy Major

  • Effective Spring 2026, the Global and Foreign Policy Major was established (published October 21, 2025).

Program Director: Catherine Z. Worsnop, Ph.D.

The Global and Foreign Policy major is an interdisciplinary major collaboratively offered by the School of Public Policy, the School of Languages, Literatures, and Culture, the Department of History, and the Department of Agricultural and Resources Economics. Students enrolled in the major will leverage insights from international policy, history, language and cultural studies, and economics to gain an understanding of the forces shaping global and foreign policy challenges, and options for advancing solutions to such challenges. This interdisciplinary approach is anchored by the belief that diversity in outlook, in research expertise, in background, and beyond will empower students to tackle the grand global challenges of today and tomorrow. To these ends, the major offers (1) foundational classes that equip students with the frameworks, tools, and techniques needed to unpack global and foreign policy debates and solutions, alongside (2) targeted classes enabling students to concentrate in one of three substantive areas (Security, Conflict, Diplomacy; Human Security and Migration; Development and Sustainability). Classroom experience is supplemented by an array of experiential learning opportunities.  Ultimately, the major will prepare students for careers in government, the private sector (especially businesses with a strong global focus), non-profits, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), international institutions, think tanks, and beyond while connecting students to a robust network of partners eager to help them prepare for a career in the global and foreign policy space. 

Program Learning Outcomes

  1. Analyze the complexity and range of historical and contemporary global and foreign policy and policymaking challenges.
  2. Explain how foreign and global policymaking institutions, processes, and structures shape policy solutions and outcomes.
  3. Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of one or more global and foreign policy challenges and solutions, by applying insights and frameworks from different disciplines while engaging relevant policymaking processes.
  4. Interrogate how identities - including national, caste, ethnic, gender, racial, religious, socio-economic, political, and beyond - and their intersections shape global and foreign policy challenges and solutions.
  5. Examine the role of values, ethics, justice, access, and the structural and systemic sources of (in)equality in and across global and foreign policy domains.
  6. Utilize appropriate research tools, analysis, writing, and presentation skills to assess global and foreign policy challenges, and apply these techniques to an experiential learning endeavor to better understand the dynamics of policymaking.
  7. Demonstrate a minimum of basic proficiency in a second world language.

Requirements

Students must earn a minimum grade of C- in all major courses. At least 15 credits must be taken at the 300-level or higher for the major.

Course Title Credits
Core Courses
GFPL100 (War, Peace and Crisis: Foundations of Global Policy) 13
GFPL102 (Global Order and Policy Structures: Power, Access and Influence)3
GFPL203 (Ethics of Global Action)3
AREC345Global Poverty and Economic Development3
Pluralism and Global Policy - Choose one of the following:3
PLCY302
Examining Pluralism in Public Policy
GLBC200
 (Global Movements)
Historical Grounding - Choose one of the following:3
HIST113
The Making of Modern Europe
HIST120
Islamic Civilization
HIST123
Sub-Saharan Africa Since 1800
HIST240
Europe in the Twentieth Century
HIST245
Reformers, Radicals, and Revolutionaries: The Middle East in the Twentieth Century
HIST251
Latin America Since Independence
HIST266
The United States in World Affairs
HIST284
East Asian Civilization I
HIST285
East Asian Civilization II
Skill Courses
World Language Requirement (at least two semesters--see footnote) 26
Statistical Analysis Course 33-4
PLCY304Evaluating Evidence: Finding Truth in Numbers4
PLCY306Public Policy Analysis in Action 13
Thematic Tracks and Electives (for specific track information see below)15
Track Anchor Course 4
Track Elective Course One
Track Elective Course Two
Track or General Elective Course One
Track or General Elective Course Two
Experiential Applications - Choose one of the following:3
PLCY400
Senior Capstone
PLCY309
Internship in Political Institutions: State and Local
Approved study abroad
Total Credits52-53
1

Benchmark requirement: Must be completed within the first 2 semesters in the major.

