ADDENDA TO THIS CATALOG
The Undergraduate Catalog is published each academic year in June prior to the fall semester. The provisions of the Undergraduate Catalog are not to be regarded as a contract between the student and the University of Maryland. The university reserves the right to change its policies, rules, regulations, requirements for graduation, course offerings, tuition, fees, other charges, or any other contents of this catalog at any time.
When necessary, the university will track changes to the Undergraduate Catalog in this addenda section:
- For addenda related to policies, rules, regulations, tuition, fees and general information, see General Addenda
- For addenda related to curricula (i.e., descriptions, learning outcomes, and requirements for majors, minors, and certificates), see Curricular Addenda
Note: Updates to course offerings (e.g., course description changes), will be reflected in the following year's catalog and are not tracked in this addenda section.
This section contains addenda related to policies, rules, regulations, tuition, fees and general information. Each addendum contains an excerpt from the catalog as it was originally published as well as the change that was made. To view the full original text, see the catalog page referenced in the addendum.
Belonging & Community at UMD
Under Belonging & Community at UMD
- Effective July 10, 2026, an Interim Vice President for Belonging was appointed (published July 14, 2026).
Original
Vice President for Belonging: Georgina Dodge, Ph.D.
Change
Vice President for Belonging: Stephanie H. Chang, Ph.D. (Interim)
This section contains a list of addenda related to undergraduate academic and program changes. Each listing details changes that have been made to the program or indicates if the program is new.
Environmental and Resource Economics Major
- Effective Fall 2026, the Environmental and Resource Economics Major was established (published August 5, 2026).
Program Director: Maria Soppelsa
The Environmental and Resource Economics major prepares students to address complex environmental and natural resource challenges through a rigorous curriculum. Foundational courses in economics, analytics, and business statistics are paired with specialized coursework in environmental economics, energy economics, economic development, and natural resource policy.
Students enhance their knowledge by selecting complementary fields such as Environmental Data Science, Sustainable Development, Environmental and Resource Management and Policy, or Advanced Degree Preparation. The program attracts a small, diverse cohort, fostering personalized learning and collaboration.
Graduates are equipped with the analytical tools to succeed in impactful careers across the private, public, and non-profit sectors, nationally and internationally, addressing critical issues in environmental policy, sustainable development, and resource management. Many also secure placements in competitive graduate programs or pursue advanced degrees in applied economics, law, or related fields.
Students majoring in Environmental and Resource Economics may not pursue a double-major or double-degree in Agricultural and Resource Economics.
Program Learning Outcomes
- Disciplinary Foundation: EREC majors will demonstrate knowledge of economic principles, terms and concepts and their application to analysis of economic problems in environmental and resource economics.
- Critical and Analytical Thinking: EREC majors will demonstrate an ability to think critically about economic issues and to analyze and draw inferences from data.
- Understanding Economic Policy: EREC majors will demonstrate knowledge of laws, policies and institutional arrangements in environmental and resource economics, their role in determining resource allocation, and how economics can inform policy design.
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: EREC majors will demonstrate an understanding of the causes and consequences of differences in the distribution of environmental and natural resources across diverse socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic groups.
