TOEFL and UMD

"One of my students wanted to know if he could bypass the TOEFL if he applies before he completes his AA. He told me he got a B in EN 101 and an A in EN 102."

 Regarding the requirements for proof of English proficiency, there are few factors that are considered to determine if applicants have met the requirements. The Office of Undergraduate Admissions reserves the right to also consider each applicant on a case-by-case basis regarding satisfying the English Proficiency.

Earning an associate degree is one way a student can be exempted from the proof of English requirement. Thus, a student who is completing courses to receive his/her degree (at the time of the application) and applying for admission to UMD can submit such a letter from MC. The letter indicates that the applicant is currently enrolled at MC and upon successful completion of the courses s/he will receive an associate degree. It also specifies the semester and the year of enrollment, in addition to the graduation date. Additionally, the letter is generated by the graduation coordinator at MC.

Other ways an applicant can be excused from showing TOEFL or IELTS test, is if s/he completed at least middle and high school in the U.S. or from one of the English speaking countries (list is provided on website); moreover, UMD reserves the right to waive the proof of English requirements after employing an holistic review of the applicant’s file; and of course this is done on a case-by-case basis. If there are any further questions, please contact Associate Director Mr. Michael Robinson directly.

GI Bill Comparison Tool

GI Bill Comparison Tool:  http://department-of-veterans-affairs.github.io/gi-bill-comparison-tool/.   Below is a snapshot of the info provided through the site.  Moreover, it has a link to CareerScope for free career exploration.    

English Department's PACE (formerly ACE) - Summer and Fall 2014

The Program for Advancement of College English or PACE (formerly Advancement to College English - ACE) is for NEW students who test into developmental English but tested out of reading courses. Students with an Accuplacer Reading score of 79+ and an English score below 90 should be referred to the assessment center to either retest on the English portion of the test or to complete the PACE writing sample. 

Registration:

PACE writing samples are scored in the ENGL department. Students are emailed the results, and comments are placed in Banner comment section.  Students need to contact the English department (Samantha.veneruso@montgomerycollege.edu, Sue.whalen@montgomerycollege.edu, or zainab.ali@montgomerycollege.edu) for appropriate overrides.  Students may only register for designated PACE section (listed below) and registration requires both DPT and PRE overrides. Students may register for additional college level courses. We suggest PACE students consider DS 107/STSU 100 or DS 102/STSU 110 in addition to EN 101A/ENGL 101A PACE courses. 

You can find more information, including the available summer and fall sections here:  I:\SHARED\CB215 Doc Masters\Counseling & Advising Resources\ENGL_PACE

Refund Appeals and Involuntary Withdrawals - 2014

Please note that we have new staff processing Refund Appeals and Involuntary Withdrawals for Rockville

Nicolle Brazille processes last names beginning A-M (Refund Appeals, Involuntary Withdrawals)

Katie Grocki processes last names beginning N-Z (Refund Appeals, Involuntary Withdrawals)

         

Students can submit to our front counter and we will ensure that the forms get to Nicolle and Katie.

Robert H. Smith School of Business Signs on to USG Terp Transfer Partnership

The Robert H. Smith School of Business is now participating in the USG Terp Transfer Partnership program (USG TTP), a new Transfer Access Program designed to benefit Montgomery College (MC) students who plan to transfer to a University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP) degree program at the Universities at Shady Grove (USG).

Launched in Spring 2013, USG TTP is open to students enrolled in MC and offers exclusive benefits including potential guaranteed admission to a UMCP bachelor's degree program at the USG campus. The USG TTP program is offered for the following Robert H. Smith School of Business Bachelor of Science degrees at USG: Accounting, International Business, Management, and Marketing. In addition, USG TTP is offered for UMCP's B.A. Communication, B.A. Criminology and Criminal Justice, and B.S. Biological Sciences.

"Expanding the USG Terp Transfer Program to include the Smith School of Business creates a tremendous opportunity for Montgomery County students," said Dr. Stewart Edelstein, Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, University System of Maryland and Executive Director at USG . "The program gives students an exclusive pathway to a top-ranked business education and rewarding career right here in Montgomery County."

The USG Terp Transfer Partnership identifies students at Montgomery College who have a clear vision for their education and career goals, and then streamlines the transfer process to a degree program at USG. In addition to potential guaranteed admission to a UMCP degree program, students will benefit from early access to UMCP advising and student services at USG as well as personalized attention as they work toward their associate's and bachelor's degree.

"Students who enter the USG Terp Transfer Program will be among Smith's most dedicated and high-achieving students," said Dr. Victor Mullins, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies, Robert H. Smith School of Business. "We look forward to seeing this collaboration grow and helping students accomplish their goals."

Students in USG TTP must complete a series of requirements in order to gain admission into their UMCP program of choice and maintain good standing in the USG TTP program. Requirements include maintaining GPA requirements at MC, meeting with a career counselor before transferring, and attending at least one academic workshop per year.

Find out more at http://www.shadygrove.umd.edu/usg-ttp

New Course Codes and Course Renumbering

MONTGOMERY COLLEGE

Office of the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

March 25, 2014

MEMORANDUM

To:                Montgomery College Faculty, Staff, and Students

From:            Dr. Sanjay Rai, Interim Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

Subject:        New Course Codes and Course Renumbering

Effective with the fall 2014 registration, Montgomery College will transition from the current two-letter subject code to a four-letter format for all credit courses. For example, SPAN will replace SN for Spanish. Some course numbers will also change to reflect more appropriate numbering. The fall 2014 class schedule will reflect the new course subject codes and numbers, and will be viewable on April 14, 2014. Registration will begin on April 28.