2

Note on Languages: Students will inevitably enter the major with varying familiarity with a second world language.  Given this, the program seeks to ensure that students demonstrate a minimum of a basic proficiency in a second world language. To meet the language requirement, students will take the language placement exam for a chosen language offered by SLLC.  If students place into an elementary or intermediate level of a language, students will take both the appropriate course and the following course in the targeted language sequence (e.g., Spanish 103, followed by Spanish 203).  If students test at a more advanced level, students will speak with an SLLC language advisor to determine an appropriate language course in the sequence (including SLLC electives), or can opt to start a new language; students with AP or IB credit may also receive credit for up to one language course. Finally, students demonstrating native or near-native proficiency may test out of the language requirement and receive credit consistent with existing SLLC/ARHU guidelines (see https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Lk076FdbP8aXNku8kzuKZkkMnQeEZGkI/view).  Please note that some languages may require more than 3 credits per course per semester so the minimum number of credits may exceed 6 for some languages.

3

Statistical analysis course options: BMGT230 (AR), CCJS200 (AR), EDMS451 (AR), PSYC200 (AR), SOCY201(AR), or STAT100 (MA & AR).  Students may also petition to receive credit for a statistics or research methods course offered by another unit.

4

Benchmark Requirement: Students must declare a track and take the associated anchor course. The anchor course must be completed within the first six semesters in the major.

Tracks

Students will select a track by taking (a) the required anchor course for a given track, and (b) 2 electives linked to that track. A list of available tracks and associated electives can be found here: [website]. An additional 2 electives can be taken within the selected track and/or from among other tracks (including anchor courses). Note that courses taken to meet the language requirement cannot be used as elective credit.

Security, Conflict, and Diplomacy

Course Title Credits
Anchor Course3
GFPL300
 (Foundations of Security, Conflict, and Diplomacy)
Security, Conflict, and Diplomacy Track Elective Courses6
Security, Conflict, and Diplomacy Track or General Elective Courses6
Total Credits15

Human Security and Migration

Course Title Credits
Anchor Course3
GFPL3XX
 (Foundations of Human Security and Migration)
Human Security and Migration Track Elective Courses6
Human Security and Migration Track or General Elective Courses6
Total Credits15

Development and Sustainability

Course Title Credits
Anchor Course3
PLCY301
Sustainability
Development and Sustainability Track Elective Courses
Development and Sustainability Track or General Elective Courses
Total Credits3

Global Culture and Thought Major

  • Effective Fall 2025, the Global Culture and Thought Major was established (published November 4, 2025).

Program Director: Hester Baer, Ph.D.

Global Cultures is an interdisciplinary program in the humanities that fosters multilingual study of the cultures of the globalized world through classroom and experiential learning. The major enables students to explore and interpret the histories, institutions, values, practices, varieties, and intersections of global cultures as they are produced and received across national and regional boundaries. Combining a strong focus on race, equity, and justice with an emphasis on cultural theory, the major provides students with a solid background in the terminology and interpretive methods of humanities disciplines and cultivates the critical skills necessary to understand and analyze global movements and literary, cultural, and media texts, as well as an intermediate-range level of proficiency in at least one language other than English. Courses offered by this program may be found under the prefixes GLBC, SLLC, ARAB, CHIN, CINE, FREN, GERS, HEBR, ITAL, JAPN, KORA, PERS, PORT, RUSS, and SPAN.

Program Learning Outcomes

  1. Demonstrate knowledge of the histories, institutions, values, practices, varieties, and intersections of global cultures as they are produced and received across national and regional boundaries.
  2. Use the terminology and interpretive methods of humanities disciplines, including cultural theory, to interpret and analyze global movements and literary, cultural, and media texts.
  3. Critically analyze issues of power related to gender, sexuality, class, race/ethnicity, and/or mental and physical disability with attention to differences across time, geography, and culture and with critical awareness of one’s own worldview, values, and biases.
  4. Critically interpret literary, cultural, and media texts reflecting a diversity of perspectives in a variety of genres with specific attention to their social, historical, and linguistic contexts, and formulate original arguments with reference to appropriate evidence and secondary sources.
  5. Communicate effectively in written, oral, and digital forms, with the academic community and with the broader public.
  6. Demonstrate an appropriate level of proficiency in at least one language other than English.

