University Of Southern Maine
Location and Contact Information
96 Falmouth StPortland, ME 04103
USA
Main Tel: (207) 780-4141
Web Site
The campus is in a small city.
Overview
The University of Southern Maine, or USM, is the largest of the seven campuses of the University of Maine System, as well as the oldest. USM's main campus is in Portland, which was named America's Most Livable city by Forbes in 2009 and one of the country's greenest cities by Organic Gardening Magazine in February/March 2008.
It was founded in 1878 as the Gorham Normal School. It was later renamed Gorham State Teachers College and Gorham State College. The school merged with the University of Maine at Portland in 1969 and was named the University of Maine at Portland-Gorham, or UMPG.
In 1978, USM adopted its current name. The university also has a campus in Lewiston/Auburn, which has a focus on servicing non-traditional students and interdisciplinary studies, and a campus in Gorham.
The University of Southern Maine has been named a Best Northeastern College for the fifth year in a row by The Princeton Review.
USM is divided into the following academic units:
- College of Arts and Sciences
- College of Education and Human Development
- College of Nursing and Health Professions
- School of Applied Science, Engineering, and Technology
- School of Business
- University of Maine School of Law
- Lewiston-Auburn College
- Edmund S. Muskie School of Public Service
USM has recognized many fraternities and sororities. Among these Greek Letter Organizations are Delta Chi, Phi Kappa Sigma, Kappa Delta Phi, Sigma Nu, Phi Mu, and Alpha Xi Delta.
USM sports teams are referred to as the Huskies and compete in the NCAA Division III in the Little East Conference. In addition to men's and women's athletic teams, there coed sports of cheering and golf.
The famous alumni of University of Southern Maine include Tony Shalhoub, actor; novelist Lois Lowry; Raymond Stevens, research scientist; and Walter Mattson, former president of the New York Times.
Highlights (vs. Other Schools)
- Many students concentrating in nursing and emergency medicine, media, and law.
- Large number of programs of study offered.
- Large number of students.
- High faculty salary.
- Numerous part-time students.
- Many mature (40+ year old) students.
- High female/male ratio.
School characteristics:
- The school is public.
- Academic calender: Semester.
- Carnegie classification: Masters Colleges and Universities I.
Features of note:
- The school offers a faculty tenure system.
- There are one or more libraries on-campus.
- Campus housing is available.
- Students have meal (board) plans.
- Students may study abroad.
- Distance learning is available.
- Weekend study is an option.
- Part-time classes are available.
- ROTC.
Tuition and Financial Aid (2009-2010)
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| State Tuition and fees | $ 8,174 |
| Out-of-state tuition and fees | $ 20,384 |
| Room | $ 4,696 |
| Board | $ 4,424 |
| Books and supplies | $ 1,200 |
| Other | $ 3,628 |
Financial Aid
University Of Southern Maine participates in US Title IV financial assistance programs.
In 2009-2010, 89% of students received financial aid of some sort.
| Grants | % of Students | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Any Grant | 60% | $4,731 |
| Institutional Grant | 28% | $3,367 |
| Federal Grant | 42% | $3,383 |
| Pell Grant | 29% | $3,248 |
| Other Federal Grant | 39% | $1,200 |
| State or Local Grant | 38% | $1,318 |
| Loans | % of Students | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Student Loan | 77% | $8,506 |
| Federal Loan | 70% | $7,633 |
| Other Loan | 12% | $9,768 |
(Please refer to BrainTrack's financial aid articles section for background information.)
Similar Schools
Based on proprietary BrainTrack computer comparisons against all other US colleges, these schools appear to be most similar to University Of Southern Maine:
Click a column header to sort.
| School | Location | Enrollment | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Maine | Orono, ME | 11,818 |
| 2 | Clarion University of Pennsylvania | Clarion, PA | 7,100 |
| 3 | Edinboro University of Pennsylvania | Edinboro, PA | 7,671 |
| 4 | Keene State College | Keene, NH | 5,271 |
| 5 | University of Dayton | Dayton, OH | 10,920 |
| 6 | Kent State University Kent Campus | Kent, OH | 22,944 |
| 7 | University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee | Milwaukee, WI | 29,215 |
| 8 | West Virginia University | Morgantown, WV | 28,840 |
| 9 | University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh | Oshkosh, WI | 12,753 |
| 10 | Oakland University | Rochester Hills, MI | 18,175 |
Degrees Awarded (in 2009-2010)
| Degree | Total Earned | Different Programs |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor | 1,101 | 52 |
| Master | 474 | 31 |
| Doctorate (Professional Practice) | 91 | 1 |
| Post-master's certificate | 22 | 8 |
| Associate | 8 | 3 |
| Doctorate (Research/Scholarship) | 3 | 1 |
Faculty
Tenure (2009-2010):
| Full-Time Faculty | Total | |
|---|---|---|
| With tenure | 258 | |
| Without tenure; working toward tenure | 48 | |
| Without tenure; tenure not available | 53 |
Students
Student enrollment was 10,009 in 2009-2010 (7,330 full-time equivalent).
