The University of Baltimore's flexible academic programs enable students to earn their bachelor's, master's, law or doctoral degree in a format fit for their lifestyle.
UBalt, with an affordable tuition and hundreds of scholarship opportunities, has a long-standing history of helping students earn their degree—through courses available in online and in-person formats, during the day and into the evening, and on weekends, too—without racking up debt. Going back to 2019, Washington Monthly ranked UBalt at the very top of is list of as Maryland schools in its "Best Bang for the Buck—Northeast" overview. A strong focus on building the leaders of tomorrow, with guidance from professors who represent the best of their fields, means UBalt offers dividends that pay off well after graduation, too. A study by Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce signaled that earning power when it called UBalt the No. 2 public university in Maryland (No. 3 after 10 years) for graduates' return on investment 15, 20, 30 and 40 years after graduation.
An early leader in online learning
Years ago, UBalt's Merrick School of Business recognized that it needed to differentiate its MBA program in a crowded marketplace. In 1999, it became the first AACSB International-accredited school to launch an MBA program that was available to students fully online.
"The Merrick School of Business faculty have been, and always will be, a very flexible and creative and dedicated bunch of people," says Daniel Gerlowski, a professor of economics for the Merrick School of Business. "We teach students things in our classes that they can take to the office with them or take into their career that helps them. I think that's the strength of UBalt historically and today, that's what all of our online offerings do."
U.S. News and World Report has ranked UBalt's online MBA as a top program of its kind nationally. This standout graduate business program also ranked as one of the nation's best online MBA programs for veterans. University-wide, UBalt offers five fully online programs in addition to several online courses across its 70-plus undergraduate, graduate, law, and doctoral programs and certificates. Those five fully online options, which include an MBA, M.P.A., M.S. in Interaction Design and Information Architecture, M.S. in Accounting and Business Advisory Services, and a User Experience Design certificate, enable students to earn their degree without ever setting foot on campus. Additionally, students in the four fully online programs pay the same low tuition rate whether they live in Maryland or well beyond its state lines.
An award-winning education, from anywhere
Greg Walsh, associate professor in the Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences and director of the D.Sc. in Information and Interaction Design program, said of the many benefits of teaching online, he enjoys the ability to bring students from anywhere into one virtual classroom.
"We've had students from the Caribbean. We have had students from Michigan, Minnesota, out west. It's worked really well," he said. "And we have a lot of students who started in Baltimore and for whatever reason, end up moving somewhere else and they're able to keep taking classes."
The M.S. in Interaction Design and Information Architecture (IDIA) program was just one of UBalt’s programs with online courses to earn accolades. The IDIA program is ranked among the Top 50 Best Value Interaction Design/UX/HCI Graduate Degrees of 2020, according to ValueColleges. The same organization named UBalt one of the best Online Colleges in Maryland for 2020. Across UBalt, other programs such as the M.P.A., the M.S. in Negotiations and Conflict Management and the B.S. in Simulation and Game Design, all earned top ranks associated with their online components.
Delivering value for the cost since 1925
While UBalt started out in 1925 as an evening school specializing in law and business, it has expanded its programs to reach freshmen, transfer students and graduate students. Today, UBalt's student population is one of the most diverse in the University System of Maryland, with students of different ages, races, ethnicities and backgrounds. The average ages of undergraduate and graduate students are 28 and 33, respectively—a statistic that helped Washington Monthly rank UBalt at No. 1 in Maryland (31 nationally) on its list of Best 4-Year Colleges for Adult Leaders. UBalt has freshmen just graduated from high school as well as older adults working toward their first undergraduate degrees after raising families. UBalt is also a community of many first-generation college students, international students, veteran and military-affiliated students, parents and grandparents, and students who fit in classes around full-time jobs. In addition to its online programs, UBalt offers bachelor's degree completer programs to help students that have earned an associate degree from a community college or accumulated credits during military service finish their degree path.
Different by design
The University of Baltimore offers campus life in a variety of ways, whether through student organizations or campus traditions, but on a different scale than traditional universities to focus its education on careers and career advancement for aspiring and current professionals. UBalt has earned regional and national recognition for this model, including for advancing students' social mobility and maximizing students' earning potential after they graduate.