The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), established in 1966, is an historically-diverse, highly-selective, public research university. The graduate schools of UMBC and the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB), combined in 1985, comprise the University of Maryland Graduate School Baltimore (UMGSB) as one of the University System of Maryland's (USM) two principal centers for research and doctoral level training.

As an honors university, UMBC aspires to be one of the finest of the new American research universities that effectively blend high-quality teaching, advanced research, and social responsibility. UMBC is a research institution with a profound commitment to liberal education and its relevance to contemporary life. A strong liberal arts and sciences core provides the foundation for the undergraduate educational experience. UMBC offers a complement of disciplinary and interdisciplinary masters and doctoral programs with an emphasis on selected areas of the sciences, engineering, information technology, human services, and public policy. These programs are closely linked to undergraduate programs in the liberal arts and sciences and engineering. The University has developed particular strength in interdisciplinary instruction and research by building bridges among the cultures of the sciences, engineering, humanities, visual and performing arts, and the social sciences.