Professional Studies

The Master of Professional Studies and the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Professional Studies (commonly referred to as the Graduate Certificate in Professional Studies) are designed to allow campus units the flexibility to propose multidisciplinary degree or certificate programs suited to the needs of employees of government or private sector organizations. The templates for the Master of Professional Studies and the Graduate Certificate in Professional Studies were approved by the Board of Regents and the Maryland Higher Education Commission in February, 2005. Both the master’s program and certificate program exist on the Maryland state academic inventory under the title Professional Studies. The official name for the degree and certificate, therefore, is Professional Studies, but the entire curriculum is devoted to the specific topic, or iteration, of the Professional Studies program.  The Professional Studies program is officially under the academic oversight of the Graduate School, but the individual Professional Studies iteration will be linked to both the Graduate School and the offering unit, which will be designated as primary. Specific requirements for each discrete Master of Professional Studies and Certificate in Professional Studies are approved within the University through the appropriate college or school Dean(s), the Graduate Council PCC, the Dean of the Graduate School, the Senate PCC, the Provost, and the Chancellor.

The Master of Professional Studies must meet all University of Maryland admissions and degree requirements for the non-thesis master's degree. All courses included in the master's degree or certificate must be approved graduate courses. Offering a course in the program requires the approval from the Department Chair under whose auspices the course is offered. All faculty who teach the courses must be members of the Graduate Faculty.

The 30-credit Master of Professional Studies Degree has the following components:

• A core of at least four courses usually drawn from a current master's degree program.
• Concentrations and electives drawn from a variety of academic unit course offerings to create a coherent multidisciplinary master's degree program.

The Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Professional Studies (commonly referred to as the Graduate Certificate in Professional Studies) must meet all University of Maryland admissions and graduate certificate requirements.

The Professional Studies certificate program should be a subset of an approved master's degree program (including the Master of Professional Studies) and has the following components:

• A minimum of 12 credits.
• A core of at least two courses drawn from a master's core component.
• A minimum of two additional courses to form a coherent graduate certificate program.

Early consultation with the Office of the Associate Provost for Academic Planning and Programs and with the Graduate School is strongly recommended to identify any potential challenges and to ensure expedient progress through the approval process. The Graduate School will be the academic home for the Master of Professional Studies and the Graduate Certificate in Professional Studies and will hold academic oversight responsibility. Unless the unit has received prior approval otherwise, academic units must work with the Office of Extended Studies on the administration of these programs.