Requirements

Course Title Credits
Core Courses 6
GLBC200
 Course GLBC200 Not Found (Global Movements)  
GLBC360
 Course GLBC360 Not Found (Cultural Theory in a Global Age)  
Language Study 1 12
Select 12 credits at the 200-level or above in one language
  
OR Select 6 credits at the 200-level or above in each of two languages
  
Experiential Learning 2 6
This requirement may be satisfied through approved education abroad; domestic or international internships; and/or participation in on-campus learning communities, including the Language Partner Program or the Language House Living-Learning Program.
 
Upper-Division Electives 3 15
Select 15 credits at the 300-level or above in one SLLC program
  
OR Select 9 credits at the 300-level or above in one SLLC program AND 6 credits at the 300-level or above in another SLLC program
  
GLBC350
 Course GLBC350 Not Found (Translation in a Global Context) 4  
Total Credits 39
1

Language study may be undertaken in courses offered under the following prefixes: ARAB, CHIN, FREN, GERS, HEBR,  ITAL, JAPN, KORA, PERS, PORT, RUSS, SPAN.

2

Students will determine which option(s) to pursue in consultation with the program advisor.

3

Electives are to be selected from the existing course offerings of one, or a maximum of two, SLLC programs offered under the following prefixes: ARAB, CHIN, CINE, FREN, GERS, HEBR, ITAL, JAPN, KORA, PERS, PORT, RUSS, and SPAN.

4

May substitute any of the SLLC Upper-Division Elective courses and will be strongly encouraged.

The major consists of 39 credits. Besides taking the two core courses GLBC200 and GLBC360, students majoring in Global Cultures are required to take 12 credits in Language Study, 6 credits in Experiential Learning, and 15 credits in Upper-Division Electives. The same course cannot be counted towards different requirements of the program (e.g., students are not allowed to overlap credits for the Experiential Learning and Upper-Division Electives categories); however, the same course can count towards the requirements of two different programs (e.g., for a student double majoring in Global Cultures and Spanish, the same courses in can be counted for credits in both programs). One- credit "microcourses" may be used to offer supplemental language instruction (tied to a course held in English); as standalone short or block-format courses related to current events or relevant topics; as practicums focused on skills and professionalization; and as service-learning opportunities, among other possibilities. Students will be allowed to take microcourses for credit toward the Experiential Learning and Upper-Division Elective requirements.

Global Health Major

Under Global Health Major

  1. Description: Effective Spring 2026, the program description was updated (published November 4, 2025).
  2. Program Learning Outcomes: Effective Spring 2026, program learning outcomes #1–8 were updated, and #9–22 were removed (published November 4, 2025).
  3. Requirements: Effective Spring 2026, the Global Health Experiential Learning courses and Global Health Options courses were updated (published November 4, 2025).

Original

(1) Description: The Global Health major offers rigorous scholarly and applied experiences designed to embolden future leaders to achieve the level of critical thinking, analysis, and application essential to improve worldwide social, environmental, and health outcomes. Specifically, students apply structurally competent, collaborative, multidisciplinary perspectives to the understanding, assessment, and intervention of sustainable strategies necessary to effectively address current and future global health issues within local, national, and global arenas. The Global Health major prepares students for multiple career paths from biomedical to public policy, including scientific and applied research, medicine, and allied health and social service professions in the public, private, and non-profit employment sectors throughout the state, nation, and world.

