Admission Process

The Professional & Continuing Education offers an open, rolling admissions policy and program which provides degree candidates with an ongoing and "user friendly" process for initiating degree candidacy. If you have further questions concerning our admission process and information below, please call 508-910-6536.

Open Enrollment

The Professional & Continuing Education is committed to serve the needs of those students who choose to pursue a degree evenings on a part-time/full-time basis. Any person who has graduated from high school or holds a Certificate of General Education Development (GED) is entitled to enroll in undergraduate courses offered through the Professional & Continuing Education. Please contact the UMD Labor Education Center, if you need to achieve your GED. All credit courses offered are University of Massachusetts Dartmouth courses and the grades earned are reflected in the student's grade point average at the university. Students may enroll in a single course, a number of courses, or a program leading to a bachelor's degree. In addition, each term, courses are offered for personal or professional development which carry no academic credit and a few courses for professional certification may be offered which, at their completion, award Continuing Education Units (CEUs).

Many students who attend the university through the Professional & Continuing Education are working full time, have family responsibilities and have a limited amount of time available to study and attend courses. These students may have attended a community college, may have started their coursework at the university directly after high school, or may have had years elapse between their high school and university careers. All are welcome and are encouraged as they achieve each level of their education. Whether a student registers for courses each Fall term, each Spring term or continues through many terms, each is advised individually as they progress toward their academic goals.

This learning environment provides the opportunity for students, including those who are unsure of their ability to do college work, to explore academic courses, to return to school at a pace of their own choosing, to continue their education while enrolled in a degree program at another college or university or to explore their personal interests.

Degree Candidacy

In order to receive proper academic advising, a student who intends to earn a degree at UMD should complete an Application for Degree. Any student who has completed 30-60 credits before entering UMD must designate a major on the Application for Degree Form at the time of requesting admission.

At the time a student declares a major, the university department in which the student has declared an interest will review the student's academic record and will accept the student into that degree program where appropriate. When a student is accepted into a major, those courses that were successfully completed and which satisfy the requirements for the major will count toward graduation. All courses, whether applicable to the major or not, if taken at UMD, will appear on the student's transcript and will be calculated into the student's grade point average.

Application for Degree

Would you like for us to mail you a Degree Application Packet? Please request an information packet online.

Fill out and return your completed Degree Application (a printable application .pdf is available online for your convenience) to either our Dartmouth or Fall River PCE offices. Be sure to attach the appropriate application fee, and indicate if your last name is different from the name on your transcripts and if you are requesting degree candidacy for financial aid purposes.

The application review dates are as follows:

• Fall Semester: Applications complete prior to October 1: October 1-November 15.
• Spring Semester: Applications complete prior to March 1: March 1-April 15.
• Summer Semester: Applications complete prior to July 1: July 1-July 15.

Students may enroll; and we encourage them to enroll into courses during the degree application review process as a "special student". We recommend that you schedule an appointment to meet with an academic advisor to select appropriate courses for your major chosen. Once the applicant is officially accepted to the University, credits are transferred into their program of study.

If you are coming from another college/university, please send your official transcripts (sealed) to:

Professional & Continuing Education
Admissions & Student Records
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
285 Old Westport Road
North Dartmouth, MA 02747

If you have previously taken courses at UMass Dartmouth, please indicate this on your degree application and we will obtain your UMD records. PCE requires that an official transcript of high school records, or its equivalent (GED certificate), from applicants with no previous college/university experience is supplied. If you need to achieve your GED certificate, please contact the UMD Labor Education Center.

Please keep in mind, it often takes 4-6 weeks to recieve outside transcripts, so request that they be sent as early as possible.

PCE will not review your application for admission until all this documentation above has been received. Only complete applications will be evaluated. You are responsible for completing your application. Incomplete applications become VOID after 90 days and students with an incomplete application must re-apply.