Laura LeeThe University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) has established a significant presence at the Universities at Shady Grove (USG) in Rockville, Md., with four of its professional schools offering six distinct degree programs on the Montgomery County campus. The School of Nursing, School of Dentistry, School of Social Work, and School of Pharmacy offer high-quality education at this unique location where students can earn degrees from nine different Maryland public universities. USG’s model provides centralized student services while UMB and other partner universities award their own degrees, creating pathways to health care and social work careers while advancing UMB’s mission to serve the public good of Maryland through education, research, clinical care, and service. USG is led by executive director Anne Khademian, PhD, MPA, who also serves as associate vice chancellor for academic affairs, University System of Maryland.
University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON)
- Programs offered: Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
- Enrollment: 402 BSN students and 63 DNP students
- Leadership: Jana Goodwin, PhD, RN, CNE, chair, UMSON Program at the Universities at Shady Grove, and assistant professor
- Campus presence: Nursing is the largest UMB program at Shady Grove.
- Community impact: Students host annual flu vaccine clinics with the Montgomery County Health Department, organized COVID-19 vaccination clinics in 2021, and run an annual blood drive through the University of Maryland Association of Nursing Students.
University of Maryland School of Dentistry (UMSOD)
- Programs offered: BS/MS Dual Degree Clinical Dental Hygiene Leader (CDHL) Track
- Enrollment: Seven students (three seniors and four juniors)
- Unique features: Students can earn both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in dental hygiene in just seven semesters, making it one of the only programs nationwide offering this dual degree.
- Leadership: Oksana Mishler, RDH, MS, DHSc, serves as director of graduate studies and academic program director. Halima Karim, DDS, serves as director of clinical services.
- State-of-the-Art Dental Facility: UMSOD’s Shady Grove Health and Dental Services Facility offers quality dental care in an educational environment. At this community-based site, dental students provide services under the supervision of experienced UMSOD faculty dentists. Dental students, endodontic residents, and Advanced Education in General Dentistry residents rotate through the facility while dental hygiene students are permanently based at USG.
- Community impact: UMSOD launched a partnership with the Montgomery County Health Department in February 2025 to assist the county with a list of over 1,000 patients waiting for dental care. The Shady Grove dental facility also hosts regular Mission of Mercy clinics and Sealant Saturday events to provide oral health care to underinsured Marylanders.
University of Maryland School of Social Work
- Programs offered: Master of Social Work (MSW) with Clinical Concentration. Students in this concentration develop assessment and intervention skills to work with families, youth, and adults in mental health, health care, substance abuse, child welfare, and educational settings.
- Enrollment: 200 MSW students
- Leadership: Joan Pittman, PhD, MSW, LCSW-C, serves as clinical professor and director of the MSW program at Shady Grove.
- Field experience: Field placements are available in Montgomery, Prince George’s, and Frederick counties, and Washington, D.C.
- Special initiatives: Recently launched “Social Work in Action” program in collaboration with Montgomery College, Montgomery County Public Schools, and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County’s undergraduate social work program to create a stronger workforce pipeline.
- Financial benefit: The program now offers in-state tuition for D.C. residents.
University of Maryland School of Pharmacy
- Programs offered: MS in Medical Cannabis Science and Therapeutics and MS in Pharmaceutical Sciences
- Enrollment: About 130 students are enrolled in the Medical Cannabis Science and Therapeutics program, while 40 students are in Pharmaceutical Sciences, with plans to expand to 65 next year.
- Leadership: Steven Fletcher, PhD, directs the MS in Pharmaceutical Sciences program. Chad Johnson, PhD, leads the MS in Medical Cannabis Science and Therapeutics program.
- Unique features: The MS in Medical Cannabis Science and Therapeutics is the first such graduate program in the world and recently added coursework in medical psychedelics.
- Career preparation: The Pharmaceutical Sciences program includes biopharmaceutical research internships with industry partners in the Interstate 270 biotechnology corridor.