Requirements
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Foundational Courses | ||
| AREC250 | Elements of Agricultural and Resource Economics | 3 |
| or AREC240 | Introduction to Economics and the Environment | |
| or AREC241 | Environment, Economics and Policy | |
| or ECON200 | Principles of Microeconomics | |
| ECON201 | Principles of Macroeconomics | 3 |
| AREC326 | Intermediate Applied Microeconomics | 3 |
| MATH120 | Elementary Calculus I | 3-4 |
| or MATH140 | Calculus I | |
| Statistics Requirements | 6 | |
| Elementary Statistics and Probability | ||
or MATH107 | Introduction to Math Modeling and Probability | |
And | ||
| Business Statistics | ||
or ECON230 | Applied Economic Statistics | |
Or | ||
| Applied Probability and Statistics I | ||
| Upper-Level AREC Courses. Select five of the following courses | 15 | |
| Data Science for Environmental and Resource Economics | ||
| Economics of Production | ||
| Econometric Analysis in Agricultural and Environmental Economics | ||
| Introduction to Agricultural and Resource Law | ||
AREC431 | ||
| Agricultural Development, Population Growth and the Environment | ||
| Sustainable Economic Development | ||
| Natural Resources and Public Policy | ||
| The Economics of Climate Change | ||
| Economics of Land Use | ||
| Energy and Environmental Economics | ||
| Transportation Engineering, Economics, and Policy | ||
| Environmental Economics | ||
Other upper-level AREC courses with permission of advisor | ||
| Select three courses from one of the following fields (minimum 9 credits) | 9 | |
Advanced Degree Preparation | ||
Environmental Data Science | ||
Environmental and Resource Management and Policy | ||
Student Designed Field | ||
| Total Credits | 42-43 | |
Fields:
ADVANCED DEGREE PREPARATION
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Choose three of the following courses: | ||
| ECON406 | Advanced Microeconomics | 3 |
| ECON414 | Game Theory | 3 |
| ECON415 | Market Design | 3 |
| ECON422 | Econometrics | 3 |
| ECON423 | Advanced Topics in Econometrics | 3 |
| MATH141 | Calculus II | 4 |
| MATH240 | Introduction to Linear Algebra | 4 |
| MATH241 | Calculus III | 4 |
| STAT401 | Applied Probability and Statistics II | 3 |
| STAT420 | Theory and Methods of Statistics | 3 |
| STAT430 | Introduction to Statistical Computing with SAS | 3 |
| Any other upper-level ECON/MATH/STAT course chosen in consultation with advisor | ||
ENVIRONMENTAL DATA SCIENCE
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Choose three of the following courses: | ||
| AREC280 | Harvesting Big Data to Examine Agriculture and Climate Change | 3 |
| AREC380 | Data Science for Environmental and Resource Economics | 3 |
| AREC422 | Econometric Analysis in Agricultural and Environmental Economics | 3 |
| FIRE298 | FIRE Semester 3 | 3 |
| AOSC247 | Scientific Programming: Python | 3 |
| or GEOG276 | Principles of Python Programming and Geocomputing | |
| GEOG272 | Introduction to Earth Observation Science | 3 |
| GEOG373 | Geographic Information Systems | 3 |
| AOSC447 | Machine Learning in Earth Science | 3 |
ENVIRONMENTAL AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND POLICY
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Choose three of the following courses: | ||
| AREC200 | The Chesapeake Bay Ecosystem: Intersection of Science, Economics, and Policy | 3 |
| AGNR301 | Sustainability | 3 |
| or PLCY301 | Sustainability | |
| ANTH242 | Fire, Farming and Climate Change: An Archaeology Take on the History of Human Impacts on our Planet | 3 |
| or ANTH266 | Changing Climate, Changing Cultures | |
| AOSC375 | Introduction to the Blue Ocean | 3 |
| ENST403 | Invasive Species Ecology | 3 |
| ENST485 | Water Management in Urban Environment | 3 |
| FGSM340 | Energy and Environmental Policy | 3 |
| GEOG332 | Economic Geography | 3 |
STUDENT DESIGNED FIELD
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| This field requires a written proposal listing at least three courses totaling at least 9 credits. | 9 | |
The proposal must be submitted to the Undergraduate Committee of the AREC department. Committee approval must be obtained 30 or more credit hours before graduation. A student designed field may be used to study a foreign language as part of the AREC curriculum. | ||
| Total Credits | 9 | |
OTHER REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MAJOR
All courses must be passed with a grade of "C-" or better to count towards prerequisite courses, major core courses, or field requirements. "C- or better" means any grade for which the University awards 1.7 or more quality points in calculating GPA. Beginning with students matriculating Fall 2012, to be awarded a baccalaureate degree, students must have a minimum (2.00) cumulative grade point average across all courses used to satisfy major degree requirements.
HGLO - Honors Global Communities
Under Approved Courses and HGLO - Honors Global Communities
- Effective Fall 2026, the HGLO course prefix was renamed to Honors Global Challenges and Solutions (published July 14, 2026).
Original
Course Prefix: HGLO - Honors Global Communities
Change
Course Prefix: HGLO - Honors Global Challenges and Solutions