Science in the Evening

Letter from the SIE Director

Welcome to the Science in the Evening Program at the University of Maryland. Through this program, we hope to help you to further your post-baccalaureate education. I am Dr. Joelle Presson, director of Science in the Evening (SIE). Let me tell you a few things about our program:

SIE was started in 1996 to serve the growing interest in life sciences related careers. Many students who already earned an undergraduate degree were enrolling in daytime life science courses. Many asked about evening sections that would accommodate busy work and family schedules. The University responded with Science in the Evening, a set of courses offered at convenient evening times and just for post-baccalaureate students.

SIE is a post-baccalaureate program designed for students who have an undergraduate degree with little or no background in science and who want to explore preparing for a life-science related career. It is non-degree granting. SIE provides an excellent science education in preparation for medical school, dental school, veterinary school, biotechnology/biosciences graduate programs, or professional advancement. SIE is not a formal pre-med program but rather a set of science courses offered at the College Park campus in the evenings during the fall and spring semesters. SIE offers courses for a broader audience and registration is not restricted to a particular course sequence. Students, however, must meet all course pre- and co-requisites.

SIE courses provide the basic foundational curriculum in biology, chemistry, and physics needed for any life sciences career, whether medicine, patent law or graduate study. These evening courses—lectures, discussions, and labs—are identical in content to those offered during the day for the life sciences undergraduate degree programs. Course instructors are carefully screened and regularly evaluated to maintain quality and lab sections are taught by our experienced teaching assistants. SIE courses follow the same curriculum, have the same academic rigor, and follow the same academic policies as the University’s undergraduate program.

SIE applicants are provisionally admitted to the University as non-degree seeking undergraduates and are coded as SIE students. Full admission is granted upon fulfillment of two requirements: achieving a minimum score on the Math Placement Exam (MPE) and mandatory advising. Once fully admitted, registration is restricted to SIE-coded sections. SIE sections are much smaller than the daytime sections. In a daytime course, you would find 200-300 students in lecture. In SIE, you will find no more than 50-60 students in lecture.

Science courses (biology, chemistry, physics) at the University of Maryland require a high working facility with mathematics, especially basic arithmetic, algebra, and pre-calculus. All newly admitted students must take the online MPE and achieve a minimum score. A MATH block placed prevents registration until the MPE score posts to the student record.

SIE advising help students find their way. Many post-baccalaureate students are eager to begin preparation for a new career, but are uncertain of just what they need to do or the courses they should take. Perhaps you had organic chemistry 10 years ago; should you retake it? How many courses should you take at once, and what are the advantages of going to school at night versus quitting your job and attending full-time during the day? How do professional and graduate schools perceive these programs? An advising block prevents registration until the student attends mandatory advising.

SIE students who register for SIE courses are charged tuition based on the approved Maryland in-state undergraduate rate. All students pay the campus mandatory student services fee. SIE deadlines payment deadlines are program specific. Students are canceled for non-payment should payment not post by the deadline. To view SIE payment deadlines, click here.

Enrollment for daytime courses/sections is limited. Preference is given to degree-seeking undergraduates and SIE students may not register for fall or spring daytime sections until the first day of classes. SIE students who register for non-SIE courses prior to the first day of classes will be canceled with no prior notice. A registration block will be placed on the student account. SIE students who register for a non-SIE course/section are subject to tuition and fee rates based on their residency classification.

SIE is administered by an organized, efficient, and helpful support staff. As director of the program, the academic aspects of the program, including advising, are my responsibility. My staff and I select and review instructors, advise students, choose courses, and ensure the quality of the program. Administrative aspects of the program, such as admission, registration, and billing questions are handled through the Office of Extended Studies. Please contact Student Services at: oes@umd.edu or call 301-405-7762.

So, welcome to Science in the Evening. We wish you the best of luck in your courses and your career and hope to personally hear from each one of you.

Sincerely,

Joelle C. Presson, PhD
Assistant Dean, Undergraduate Academic Programs
College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences
University of Maryland
College Park, MD

SIE Program Announcements

SIE Advising & Information Session

• Date: May 7, 2013
• Time: 6 – 8 p.m. (session starts promptly at 6 p.m., please be on time).
• Location: Room 1103, BioScience Research Bldg

Click here for a preview of what will be discussed during the session.

Click here for a Campus Map.

New for Fall 2013

Starting Fall 2013 SIE will alternate offering Principles of Genetics BSCI222 and Microbiology BSCI223. This will provide SIE students access to a course that is critical for preparation for many professional and graduate programs. Classical and molecular genetics is increasingly on the MCAT, and is encouraged for both pre-medical and pre-dental students. Please see these links for how BSCI222 fits into the course preparation for these two fields. Note that for SIE we recommend one semester of biology and one semester of chemistry as an appropriate preparation to enroll in genetics.