Brief Introduction:

The University of Maryland University College (UMUC) is a distance learning university located in the unincorporated community of Adelphi in Prince George's County, Maryland in the United States. Serving over 90,000 students worldwide, UMUC is one of the largest distance learning institutions and is open to all applicants with a 100 percent acceptance rate for undergraduate programmes.

Cooperation with the OUC:

The OUC and UMUC have engaged in frequent exchanges over recent years. The two universities signed a cooperation letter of intent in 2011 and established a strategic partnership.

On 13 September 2011, UMUC President, Dr. Susan Aldridge, led a delegation to the OUC. A decision was made to sign a framework cooperation agreement to establish a strategic partnership as soon as possible through consultation.

On 2 October 2011, the OUC signed a cooperation letter of intent with UMUC on the sidelines of the 24th International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE) World Conference in Bali, Indonesia. Both parties agreed to jointly develop standards and methods for curriculum certification and credit transfer; explore the possibility of conferring joint degrees; deepen cooperation in distance education research; set up cooperative research projects and exchange researchers; hold academic seminars at both universities; continue regular communication via two-way video conferencing; hold exchanges related to teaching model, principle and pedagogy; and conduct regular academic exchanges, which include English- and Chinese-language teachers and scholars, to enhance online teaching research.