Alumni I Address I Ampersand I Campus Location Names I Campus Offices and Departments That Use Abbreviations I Chair; Chairperson I College and Department Names I Committee Names I Days/Dates I Degree Listings I Holiday Communications I Months I myUMBC I Names and Titles of People I Political Candidates I States I Titles I UMBC President I UMBC at The Universities at Shady Grove
Alumni
All alumni of the university should be noted as such in university publications and websites. See proper styles here.
Address
When including an address on a publication, please use the following format:
Department Name (bold)
Room Number, Building Name (if appropriate)
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
1000 Hilltop Circle
Baltimore, MD (or Maryland) 21250
Please note: The full state name or abbreviation can be used above, followed by a single space, and then the zip code.
Ampersand
An ampersand should be used only for place names, e.g., Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery. In all other instances, the word “and” should be spelled out.
Campus Location Names
Campus Name
We want to be known by the four-letter acronym UMBC. Our full name—University of Maryland, Baltimore County—may appear on brochures and stationery when necessary, but should always be used on the second mention and should be visually subordinate to the acronym. Generally, the full name should be typeset smaller than the acronym, in whatever font is being used for the body of the text. The letterhead design is a good example of the proper relationship between the wordmark and the full name of the institution.
Do NOT use:
- University of Maryland
- University of Maryland, Baltimore Campus
- University of Maryland at Baltimore County
- University of Maryland Baltimore County (no comma)
Additional Campus Location Names
Use these proper names for the following locations related to UMBC:
- The Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena
- UMBC at The Universities at Shady Grove (see more information at link)
- The Rita Rossi Colwell Center (formerly the Columbus Center), home of IMET, the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology
Campus Offices and Departments That Use Abbreviations
Spell out the names of campus departments and offices and include the abbreviation in parentheses if repeating. On the second reference, abbreviate with uppercase letters and no periods.
- The Exempt Staff Senate (ESS) will meet on Thursday. ESS members will discuss….
Chair; Chairperson
Use chair or chairperson, even if you know the gender of the person involved.
College and Department Names
See this page for the most updated list of colleges and departments.
Please take care to use the full, proper name of the college or department. Departments should be listed as “Department of … ” on first reference, and colleges should be listed as shown below. For example:
- The Department of History will host a webinar on Monday. History majors from across the decades are invited to attend.
- The College of Engineering and Information Technology (COEIT) is having a reunion. Alums from the college will come from far and wide to participate.
For more information on capitalization, read this entry.
Committee Names
Spell out the names of campus committees and include the abbreviation in parentheses if repeating. On the second reference, abbreviate with uppercase letters and no periods.
Days/Dates
Do not abbreviate days unless in a tabular format where space is needed, then use the first three letters of each day as shown.
- MON, TUE, WED, THU, FRI, SAT, SUN
Important dates should be listed in the following way:
- Application deadline: January 15
- Please register by November 15, 2018.
Do NOT use:
- Application deadline: January 3rd
- Please register by November 15th
Degree Listings
Academic Degrees
When abbreviating a degree, insert a period after each letter (no space between). Ph.D. is usually abbreviated.
- M.S. in applied molecular biology
- B.A. in Africana studies
When writing about degrees in general, use the following (based on AP style):
- I received a bachelor’s degree in English. I earned a bachelor of arts degree in English.
- As a transfer student, I came to UMBC with an associate degree in general studies.
- I am pursuing a master’s degree in history. I already have a master of science degree in engineering.
- My doctoral degree is in biological sciences. I might pursue another doctorate in chemistry.
UMBC Degrees
These are the degrees offered at UMBC. See rules for degree capitalization.
