University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)

United States

Address: 1000 Hilltop Circle, 21250 Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Computer Science, Engineering, Life Sciences (emphasis on undergraduate research)

Established in 1966, UMBC is a public research university, part of the University System of Maryland. It is known for its strong undergraduate teaching, focus on STEM, and its success in graduating underrepresented minorities in science and engineering.

Domains taught:

AI and Machine Learning, Bioinformatics, Data Analytics, Ecology and Sustainability, Engineering, Life Sciences, Software Engineering

Diplomas*:

Bachelor, Doctor, Master

Status:

Public

Partnerships:

Part of University System of Maryland. Nationally recognized for its commitment to undergraduate education, diversity in STEM (Meyerhoff Scholars Program), and research.

Research:

A research university with strengths in computer science (AI, cybersecurity), life sciences, environmental science, and public policy. Growing research profile.

Famous Alumnis:

Kathleen Turner (attended briefly), Matthew VanDyke, Freeman Hrabowski III (President Emeritus)

International recognition**:

Number of staff***:

2000

Current students***:

14000

Foreign students***:

10%

Cumulative former students***:

70000

Pros

Strong undergraduate teaching and research opportunities, renowned for supporting underrepresented students in STEM, good value for a public university.

Cons

Primarily a commuter campus for many, suburban location, newer university still building national reputation in some areas.

Best For

Students, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds in STEM, seeking a supportive and research-oriented undergraduate experience with strong faculty mentorship.

Most Similar Schools Locally

University of Texas at San Antonio takes a similar route through life sciences, data analytics and AI and machine learning, and it also offers mba programmes, and is larger, enrolling about 35,000 students against roughly 14,000 here.
Where this university leans on bioinformatics, life sciences and data analytics, Indiana University Indianapolis does the same, and it covers finance as well, and is larger, enrolling about 29,390 students against roughly 14,000 here.
Where this institution leans on ecology and sustainability, life sciences and data analytics, George Mason University does the same, and it is also a public institution and also offers mba programmes.
Dartmouth College offers a comparable education in ecology and sustainability, life sciences and data analytics: it is smaller, enrolling about 7,000 students against roughly 14,000 here, and is private, whereas this institution is public.
Think of University of Idaho when ecology and sustainability, life sciences and data analytics is the priority: it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral, and covers agriculture as well.

Most Similar Schools Abroad

For ecology and sustainability, life sciences and data analytics outside the home country, University of Chester in the United Kingdom is a natural reference; it has almost the same size, at about 15,500 students, and is also a public institution.
University of Lincoln in the United Kingdom is the nearest foreign match on life sciences, data analytics and AI and machine learning; it covers agriculture and robotics as well, and is slightly larger, at about 17,500 students against roughly 14,000 here.
University of New Brunswick (Canada) works on the same fields as this institution, chiefly ecology and sustainability, life sciences and data analytics; it also offers certificate and diploma programmes, and is slightly smaller, at about 10,000 students against roughly 14,000 here.
Seen from abroad, Dublin City University (Ireland) is a close relative on subject matter, since data analytics, AI and machine learning and software engineering are central to both, and it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral.
The closest overseas parallel on life sciences, AI and machine learning and engineering is Ewha Womans University, located in South Korea; it is private, whereas this university is public, and runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes.

*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.

Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cybersecurity, Engineering, Innovation, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Machine Learning, User-Centered Design

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*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.

**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:

known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications

***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.

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