USM Graduate Catalog 2007-2008

The University

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The University of Southern Maine, one of seven campuses of the University of Maine System, has been serving the higher educational needs of the region for more than 100 years, although this institution has had its present name only since 1978. The University traces its antecedents back to two institutions, Gorham State College (established in 1878) and the University of Maine in Portland (established in 1933). Today, the University enrolls nearly 11,000 students who pursue graduate and undergraduate degree programs in the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Business, Lewiston-Auburn College, College of Education and Human Development, School of Law, College of Nursing and Health Professions, Muskie School of Public Service, and the School of Applied Science, Engineering, and Technology. The University is served by over 320 full-time faculty, most of whom hold terminal degrees in their respective fields and who distinguish themselves by a strong commitment to teaching, scholarly research, and service to the community. USM, as the most cosmopolitan of Maine’s higher education institutions, is rich in possibilities. It is a major educational force in the economic, civic, social, and cultural fabric of southern Maine, and as a result, provides students with formal and informal learning opportunities in the arts, humanities, politics, health sciences, business, mass communications, science, and technology.

Graduate study is today an integral part of the educational activity of the University of Southern Maine. The oldest post-baccalaureate program at the University is the juris doctor, offered by the University of Maine School of Law. The study of law has been available in Maine since the establishment of the then College of Law in 1898. The master’s degree in education was the next program to be made available, enrolling students in 1964. The master of business administration degree followed in 1971. Today, all are strong programs serving the preparatory and continuing professional and educational needs of their constituencies.

Of the other graduate degrees offered by the University of Southern Maine, some are professional in nature, others are interdisciplinary in emphasis. The master’s degree programs in counseling and school psychology prepare professionals for work in schools and other settings. USM has recently introduced a doctoral program in school psychology. The entry-level master’s degree program in occupational therapy is designed for people who hold a baccalaureate degree in a discipline other than occupational therapy. The master of science program in nursing is designed to meet the present and emerging health care needs of the region by providing an opportunity for advanced study and clinical training in a profession that nationally has assumed greater responsibility for the preparation of its members. The graduate program in social work prepares students for advanced social work practice. The master of science program in computer science is primarily professional in nature and is directed to individuals pursuing careers in industry. The master of arts in American and New England studies is an interdisciplinary program exploring New England’s distinctiveness and its contributions to American culture. The master of science in statistics is an interdisciplinary program designed to provide preparation for both a research-oriented and practice-oriented career. The master of science in accounting provides students with a strong conceptual and applied understanding of the field.

The graduate program in public policy and management offers an interdisciplinary, problem-focused master’s degree that prepares students for professional careers in local and state government and the nonprofit sector. The master’s degree program in health policy and management offers a rigorous, problem-focused curriculum to prepare graduates for leadership roles in a rapidly changing health policy and management environment. The master’s degree program in community planning and development is designed to educate professionals capable of shaping changes in the economy, environment, and society of New England and eastern Canada, and to assure the prosperity of communities while sustaining the human and natural environments that distinguish the region. The leadership studies graduate program blends the social and behavioral sciences and the humanities to explore the complex set of leadership issues and challenges that go beyond a particular subject or field of work. The University’s first Ph.D. program in public policy prepares students for advanced research, teaching, and administration.

The master of science in applied medical sciences, offered in cooperation with Maine Medical Center and the Foundation for Blood Research, prepares its graduates for either continuing study or careers in the rapidly developing field of biotechnology. The master of science in biology provides students with laboratory and field experience for those seeking career advancement or planning to pursue further graduate study. The master of science in manufacturing systems is designed to prepare working professionals for advancement and leadership positions in manufacturing industries. (Admission to this program has been temporarily suspended.)

The Stonecoast master of fine arts in creative writing is a two-year program featuring residencies and semester writing projects. The USM School of Music offers master of music degrees in composition, conducting, jazz studies, music education, and performance.

The University affirms that graduate education should provide subject matter and require study at a level that builds upon the knowledge and intellectual skills acquired through undergraduate experience. It should strengthen and broaden professional competence and stimulate independent research. Indeed, research—basic and applied—is a critical component of all graduate education. To support these objectives, the University is served both by a strong faculty and the resources of associated facilities.

The collection of the USM Library contains 1.5 million items, including approximately 380,000 volumes; 3,000 subscriptions to periodicals, journals, newspapers, and yearbooks; over 1 million microforms; more than 110,000 state and U.S. government documents; a growing collection of audiovisual materials; and access to a wide variety of electronic information resources. Included in the Library’s special collections are the Osher Map Library containing the Osher and Smith Collections of antique maps, globes, atlases, and geographies representing over 25,000 individual maps; the University Archives; and the Jean Byers Sampson Center for Diversity, which includes the African American Collection of Maine, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Collection, the Judaica Collection, and the Franco-American Archive housed at the Lewiston-Auburn College Library.

Supplementing these collections are the more than 1 million print titles held in the other campuses of the University of Maine System along with the Maine State Library, the state’s Law and Legislative Reference Library, and the Bangor Public Library. The holdings of these libraries are represented in the URSUS online catalog and are available to the USM community through URSUS’s interlibrary lending system. URSUS and a variety of other electronic resources are available over the World Wide Web through the University of Maine System’s new digital library, named MARINER. In addition, the USM community has access to the more than 36 million titles available through the international OCLC online interlibrary loan network.

In addition to the regular academic semesters, the Summer Session offers a wide range of coursework at the graduate level. For a schedule of summer graduate courses, please consult the Summer Session catalog or visit www.usm.maine.edu/summer.

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Graduate Studies

The Office of Graduate Studies, in association with the Graduate Council and the academic deans, coordinates graduate activities at the University of Southern Maine. The Graduate Council is made up of chairs of all graduate programs. The Council provides advice regarding the quality and standards of graduate education, review of existing and proposed programs, and policy and procedures regarding admissions, degree requirements, and related matters. The associate provost and dean of Graduate Studies is responsible for the operation of the Office of Graduate Studies. All graduate students are invited to visit this office, located at 39 Exeter Street, on the Portland campus. The office can be reached by phone at (207) 780-4386 or e-mail at gradstudies@usm.maine.edu. The Web site for the office is www.usm.maine.edu/grad. Graduate students are also advised to maintain close contact with the appropriate director or graduate coordinator in their school, college, or program.

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