- B.A., Bachelor of Arts
- B.F.A., Bachelor of Fine Arts
- B.S., Bachelor of Science
- B.S.E., Bachelor of Science in Engineering
- M.A., Master of Arts
- M.A.T., Master of Arts in Teaching
- M.F.A., Master of Fine Arts
- M.P.P., Master of Public Policy
- M.P.S., Master of Policy Science
- M.P.S., Master of Professional Studies
- M.S., Master of Science
- Ph.D., Philosophiae Doctor (Doctor of Philosophy)
Other Degrees
- A.A., Associate of Arts
- A.B., Artium Baccalaureus (Bachelor of Arts)
- A.M., Artium Magister (Master of Arts)
- A.S., Associate of Science
- B.D., Bachelor of Divinity
- D.B., Divinitatis Baccalaureus (Bachelor of Divinity)
- D.D., Divinitatis Doctor (Doctor of Divinity)
- D.D.S., Doctor of Dental Surgery
- D.O., Doctor of Osteopathy
- D.V.M., Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
- Esq., Esquire
- F.A.I.A., Fellow of the American Institute of Architects
- F.R.S., Fellow of the Royal Society
- J.D., Juris Doctor (Doctor of Law)
- J.P., Justice of the Peace
- L.H.D., Litterarum Humaniorum Doctor (Doctor of Humanities)
- Litt.D., Litterarum Doctor (Doctor of Letters)
- LL.D., Legum Doctor (Doctor of Laws)
- M.D., Medicinae Doctor (Doctor of Medicine)
- M.D./Ph.D., Doctor of Medicine and Doctor of Philosophy
- M.P., Member of Parliament
- M.S.W., Master of Social Work
- P.B.C. (Postbaccalaureate Certificate)
- Ph.B., Philosophiae Baccalaureus (Bachelor of Philosophy)
- Ph.G., Graduate in Philosophy
- S.B., Scientiae Baccalaureus (Bachelor of Science)
- S.M., Scientiae Magister (Master of Science)
- S.T.B., Sacrae Theologiae Baccalaureus (Bachelor of Sacred Theology)
Holiday Communications
Holiday-related communications issued by the university should take all religious outlooks into account, not favoring one above the rest.
Months
Months should not be abbreviated in sentences. Numerals alone may be used for calendars, listings, etc.
- The fall semester begins on September 1, 2014.
- Men’s Basketball vs. Stonybrook, 9/15/17, 7 p.m.
Women’s Basketball vs. Binghamton, 9/17/17, 6 p.m.
Women’s Soccer vs. Vermont, 9/20/17, 5 p.m.
myUMBC
When writing out myUMBC, no italics are necessary.
Names and Titles of People
In print stories, and as appropriate online, names of UMBC faculty, staff, alumni, and donors should be in bold. Alumni, including faculty and staff who attended UMBC, should be listed with their graduate year and major information. See proper alumni styles here.
- Richard Chisolm ’82, interdisciplinary studies, has a unique vantage point on UMBC’s history. He lived on the edge of campus as the university grew. In…
- UMBC researcher Govind Rao, professor of chemical & biochemical engineering, wants to bring the bounty of the information age to a drugstore near you.
Avoid honorifics when possible, instead using the information as part of a sentence. For example, instead of “Dr. Jan Smith teaches here,” use “Jan Smith, professor of history, teaches here.” Exceptions may be made for name tags. Videos should avoid use of honorifics and instead use relevant information in subheads.
Political Candidates
The university does not write announcements about the campaigns of political candidates.
States
Spell out state names when used alone. When abbreviating state names, use standard postal codes.
- Maryland is a wonderful state
- I hope to visit Baltimore, MD, soon
Titles
Titles of books, and other complete works such as magazines and newspapers, should be italicized.
- With all our Strength by Anne Brodsky
- U.S. News & World Report named UMBC an up-and-coming…
- …was quoted in The Washington Post
UMBC President
UMBC’s president is Valerie Sheares Ashby. After using her full name on first reference, on second reference use President Sheares Ashby or Sheares Ashby. For information about President Sheares Ashby, visit president.umbc.edu.
UMBC’s previous president, Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, should be referred to as president emeritus.
UMBC at The Universities at Shady Grove
Always use the proper name, UMBC at The Universities at Shady Grove, first in publications, especially when necessary to explain the full infrastructure. The alternate, UMBC-Shady Grove, is the preferred name for audiences familiar with the campus.
Do not use: UMBC@USG, UMBC-USG
UMBC at The Universities at Shady Grove is a branch campus located in Rockville, MD, operating at The Universities at Shady Grove, a USM regional center.
9636 Gudelsky Drive
Rockville, MD 20850
umbc.edu/shadygrove