These changes will create a course coding system that outlines a clear educational pathway of logically sequenced courses, particularly with regards to prerequisites. These changes also will align our numbering system to that of other colleges and universities in Maryland, and improve identification for departments that were not easily associated with their previous subject codes.

Please note that the new numbering system impacts only subject codes and numbers for credit courses, not course content or degree requirements. In addition, the change will not affect noncredit courses. The current three-letter course designation will continue to be used for Workforce Development & Continuing Education courses.

To assist with this transition, a list of the old and new corresponding subject codes and numbers is available at www.montgomerycollege.edu/renumber.

I want to thank Ernest Cartledge, College registrar, and his staff for their commitment and work on this project over the last year.

International Students and English Proficiency at UMD

Below is a follow up to inquiries regarding international students and English proficiency at UMD. Please share with students who are receiving the associates degree prior to transferring to UMD. Students who do not meet the conditions below will need to take the TOEFL (even if they completed EN101/EN102).

Best,

Andrea

From: Colleen M Tomlinson [mailto:ctomlin1@umd.edu]
Sent: Tuesday, April 08, 2014 12:53 PM
To: Milo, Andrea
Cc: LaChelle Louise Stamps; Michael Anthony Robinson
Subject: TOEFL Question

Hello Andrea,

Regarding the requirements for proof of English proficiency, there are few factors that are considered to determine if applicants have met the requirements. But before I list the requirements, I want to address your specific question.  

Earning an associate degree is one way a student can be exempted from the proof of English requirement. Thus, a student who is completing courses to receive his/her degree (at the time of the application) and applying for admission to UMD can submit such a letter from MC. The letter indicates that the applicant is currently enrolled at MC and upon successful completion of the courses s/he will receive an associate degree. It also specifies the semester and the year of enrollment, in addition to the graduation date. Additionally, the letter is generated by the graduation coordinator at MC.

Other ways an applicant can be excused from showing TOEFL or IELTS test, is if s/he completed at least middle and high schools in the U.S. or from one of the English speaking countries (list is provided on website); moreover, UMD reserves the right to waive the proof of English requirements after employing an holistic review of the applicant’s file; and of course this is done on a case-by-case basis.

New Gen Ed Program List 2014-2015

The new 2014-2015 MC General Education List with Transfer Advising Notes  is now available online on the MC Transfer Page – click on the General Education link, and also see it here: 

http://cms.montgomerycollege.edu/uploadedFiles/EDU/Counseling_and_Advising/Transfer/Transfer_Resources/GenEdList2014-15Transfer.pdf

The top of the page states the MHEC Transfer Policy – please remember to point this out to students!

·     Students who finish our full General Education Program, 34 credits for the AA which should include a 3-credit HLTH, will have met 34 of the 40 credits of Gen Ed required by UMCP, Towson, etc.  They will only be required to take 6 more credits, two classes, after transfer to the four-year institution to complete the Gen Ed Program.  They do NOT have to match all of the Gen Ed categories.  At UMCP, for example, students can IGNORE the AREA lines on ARTSYS which show “Distributive Studies – Scholarship in Practice” and “Signature Courses – I-Series”.  UMCP will take our 34 credits and check off those categories without a course-by-course match.  Each UMCP RTP for 2012 and up has a paragraph in the  

Additional Information Section that states:

o   The University of Maryland, College Park, requires students to complete a minimum of 40 credits of general education. Students transferring to the University who have completed their general education requirements at another Maryland public institution of higher education will be considered to have completed their general education requirements with the exception of an upper-level writing course and any additional credits necessary to complete the minimum number of general education credits.

So as confusing as it may seem, when reviewing an ARTSYS RTP with students, you can circle that statement and cross out those open “Distributive Studies AREA” “I-Series” lines and write “Follow the MC General Education Program here”  - maybe even staple our Gen Ed page to the RTP.   Repeating this one more time:  students who finish our 34-credit Gen Ed Program do NOT have to take an I-Series course at MC, etc., even though ARTSYS shows those AREA line requirements.

·    A word about CORE vs. General Education for UMCP transfers:  Students who started at MC prior to Fall 2012 and who transfer to UMCP before the Fall of 2016 still follow CORE requirements.  Sounds complicated – but it’s not.  The same “all 34 credits transfer without a course-by-course review” policy still applies, with just this one exception:  students under CORE must take either 1 English Lit or 1 History on our Humanities list, but not both.   That’s the only difference between UMCP’s CORE and General Education Program for transfer students – students who entered MC in Fall 2012 and after may take ANY Arts/Humanities courses from our list, but if they started @ MC before Fall 2012, they need to pick either a Lit or a History within Humanities.  Now, to complicate it a little, students who started at other non-Maryland state schools prior to Fall of 2012 and then who transfer to MC must follow the New Gen Ed program at UMCP. 

·       Does a student have to finish an AA degree for the General Education Program package to transfer to a Maryland State school?  No!  It’s great if a student can graduate, but the MD Policy assures the transfer of the Gen Ed Program without tying it to the completion of the degree.  This is helpful for some students who want or need to transfer prior to 60 credits.

UMD - Dream Act

For undocumented students transferring to UM, please refer them to the linked page (found below in Michelle Tan’s email)  to find out about getting in-state tuition under the Maryland Dream Act or the Deferred Action program. Thanks to outreach to the Admissions Office by one of our former alumni that was actively involved in the dreamer movement, Maryland has expanded the information on this topic and it is now easier to find on their webpage.

From: Michelle Giok Ling Tan [mailto:mtan@umd.edu]

We have updated our Residency Reclassification page to include information for the Maryland Dream Act and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Please share with your students who are eligible for the above categories.