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Pam DeMartino holds an undergraduate degree in Education from Centenary College in New Jersey and a graduate degree in Higher Education Adminisration and Student Development from The American University. She has over 18 years of experience in college and university settings and has expertise in college recruitment, admissions, and student affairs. Pam has been with UMUC's Graduate School of Management & Technology for over 12 years and currently serves as the assistant dean responsible for the Graduate School's student services operations.

washingtonpost.com Advertising: Welcome to Discussion Lounge with our guest, Pam DeMartino. Pam, thank you for joining us today. If a person would like to register for one of the ten master's degree programs that UMUC offers, what is the process he or she would go through?

Pam DeMartino: On behalf of University fo Maryland University COllege (UMUC), I'd like to thank washingpost.com for our third
opportunity to participate in this online disucssion. UMUC
has been providing programs and services to working adults for more than 50 years. We offer a broad range of both
graduate and undergraduate degree and certificate programs. And to help serve the working adult, these programs are offered at times and places convenient to their needs. UMUC is proud to be one of the forerunning institutions offering online degree programs. We've been designated one of the top 20 cyber universities by Forbes Magazine and received an award from Peterson's guide for innovative distance education.
Today, I am here specifically to discuss program in UMUC's Graduate School. And to assist students in their pursuit
we provide a full range of online student services, including advising, registration, financial aid, career
services and an orientation program. To get started for
the Spring 2000 semester, students must complete an application form which will allow them to take one class
as a decision pending student. This allows some flexibility
for the adult learner working full time to complete the
formal admissions process but still enabling students to
get started in the coming year. For more information regarding the admissions process, visit our website at
www.umuc.edu

McLean: I live in Virginia. Would I have to pay in state or out of state rates to attend UMUC?

Pam DeMartino: Since you live out of the state of Maryland, you would
be considered an out-of-state student and would be
required to pay non-Maryland resident tuition rates.
Current non-resident tuition is $382 per credit hour.
TO learn about financial aid which may help subsidize
your education, visit our website at www.umuc.edu/studserv.
studserv.html

Racine, Wisconsin: Does UMUC offer graduate degrees where all courses are on-line, or is there a mix of in-class and on-line courses?

Pam DeMartino: Hello Wisconsin! Most of our graduate degree programs
are offered online. However, students who live in
the DC metropolitan area often choose to mix online
courses with traditional classroom opportunities.

Takoma Park, Maryland: Does UMUC accept undergraduate degrees from any college or university for enrollment in a graduate degree program?

Pam DeMartino: To be considered for graduate admission, students must
possess a degree from a regionally accredited institution.

Beltsville, Maryland: I just applied for the Masters in International Management program with a concentration in Commerce and was told today that the course load is no more than 2 classes -6 credits- per semester. I was also told that I could overload only with permission. Would I submit my permission request to you and in what format and how likely would I have the request granted?

Pam DeMartino: Well congratulations on taking this step. Typically,
we advise students to take no more than 2 courses per
semester (Fall and Spring) since most of our students
are working full time and have competing demands.

However, there are students who situations may differ
and they have a bit more time and flexibility for their
academic studies. Therefore, you must submit a written
request to me in any legible format indicating why you
feel you would be successful in assuming an increased
course load.

Thanks and good luck!!

Beltsville Maryland: I am a 52 year old female and have 32 years of working experience. I am presently a program manager of Change Management and Training for a large organization. I am interested in the on-line MBA program. Must I have an undergraduate degree to be accepted into the program?

Pam DeMartino: It seems as though you have a wealth of experience and
we certainly encourage you to consider our MBA program.
In order to be considered for admission, students must
have successfully completed a bachelor's degree from
a regionally accredited institution. There are also
specific admission program requirements that you need
to have fulfilled to be considered for admission.

Washington: Do you have a good transfer program?

Pam DeMartino: Similar to most graduate schools, UMUC will consider
6 hours of transfer credit to be applied to degree
programs. There are certain provisions that apply
and we ask that you connect with Wendy Russell at
wrussell@umuc.edu for further information.

Gaithersburg, MD: Is the UMUC offering doctorate degrees now? If so, in what fields?

Pam DeMartino: We are pleased to announce that we will be launching
our Doctor of Management program in Fall 2000.
Students can select from three speciality programs
in: Human Systems, Technology and Information Systems
and International Operations. For more information,
please contact Mark Parker at mparker@umuc.edu.

Thank you.