(2) Program Learning Outcomes:

  1. Understand the concepts, theoretical frameworks, and analytical methodologies underlying successful and sustainable global health strategies.
  2. Understand the scientific bases for infectious disease.
  3. Demonstrate beginning and/or intermediate ability in a second language.
  4. Demonstrate competence in the development, recognition, and utilization of big data within global health applications.
  5. Understand the social and cultural complexities inherent in global collaborations.
  6. Demonstrate the ability to establish respectful, trusting relationships with people, communities, and institutions around the globe.
  7. Understand globalization and its social and political foundations, with particular emphasis on effects on health and healthcare among populations in distinct locations.
  8. Apply a multidisciplinary perspective to the appreciation, understanding, assessment, intervention, and sustainability of strategies designed to effectively address global health issues.
  9. Utilize ethical, structurally competent, collaborative approaches to understanding, researching and contributing to community-supported interventions relevant to global health challenges.
  10. Critically analyze the qualitative and quantitative impacts of racism on the prevention, assessment, and treatment of illness around the world.
  11. Develop macro and micro strategies to combat racism and proactively promote health equity.
  12. Reflect upon what it means to be anti-racist.
  13. Demonstrate clear, incisive, verbal and written communication skills within the context of specific cultures, languages, and sociopolitical systems.
  14. Demonstrate proficiency in a variety of electronic and digital media.
  15. Recognize and critically evaluate current theories and practices within the discipline of global health.
  16. Utilize peer-reviewed literature and apply it to research as well as to formulating effective program planning and evaluation strategies.
  17. Apply introductory statistical methodology and big data approaches to solve global health problems.
  18. Create and implement successful, novel approaches to global health issues based upon critical evaluations of historical underpinnings and previous challenges.
  19. Reflect upon and integrate required academic experiential learning into a deeper understanding of professional and personal responsibility.
  20. Understand the interconnected network and the major initiatives and priorities of global health organizations at the local, national and world levels.
  21. Recognize the various roles, responsibilities, and opportunities available throughout the public, private, and nonprofit sectors.
  22. Implement a strategy to enhance long-term career development.

(3) Requirements: See Global Health Major

Change

(1) Description:

In the interdisciplinary Global Health major, students explore health challenges through the lens of environmental, biological, geopolitical, socioeconomic, and cultural factors. Combining classroom learning with real-life opportunities through research, internships, and field experiences, students develop cross-cultural and practical skills and competencies to address complex concerns in an evolving global health landscape. Course themes include epidemiology, policy, management, data analysis, world languages, as well as interpersonal and digital communication. 

Students in the Global Health major are advised in the School of Public Health’s Department of Global, Environmental, and Occupational Health (GEOH). Courses are taught by faculty across the university and in partnership with six UMD colleges and schools (Agriculture and Natural Resources; Arts and Humanities; Behavioral and Social Sciences; Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences; Information; and Public Health). 

The Global Health major prepares students for multiple career paths from biomedical to public policy, including scientific and applied research, public health, law, allied health and social service professions in the public, private, and non-profit employment sectors throughout the state, nation, and world.

(2) Program Learning Outcomes:

  1. Understand the underlying science of human health and disease including opportunities for promoting and protecting health across the lifespan.
  2. Analyze historical foundations interactions between global health, colonialism, economic development, biological sciences, social determinants of health, power dynamics, technology innovations, One Health, and historical contexts that trace its evolution of health practice and initiatives shape global health approaches.
  3. Apply research and epidemiology to analyze global health challenges, and develop comprehensive evidence-based interventions and strategies.
  4. Employ data collection, statistical analysis, technology, and interpretation of health indicators across diverse contexts to map and understand global health disparities.
  5. Assess intersectional factors and diverse health needs of populations across different cultural, social, biological, economic, political, environmental, digital, and geographical contexts influencing global health outcomes.
  6. Develop culturally and context-appropriate, community-based global health intervention strategies and policies.
  7. Demonstrate skills in scientific writing, oral presentation, cross-cultural communication, narratives and media resources that promote health awareness and behavioral change.
  8. Engage in interdisciplinary collaboration to create, design, implement, and disseminate diverse cultural and linguistic health information and communication strategies.

