Page 20 - Baltimore County 2022 Quality of Life Guide & Business Directory

UMBC
GETTING YOU (AND YOUR KIDS) READY FOR TOMORROW
Marlayna Demond for UMBC
Baltimore County’s population is highly producing highly qualified teachers. the program’s inception. BCPS won praise
educated: according to the most
recent census data, 39.4% of residents have a college degree, compared to a national average of 32.1%. It’s no wonder, considering the tremendous educational resources that are at county residents’ disposal.
Colleges and Universities
More than 54,000 students enroll at the
Community College of Baltimore County (www.ccbcmd.edu) every
year. CCBC has six convenient locations throughout the county, as well as online course formats and flexible scheduling options. CCBC graduates can take advantage of tremendous tuition savings and guaranteed credit transfer at all schools in the University of Maryland system. In addition, CCBC is
an excellent option for workers looking to enhance their professional skills — after all, it has more than 275 associate degree and certificate programs to choose from.
With more than 100 undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs, Towson University (www.towson.edu) is a great fit for just about any burgeoning academic. The College of Education, in particular,
is renowned for its 150-year tradition of
18 Quality of Life Guide and Business Directory
(Towson University also provides support to entrepreneurs, as you’ll read on page 13.)
UMBC (www.umbc.edu) has emerged
in recent years as one of the finest public research universities. Innovative teaching, interdisciplinary research and civic engagement are among its defining features. UMBC has been recognized as a national leader in innovation and a global leader in geosciences and space science by U.S. News & World Report.
Goucher College (www.goucher.edu)
is consistently rated a “Best Buy” in the Fiske Guide to Colleges for its outstanding combination of academics and affordability. The school awards more than $44 million in financial aid annually, while graduating students’ average debt is almost 12% below the national average.
With two campuses in Stevenson and Owings Mills, Stevenson University (www.stevenson.edu) is easily accessible. Graduates from the university’s School of Education and School of Nursing and Health Professions boast a 100% job placement rate.
Public Schools
National rating site Niche.com considers Baltimore County Public Schools (www. bcps.org) an above-average school district, with many of the county’s schools scoring an overall A or A- grade. In fact, the district regularly rakes in both state and national honors. For example, at least one Baltimore County school has been named a National Blue Ribbon School almost every year since
during the pandemic for its use of online art exhibitions to bring its community together.
The school system is poised for even greater success in the coming years. The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, a law that took
effect in 2020, requires an unprecedented influx of state funds for education. Experts have called the investment transformative, creating the potential for Maryland’s schools to become some of the best in the world.
While college readiness is an important focus at BCPS, those looking to acquire career and technical skills have access
to a wide variety of highly specialized programs. Career and technical education (CTE) programs offered in BCPS schools include aviation technology, interactive media production, building and construction technology, biomedical sciences, information technology and much more.
Private Schools
The greater Baltimore area is renowned
as the home of some of the best private schools in the country. Within Baltimore County, notable institutions include The Park School of Baltimore, Garrison Forest School, McDonogh School and The St. Paul’s Schools. In Baltimore City, near the county line, some of the most highly regarded options are The Bryn Mawr School, Gilman School, Roland Park Country School, Friends School of Baltimore and Boys’ Latin School of Maryland. In addition, there is a large number of parochial education options.
EDUCATION