About 46% of the freshmen class in 2009-2010 was male and women were 54% of the class.
Undergrads are 75% of enrolled students and graduate students are 25%.
Students under 25 years old represent 57% of the student body. About 14% of the school is at least 40 years of age.
Among freshmen students, 92% are full-time and 8% are part-time.
Admissions Summary (2009-2010)
Applicants Admitted Men 83% Women 84% All 84%
SAT Test Scores:
SAT Middle 50% Verbal 450-560 Math 450-550 Writing 440-550
Room and Board
University Of Southern Maine provides on-campus housing for 1,526 of its 7,330 (full-time) students (as of 2009-2010).
Students may purchase a meal plan which includes 19 meals weekly.
Athletics
The school is in the Little East Conference for major sports.
International Study
About 0% of freshmen are from countries other than the US.
International applicants are required to take the TOEFL exam.
Graduate School Focus
University Of Southern Maine offers graduate (post-Bachelor) studies. The highest degree offered is the Doctorate (Research/Scholarship & Professional Practice).
Graduate offerings include continuing professional education.The school's Graduate School Carnegie Classification is Postbaccalaureate With Arts & Sciences (Education Dominant).
Programs of Study
(Number of degrees in 2009-2010 in parentheses)
ART STUDIES
- Art/Art Studies
BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT
- Accounting
- Accounting and Finance
- Business Administration and Management
- Business Administration, Management and Operations
- Finance
- Marketing/Marketing Management
COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
- Computer Science
CONSERVATION AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
- Environmental Science
- Environmental Studies
DRAMA AND PERFORMING ARTS
- Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts
EDUCATION AND TEACHING
- Adult and Continuing Education and Teaching
- Art Teacher Education
- Counselor Education/School Counseling and Guidance Services
- Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship
- Music Teacher Education
- Reading Teacher Education
- Secondary School Administration/Principalship
- Special Education and Teaching
- Teacher Education, Multiple Levels
- Teacher Education/Profess Development, Levels & Methods
- Teaching English as Second/Foreign Language/ESL Language Instructor
- Technology Teacher Education/Industrial Arts Teacher Education
- Trade and Industrial Teacher Education
ENGINEERING
- Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
ENGINEERING TECHNICIAN
- Industrial Technology/Technician
- Manufacturing Technology/Technician
FAMILY AND SOCIAL WORK
- Public Administration and Social Service Professions
- Public Policy Analysis
- Social Work
FINE ARTS
- Fine/Studio Arts
LAW
- Law (LLB, JD)
LIBERAL ARTS
- Area Studies
- Creative Writing
- Economics
- English Language and Literature
- French Language and Literature
- History
- Humanities/Humanistic Studies
- Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies
- Linguistics
- Political Science and Government
- Social Sciences
- Sociology
- Women's Studies
MATHEMATICS
- Mathematics
- Statistics
MEDIA
- Communication Studies/Speech Communication and Rhetoric
- Mass Communication/Media Studies
MEDICAL ADMINISTRATION
- Environmental Health
- Health/Health Care Administration/Management
MEDICAL SUPPORT AND TECHNOLOGY
- Allied Health Diagnostic/Intervention/Treatment Professions, Oth
MUSIC
- Conducting
- Jazz/Jazz Studies
- Music Performance
- Music Theory and Composition
- Music
NURSING AND EMERGENCY MEDICINE
- Family Practice Nurse/Nurse Practitioner
- Nursing/Registered Nurse (RN, ASN, BSN, MSN)
- Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing
NUTRITION AND EXERCISE THERAPY
- Athletic Training/Trainer
- Health and Physical Education
- Occupational Therapy/Therapist
- Therapeutic Recreation/Recreational Therapy
RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY
- Philosophy
SCIENCE
- Biochemistry
- Biology/Biological Sciences
- Chemistry
- Exercise Physiology
- Geology/Earth Science
- Immunology
- Physical Sciences
- Physics
SECURITY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Criminology
THERAPY AND COUNSELING
- Educational Psychology
- Psychology
- School Psychology