Mar 29, 2024  
2002-2003 Graduate Catalog 
    
2002-2003 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

President’s Message


Welcome!

The University of Maine is unique in the state. It awards the most undergraduate and graduate degrees. Its research efforts bring daily improvement to Maine’s quality of life and economy. And its public service activities extend the boundaries of the campus to the boundaries of the state. Created by the Morrill Act that was signed by Abraham Lincoln, the university was officially founded in 1865; and it has grown to be Maine’s flagship university.

If you have chosen to pursue a course of study at the University of Maine, you have chosen from the broadest array of academic programs the state has to offer. Whether you are studying science, engineering, arts, humanities, social sciences, or professional studies, you can expect to be challenged to high achievement. You can expect small classes, opportunity for close interaction with outstanding professors, hands-on experiential learning, cutting-edge technology, and opportunities to work in teams. Your education will be as exacting and productive as you choose to make it.

The Undergraduate Catalog is a tool that can open up a world of learning opportunity. Used in conjunction with regular advising, it will lead you to the choices and options that make American higher education unique in the world. Take time to learn the contents of the catalog. Knowing the requirements for your degree and your major can save you time, lead you to the best courses for your academic needs, and help you focus your studies. Knowing the choices that exist can help you plan and select the best options. If you have questions about your course of study, talk to your advisor, your professors, and your department chair. They are here not only to teach the individual courses that make up your program, but to help you fit them into a complete pattern of learning.

Remember that your major is only one piece of your degree program. Your best bet is to surround it with courses in other departments that complement and reinforce the major. Take advantage of elective courses to fill out a complete program of study, and discover, like many who have come before you, the unexpected joy of studying a subject you never thought would interest you. Most people today can expect to change their career plans several times over the course of a lifetime, and everyone will spend more time with family, civic responsibilities, and leisure than they will in their workplace. So a complete, well-rounded course of study that helps prepare you for the unexpected turns of the future, and that leads to a lifetime of learning, is the best option.

I hope that you will enjoy your time at the University of Maine and find, like most of our alumni, that your years here are among the very best of your life. We at the University of Maine are glad you are here. We stand ready to serve you any way we can.

Sincerely,

Peter S. Hoff
President