Admission Standards for the
Robert H. Smith School of Business at Shady Grove

All students who wish to apply for admission to The Robert H. Smith School of Business program at Shady Grove should plan on attending a Smith School at Shady Grove Admission Workshop.

To request a Smith School undergraduate program information packet, please contact the Universities at Shady Grove (USG) Office of Student Services at 301-738-6023. In addition you may contact Jesse Bowen, Limited Enrollment Program, LEP advisor, Admissions Office, Mitchell Building at 301-314-8385.

Applications for the Smith School of Business at Shady Grove can be found here: www.admissions.umd.edu/apply/hobsons.cfm. Admission to the Robert H. Smith School of Business is competitive, as capacity in each Smith School major offered at Shady Grove is limited.

Admission Criteria:

It is expected that all students entering the Robert H. Smith School of Business BMGT major at Shady Grove will have completed 60 credit hours, including all undergraduate CORE and fundamental studies requirements, Public Speaking, BMGT 221 (Accounting II) and ECON 201, at the time of enrollment.

To be considered for admission, applicants must complete the following requirements:

• Minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA (preferred, may vary based upon the applicant pool)
• Minimum junior standing—60 credits earned
• Completion of 50% of lower-level university core requirements

Completion of Gateway courses, all with “C-“or better:

• BMGT 220 + 221 Principles of Accounting I & II
• ECON 200 + 201 Principles of Micro- & Macro-Economics
• ENGL 101 Introduction to Writing
• MATH 220, 130 or 140 Calculus I
• BMGT230¹ or 231² (or equivalent) Business Statistics

¹ The following courses are approved substitutes for BMGT230: BIOM301, CCJS200, ECON321, EDMS451, GEOG306, PSYC200, and SOCY201.
² The following courses are approved substitutes for BMGT231: ENEE324, ENME392, or STAT400.

Co-curricular involvement, leadership experience and honors and awards will also be considered in the admission decision. Students are strongly encouraged to submit with their applications a resume and letter detailing their accomplishments and experience.

Application Deadlines for Transfer Students: The priority application deadline is the 1st business day of June and the final deadline is the 1st business day of August. The Robert H. Smith School of Business program at Shady Grove admits students ONLY in the Fall semester on a competitive and rolling basis and rolling admissions will continue until each major is filled.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What majors will be offered at Shady Grove?

A: Beginning Fall semester 2011, the following BMGT majors will be offered: Accounting, Management with specialization in Entrepreneurship, International Business, and Marketing. Details on the curriculum in each major program are available online

2. What are the advantages to studying Business at Shady Grove?

A: At maximum capacity, there will be 360 students majoring in BMGT at Shady Grove. Therefore, students studying at Shady Grove will enjoy small class sizes and easy access to academic advising and career counselors. Expedited registration will assure course availability. The Shady Grove Center is a beautiful corporate setting with state-of-the-art classrooms and computer labs—located close to everything in the high-tech Montgomery County corridor.

3. What is different between the BMGT major offered at Shady Grove and College Park?

A: The program at Shady Grove admits students only in the fall semester due to the MBA-cohort style of four semesters, sequential full-time degree program. There are no mid-year admissions into the Shady Grove program. All courses at Shady Grove will be taught by the same corps of faculty, will consist of the same required courses, and will have the same graduation requirements as those offered at UMCP. Students at the Shady Grove programs will complete all of their coursework at Shady Grove, and will declare a single major program of study. Students who complete the Smith BMGT program at Shady Grove graduate and receive a degree/diploma from the University of Maryland, College Park, Robert H. Smith School of Business.

4. May I take courses elsewhere in fulfillment of BMGT requirements?

A: Only upper division business courses offered by the University of Maryland, College Park, at the Shady Grove Center or through the UMCP summer or winter program, or by another AACSB accredited institution, may be applied to these degree programs. Permission to enroll at another institution must be granted in advance.

5. Are my grades in community college or in another major counted in the GPA I need to be admitted to BMGT?

A: Yes. All grades from all coursework taken anywhere are included. You are required to submit transcripts for all coursework previously taken.

6. I have earned more than 60 credit hours. May I still be considered for admission?

A: Yes. There is no hard-and-fast number of credits that would limit your ability to be admitted to BMGT, although priority will be given to those who have not yet earned a degree. (NOTE: Advance Placement and ESL credits are not included in the number of credits for purposes of meeting admission requirements.)

7. I have completed only 6 of my lower-level core courses; may I still be considered for admission?

A: Yes, you may be admitted with 50% of your lower-level core completed. However, no 100-200-level courses will be provided at Shady Grove; therefore, you will have to return to your community college or attend somewhere else to take the remaining core courses in fulfillment of graduation requirements.

NOTE: Admission requirements and policies may be subject to change. Please check our Web site for the most up-to-date and comprehensive information