(3) Requirements:

Students will need to have math eligibility of MATH120 or higher to complete the Global Health Supporting Courses.

Course Title Credits
Global Health Supporting Courses (19-25 credits)
BSCI170Principles of Molecular & Cellular Biology3
BSCI171Principles of Molecular & Cellular Biology Laboratory1
2 levels of a world language 16-12
BSCI213The Public Microbe 23
NFSC100Elements of Nutrition3
GVPT200International Political Relations 33
or GVPT282 The Politics of Global Development
Global Health Core (40 Credits)
GBHL200Introduction to Global Health (Introduction to Global Health)3
GBHL210Careers in Global Health (Careers in Global Health: Understanding the Public, Private, and Non-Profit Sectors)1
SPHL100Foundations of Public Health3
FMSC110Families and Global Health3
HLTH230Introduction to Health Behavior3
ANTH210Introduction to Medical Anthropology and Global Health3
EPIB301Epidemiology for Public Health Practice3
EPIB315Biostatistics for Public Health Practice3
ANTH310Method & Theory in Medical Anthropology and Global Health3
GBHL310Introduction to Global Health Literacy (Introduction to Global Health Literacy)3
MIEH321Environmental Determinants of Emerging Infectious Diseases3
HLSA320 (Comparative Global Health Care Delivery Systems)3
INST420 (Data Applications in Global Health)3
GBHL497Global Health Capstone (The Global Health Experience (Capstone))3
Global Health Experiential Learning (6-9 Credits) 4
Global health experiential learning (subject to advisor approval) 43
GBHL386Global Health Experiential Learning (Global Health Experiential Learning) 43-6
Global Health Options (12 Credits)
2 GBHL Option courses of choice (100-400 level) 56
2 GBHL Option courses of choice (300-400 level) 56
Total Credits77-86
1

Students take at least 2 courses in the same language. See Global Health major website for world language guidance, approved course list and exceptions, https://sph.umd.edu/gbhl-bs. 

2

Students considering allied health professions may substitute BSCI223 for BSCI213, but may not receive credit for both courses. 

3

If a student completes both GVPT200 and GVPT282, one will apply towards GBHL Supporting and the other towards GBHL Option.

4

Students complete two different experiential learning courses (at least 3 credits each) with prior approval of the Global Health program. These may include an internship, research, independent study, global classroom, field experience, or study abroad. Additional guidance and examples of Global Health Experiential Learning courses may be found at sph.umd.edu/gbhl-bs

5

Students select from a menu of approved 3 credit Global Health Options courses. At least 2 courses (6 credits) must be at the 300 or 400 level. A single course cannot satisfy both an Option and Experiential Learning requirement. See Global Health major website for approved Options course list: https://sph.umd.edu/gbhl-bs. 

LGBTQ Studies Minor

Under LGBTQ Studies Minor

  1. Description: Effective Spring 2026, the term “LGBT people” has been changed to “LGBTQ people.” (published November 4, 2025).
  2. Requirements: Effective Spring 2026, the required core curriculum course LGBT 386 has been removed, and LGBT 310 has been added. (published November 4, 2025).

Original

(1) Description: The LGBTQ minor in the Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies is a 15 credit program which provides students an opportunity for interdisciplinary study of the lives, experiences, identities, and representations of LGBT people. This course of study provides solid grounding in the major concepts and methods that define studies of sex, gender, and gender identity today. Any student in good standing in the university may enroll in the LGBTQ Studies minor.  In consultation with the Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies academic advisor, students will design a minor program that complements their major field of study.

(2) Requirements: See LGBTQ Studies Minor.

Change

(1) Description: The LGBTQ minor in the Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies is a 15 credit program which provides students an opportunity for interdisciplinary study of the lives, experiences, identities, and representations of LGBTQ people. This course of study provides solid grounding in the major concepts and methods that define studies of sex, gender, and gender identity today. Any student in good standing in the university may enroll in the LGBTQ Studies minor.  In consultation with the Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies academic advisor, students will design a minor program that complements their major field of study.

