University of Southern Maine
Corium, ME 04038-1088
(207) 780-5670 (800) 800-4876; FAX: (207) 780-5640

The University of Southern Maine, founded in 1878, is a publicly funded, multicampus, liberal arts institution serving the University of Maine system. There are 6 undergraduate and 7 graduate schools. In addition to regional accreditation, USM has baccalaureate program accreditation with ABET, CSWE, NCATE, and NLN. The 3 libraries contain 379,554 volumes, 943,424 microform items, and 1344 audiovisual forms/CDs, and subscribe to 3386 periodicals. Computerized library services include interlibrary loans and database searching. Special learning facilities include a learning resource center, art gallery, planetarium, radio station, TV station, and cartography collections. The 144-acre campus is in a suburban area 110 miles north of Boston and 10 miles west of the urban Portland campus. Including residence hails, there are 66 buildings.

Student Life: 94% of undergraduates are from Maine. Others are from 23 states, 31 foreign countries, and Canada. 97% are white. The average age of ail undergraduates is 28.

Housing: 1332 students can be accommodated in college housing, which includes coed dormitories, on-campus apartments, and married-student housing. In addition, there are a fine arts house and the Russell Scholars program, in which students live together, take 2 classes together, and have study groups and workshops. A chemical-free floor and a 24-hour quiet floor are available. On-campus housing is guaranteed for all 4 years. 86% of students commute. All students may keep cars.

Activities: 1% of men belong to 4 national fraternities; 1% of women belong to 2 local and 2 national sororities. There are 75 groups on campus, including art, band, cheerleading, chess, choir, chorale, chorus, commuters, computers, dance, drama, environmental, ethnic, film, gay, honors, international, jazz band, literary magazine, musical theater, newspaper, opera, orchestra, outing, photography, political, professional, radio and TV, religious, social, social service, student government, and yearbook. Popular campus events include Children’s Holiday Party, Winter Weekend. New Student Welcome, and Spring Fling.

Sports: There are 8 intercollegiate sports for men and 8 for women, and 13 intramural sports for men and 13 for women. Facilities include gyms, tennis courts, athletic fields, racquetball and squash courts, crosscountry ski trails, and weight-training and exercise facilities.

Disabled Students: All of the campus is accessible. Wheelchair ramps, elevators, special parking, specially equipped rest rooms, special class scheduling, lowered drinking fountains, and lowered telephones are available.

Services: Counseling and information services are available, as is tutoring in some subjects, including English, math, and introductory-level courses. There is a reader service for the blind, and remedial math, reading, and writing.

Campus Safety and Security: Measures include 24-hour foot and vehicle patrol, escort service, shuttle buses, and informal discussions. There are pamphlets/posters/films, emergency telephones, and lighted pathways/sidewalks.

Programs of Study: USM confers B.A., B.S., B.F.A., and B.Mus. degrees. Associate and master’s degrees are also awarded. Bachelor’s degrees are awarded in BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE (biology/biological science), BUSINESS (accounting and business administration and management), COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS (communications, dramatic arts, English, fine arts, French, music, and music performance), COMPUTER AND PHYSICAL SCIENCE (chemistry, computer science, geology, mathematics, and physics), EDUCATION (music and technical), ENGINEERING AND ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN (electrical/electronics engineering, environmental science, and industrial engineering technology), HEALTH PROFESSIONS (nursing and recreation therapy), SOCIAL SCIENCE (anthropology, economics, geography, history, philosophy, political science/government, psychology, social work, and sociology). Electrical engineering, computer science, and nursing are the strongest academically. Business administration, nursing, and English are the largest.

Required: A total of 120 hours, with 36 to 94 in the major and a minimum GPA of 2.0, is required for graduation. All students must fulfill the distribution requirements of the 3-part core curriculum: basic competence, methods of inquiry and ways of knowing, and interdisciplinary studies.

Special: Cross-registration within the University of Maine system and 5 Greater Portland colleges, a Washington semester, and study abroad in more than 12 countries are offered. Internships, co-op and work-study programs, a B.A.-B.S. degree, dual and student-designed majors, credit for life experience, nondegree study, and pass/fail options are also available. There is a January intersession. There are 11 national honor societies, including Phi Beta Kappa, a freshman honors program, and 9 departmental honors programs.

Faculty/Classroom: 63% of faculty are male; 37%, female. 80% teach undergraduates and all do research. No introductory courses are taught by graduate students. The average class size in an introductory lecture is 50; in a lab, 20; and in a regular course, 25.

Admissions: 76% of the 1997-98 applicants were accepted. The SAT I scores for the 1997-98 freshman class were: Verbal-39% below 500, 42% between 500 and 599, 18% between 600 and 700, and 2% above 700; Math–46% below 500, 39% between 500 and 599, 13% between 600 and 700, and 2% above 700.