Washington, DC: Typically, we hear that online courses aren't equivalent to regular courses taken at the university, specifically, in rigor and demands on students. How has UMUC combatted this notion?

Pam DeMartino: UMUC's online courses have the same content, structure,
assignments, and academic requirements as UMUC onsite
classes. Even though students participate through a
predominantly asynchronous format- at times convenient
to students-- they do the same work as individuals who
come to onsite class sections. Online course are highly
structured and require students to sign in frequently and
participate actively in full-class and small group discussions via the World Wide Web. To help you decide
if distance education is right for you, visit the Graduate
School's Distance Education Web site at www.umuc.edu/prog/
gsmt/gsmtdist

Burtonsville, Maryland: here's my question. Are classes in your program offered around towns at various locations or are they all in College Park where the university is located? I work in downtown DC.

Pam DeMartino: Actually, we offer courses at a variety of locations
in the DC/Baltimore metropolitan area. Of course,
College Park is our largest site. Shady Grove is
our largest regional center. And, we offer an array
of course offerings in Annapolis, Waldorf, Crystal
City, Baltimore and D.C. For information about other
UMUC sites, I encourage you to visit our website at
www.umuc.edu

Washington, DC: Do you find that most of your students are younger and are just discovering what they would like to study, or is it someone who has been in the workforce longer and would like to go back to school foe additional training?

Pam DeMartino: Typically, our students are mid-level career professionals
and have been in the work force for a considerable amount
of time. The average age of our Graduate Students is
36 years.

Germantown, MD: UMUC should consider offering a Master of Tax degree. Currently the only school in the area that offers this degree is American. It would be nice if people in the Metro area had a choice in where they get their degree.
Thank you

Pam DeMartino: Although we don't have a Master of Tax degree, we have
a new Accounting track in the Master of Science in
Managment degree. This track will be launched in Spring
2000. This program is designed to meet the growing
professional requirements of the accounting field,
including additional requirements to obtain and/or
retain licensure in the accounting profession.
Maybe this program would be of interest to you because
it includes course work in accounting practices and
standards, managment accounting, the audit process,
income taxation, and accounting information systems.
For more information on this, contact Dr. Jim Howard
at jhoward@umuc.edu.

Oakton, VA: Pam,
I am interested in UMUC. I graduated in 1989 at Univ. of Akron BSBA 2.7 GPA. Will I get accepted into UMUC?
I work for a data networking firm as Senior Sales Executive and love my job. I am interested in an MBA which would be geared toward IT. Do you offer such a program?
Finally, I moved to VA 6 months ago. -Filed MD taxes last year-. I have VA driver's license. Will I have to pay out-of-state tuition? Thank you for your help. Rachel

Pam DeMartino: Hello!

You have several questions and I'd like to respond to
each. Our MBA requires that students have an overall
undergraduate GPA of 3.0 to be admitted as a degree
seeking student. However, there are times when students
might be considered for provisional admission. I encourage
you to contact Scott Wibbert at swibbert@umuc.edu for
additional admission information regarding the MBA program.

I am pleased to learn that you love your job and certainly
believe that a graduate degree will enhance your knowledge
and marketability in your career. Although our MBA program
doesn't have a track in Information Technology, there is
a comprehensive technical component incorporated into the
MBA curriculum.

Now about residency, this tends to be a bit complex. Our
residency requirements are outlined in our publications
and our website. So, for further residency eligibility
information, visit www.umuc.edu

Best of luck to you in your future endeavors.

Washington, DC: Are there any environmental or planning masters degrees available through distance education?

Pam DeMartino: We have an Environmental Management Degree which is
available via online or in traditional classroom
settings. The Master of Science in Environmental
Management is designed to provide the skills, knowledge.
and competencies that students will need to function
effectively in multiple environmental management settings.
The courses in the program are interrelated and provide
a solid conceptual and applied foundation. For more
information about this program, I encourage you to
contact the program director, Dr. Bob Beauchamp at
rbeauchamp@umuc.edu

Pam DeMartino: Thank you for spending time learning about UMUC. We
truly believe our academic programs, faculty, staff and
services will provide you with an outstanding education support network.

For anyone in the nearby area, please join us at UMUC's
Open House in College Park tomorrow, Saturday, November
20 from 10 am - 1pm to visit with our faculty and staff.
If need directions or more information about our Open
House, please contact Julie Gritz at jgritz@umuc.edu

Thank you.

washingtonpost.com Advertising: Our thanks to Pam DeMartino. Join us on Monday at 1 p.m. for application process answers from Alan Millette of CollegeLink.com.