(2) Requirements

Course Title Credits
Required Core Curriculum
Foundation Courses6
LGBT200
Introduction to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies
LGBT310
Transgender Studies
Capstone Course (approved 400 level LGBT Course)3
LGBT488
Seminar in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies
Elective Courses 16
Total Credits15
1

Elective Courses: Courses with an LGBT Prefix are automatically approved as electives. 3 of the 6 elective credits must be upper level.

Other Program Requirements:

  • No course earned with a grade below "C-" will count toward the minor in LGBTQ Studies.
  • An overall GPA of 2.0 in the minor is required for graduation.
  • Students may use a maximum of six credits (or two courses) to satisfy the requirements of both their major and the minor in LGBTQ Studies. However, courses taken to complete the minor in LGBTQ Studies may not be used to satisfy the requirements of another minor.
  • No more than six of the required credits (or two courses) may be taken at an institution other than the University of Maryland, College Park. However, at least six 3xx or 4xx-level credits applied to the minor must be taken at this university.

Public Service Interpreting and Translation Major

  • Effective Fall 2025, the Public Service Interpreting and Translation Major was established (published October 21, 2025).

Program Director: Leah Waks, Ph.D.

The B.A. in Public Service Interpreting and Translation (PSIT) provides students with a fundamental understanding of how to communicate messages between speakers of one language and speakers of a different language through the spoken (interpreting) and written word (translation) in community-based settings. Students must be able to speak and write in English and one other language that is featured in the PSIT program (e.g., Spanish). At present, the PSIT program features one language combination with a focus on Spanish and English interpreting and translation with the option of adding other languages in the future. As a joint major with 45 credits, PSIT features coursework in the history, theory, and practice of Communication, Languages, and Interpreting and Translation with in-depth study of intercultural communication. Students will deepen their language and vocabulary skills in speaking and writing in their working languages (English and Spanish). 

Students will gain training in both interpreting and translation and can specialize in one or the other in their senior year. Students can also specialize in different communication contexts by taking coursework in legal, health, and/or organizational communication.

Graduates of the PSIT program will fulfill a diversity of community needs in business, education, health, and law. Students will gain real-world experience through their practicum credits as they prepare for their multicultural careers in interpreting and translation. As bilingual speakers, for example, interpreters and translators will ensure patients understand their medical needs, clients gain proper legal advice, parents learn of children’s educational needs, drivers take driving tests, survivors of violence receive proper protections, refugees obtain housing and food, victims of natural disasters are kept safe, and consumers access business services across the DMV’s diverse communities.

Program Learning Outcomes

  1. Show advanced competence in speaking, reading, writing, and understanding English in order to communicate in culturally sensitive ways.
  2. Show advanced competence in speaking, reading, writing, and understanding at least one other language spoken in the United States in order to communicate in culturally sensitive ways.
  3. Translate and interpret written and verbal messages from one language to another for public service agencies (e.g., medical, education, community services, and law enforcement).
  4. Apply major theories and concepts that could facilitate the effective use of intercultural communication competence skills within diverse cultural and professional communities.
  5. Demonstrate specialized knowledge in health, education, law, and/or institutional operations and terminologies.

