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UMBC Text Styles

Alumni  I   Address  I  Ampersand  I  Campus Location Names  I  Campus Offices and Departments That Use Abbreviations  I  Chair; Chairperson  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 TitlesUMBC 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:

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 Professional Staff Senate (PSS) will meet on Thursday. PSS members will discuss….

Chair; Chairperson

Use chair or chairperson, even if you know the gender of the person involved.

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
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.B., Artium Baccalaureus (Bachelor of Arts)
  • A.M., Artium Magister (Master of Arts)
  • 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.

  • Plutopia by Kate Brown
  • U.S. News & World Report named UMBC an up-and-coming…
  • …was quoted in The Washington Post

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
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