USM Undergraduate Catalog 2007-2008

The University

The University of Southern Maine is the second largest of the seven institutions of the University of Maine System, as well as one of the oldest, with its founding in Gorham in 1878. USM has campuses in Portland, Gorham, and Lewiston. The University of Southern Maine comprises eight academic units: College of Arts and Sciences; School of Applied Science, Engineering, and Technology; School of Business; College of Education and Human Development; College of Nursing and Health Professions; Lewiston-Auburn College; the Edmund S. Muskie School of Public Service; and the University of Maine School of Law.

USM, the most cosmopolitan of Maine’s institutions of higher education, is rich in possibilities. It is a major educational force in the overall growth and improvement of the economic, civic, social, and cultural fabric of southern Maine and, as a result, provides students with rich formal and informal learning opportunities in the arts, humanities, social sciences, health sciences, business, science, engineering, and technology.

The women and men of the USM faculty have a passion for communicating the excitement of learning and the joy of discovery. USM’s faculty members represent a wide range of knowledge and expertise; more than 85 percent hold the highest degree available in their fields. Among the faculty are Fulbright and Guggenheim Fellows and authors of national note in every academic discipline. The USM faculty support a sound liberal arts foundation focusing on the ability to think critically, to reason, and to analyze—fundamental measures of an educated person in the 21st century.

The University offers over 50 baccalaureate degree programs as well as numerous minors and concentrations that allow students valuable opportunities to shape their undergraduate careers in ways most meaningful to them. In addition, USM offers graduate programs leading to master’s degrees in nursing, business administration, education, applied immunology, computer science, creative writing, American and New England studies, occupational therapy, social work, manufacturing systems, public policy and management, community planning and development, health policy and management, biology, leadership studies, and music; and doctoral programs in public policy (Ph.D.), school psychology (Psy.D.), and biochemistry and molecular biology (collaborative Ph.D. with the University of Maine). USM also offers courses at the University Colleges in Saco and Bath, as well as on the Web, over instructional television, and at work sites. The Center for Continuing Education and some of the USM schools and colleges offer the largest variety of noncredit programs in northern New England. USM’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute provides intellectually stimulating opportunities and special activities for students 55 years of age or older. USM further addresses the broad range of student interests with its Weekend College, WinterSession, Summer Session, National Student Exchange Program, and Early Studies program for high school juniors and seniors.

USM enrolls more than 10,500 students in its degree programs. The student body is the most diverse in Maine—approximately half are full-time students, 59 percent are women, and the average age of an undergraduate is 28 years. This diversity of age, background, and purpose provides a lively, challenging environment for learning—a context in which scholarship and experience gained from living complement one another.

The University of Southern Maine is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. The nursing programs of the College of Nursing and Health Professions are accredited by the National League for Nursing, and the athletic training program within the College is accredited by the Commision on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs. The College of Education and Human Development is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. The School of Business is accredited by AACSB International—the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Several departments within the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Education and Human Development, the School of Applied Science, Engineering, and Technology, and the Edmund S. Muskie School of Public Service are accredited through specialized agencies. The University of Maine School of Law is approved by the American Bar Association and the Association of American Law Schools.

USM is a growing, rigorous, and responsive university that reflects the needs and hopes of the southern Maine community. With its proud tradition of working collaboratively with the citizens it serves, the University of Southern Maine will continue to develop as a valued learning-centered academic community.

Expected Results of a University Education

Consistent with the educational mission of a comprehensive university, it is the aspiration of the faculty at the University of Southern Maine that students achieve the following results from their investments in higher education:

• They should possess the knowledge and skills necessary to enter the work force or be admitted to graduate or professional school. Graduates of the University of Southern Maine should also possess the attributes and skills that lead to rich and fulfilling lives.
• They should be intelligent readers of their own culture and be able to use analysis and historical context to interpret cultural practices, artifacts, and documents of various kinds.
• They should appreciate the many ways of knowing, including the arts, the humanities, and the natural, applied, and social sciences; they should be aware of how these disciplines help define and shape the world; and they should understand the joy and wonder that can arise from rigorous inquiry leading to fresh discoveries and modes of expression in these fields.
• They should be able to appreciate basic ecological and physical processes, how their lives are affected by environmental trends and characteristics, and how each of us shares in the responsibility for sustaining the life forces, cycles, and processes upon which all life depends.
• They should understand the nature of at-risk behaviors and be able to make informed decisions about their own well-being.
• They should be able to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, think critically and creatively, and use effectively both information technology and the skills of quantitative decision making.
• They should know how to work in teams, take responsibility, exercise leadership, and manage resources effectively.
• They should be aware of the world’s complexities beyond their own set of experiences and assumptions, have an appreciation for other peoples’ values and customs, and think effectively about ethical and social issues.
• They should have the capacity for self-education so they can enjoy a lifetime of continuous learning.
• They should be responsible citizens committed to fostering the ideals of a democratic society: civic and social participation, free inquiry and informed decision making, and equal opportunity.