Requirements

Course Title Credits
Oral Communication 3
COMM107
 Oral Communication: Principles and Practices  
Modes of Communication Inquiry 3
COMM250
 Introduction to Communication Inquiry  
Public Service Interpreting and Translation  
Theory and Method 6
SPAN374
 Spanish in the Community  
COMM382
 Essentials of Intercultural Communication  
Interpreting and Translation 12
PSIT310
 Course PSIT310 Not Found (Fundamentals of Translation)  
PSIT320
 Course PSIT320 Not Found (Fundamentals of Interpreting)  
PSIT388
 Course PSIT388 Not Found (Public Service Interpreting and Translation Practicum)  
Select one of the following:  
PSIT410
 Course PSIT410 Not Found (Public Service Translation)  
PSIT420
 Course PSIT420 Not Found (Public Service Interpreting)  
Select two of the following Communication Studies Courses 6
COMM390
 Health Communication  
or COMM424
 Communication in Complex Organizations
COMM434
 Legal Communication (Legal Communication)  
One of the Following Language Courses (English) 3
COMM407
 Advanced Public Speaking (Advanced Public Speaking)  
COMM406
 English Writing in Professional Communication Contexts (English Writing in Professional Communication)  
Four Language Courses (Spanish) 12
SPAN325
 Hispanic Linguistics I: Grammar and Society  
SPAN370
 Spanish for Business I  
SPAN420
 Spanish and Spanish-Speaking Communities in the US  
SPAN476
 Central Americans in the DMV  
Total Credits 45

School of Public Policy

Under School of Public Policy

  • Effective September 1, 2025, a new Dean of the School of Public Policy was appointed (published November 6, 2025).

Original

Dean: Robert Orr, Ph.D.

Change

Dean: Gustavo Flores-Macías, Ph.D.

Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Minor

  • Effective Spring 2026, the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Minor was established (published October 21, 2025).

Program Director: Neda Atanasoski, Ph.D.

Rooted in the liberatory traditions of Women’s Studies, the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies minor can supplement any student’s program of study at the University of Maryland. It allows students to explore structural inequities based on intersecting hierarchies of colonialism, gender, caste, race, sexuality, ethnicity, nationality, and ability, with the aim of transforming systems of oppression and imagining freer futures. Students will take courses informed by intersectional and anti-colonial scholarship and methodologies from the arts and humanities, social sciences, and many other fields. Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies offers students a flexible program of study in which there is focused attention on building students’ analysis of varied modes of structural and interlinked oppressions and devising visions for critiquing, resisting, and dismantling such modes of systemic violence.

Courses offered by this department may be found under the following acronyms: WGSS, LGBT. They were previously also offered under WMST.

Program Learning Outcomes

  1. Students will be able to critically analyze issues of power related to women, race/ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and class.
  2. Students will understand and be able to critique key developments in gender, critical race, and queer thought as strategies for social change.
  3. Students will demonstrate familiarity with major concepts and vocabulary of gender, critical race, and queer thought in the field of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.

Requirements

Students will earn a total of 15 credit hours, distributed as indicated below.  At least 9 credits must be at or above the 3xx level. No course with a grade less than "C-" may be used to satisfy the minor. An overall GPA of 2.0 in the minor is required for graduation. Students will design their programs in consultation with a Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies advisor. 
Students may use a maximum of six credits (or two courses) to satisfy the requirements of both their major and the minor in WGSS. However, courses taken to complete the minor in WGSS may not be used to satisfy the requirements of another minor. No more than six of the required credits (or two courses) may be taken at an institution other than the University of Maryland, College Park. However, at least six 3xx or 4xx-level credits applied to the minor must be taken at this university.

Course Title Credits
Introductory Course3
Select one of the following courses:
LGBT200
Introduction to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies
WGSS105
Introduction to Disability Studies (Introduction to Disability Studies)
WGSS200
Introduction to WGSS: Gender, Power, and Society
WGSS205
Reproductive Justice: An Introduction
WGSS250
Introduction to WGSS: Art and Culture
WGSS263
Introduction to Black Women's Studies
Lower Level core or elective 13
WGSS301Introduction to Research in Gender, Race, and Queer Studies3
Upper Level Requirements 26
3 credits from the UL Core or Elective List
3 credits of 4xx level from the UL Core list
Total Credits15
1

Please refer to the WGSS major in the Undergraduate Catalog for the full list of Lower Level Core and Elective Courses

2

Please refer to the WGSS major in the Undergraduate Catalog for the full list of Upper Level Core and Elective Courses