The College of Southern Maryland (CSM) is a
public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...
community college
A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior sec ...
with campuses in
Hughesville,
La Plata
La Plata () is the capital city of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. According to the , it has a population of 654,324 and its metropolitan area, the Greater La Plata, has 787,294 inhabitants. It is located 9 kilometers (6 miles) inland from th ...
,
Leonardtown
Leonardtown is a town in and the county seat of St. Mary's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 4,563 at the 2020 census. Leonardtown is perhaps most famous for the national oyster-shucking championship that is held annually at the ...
, and
Prince Frederick,
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
. It serves students living in
Southern Maryland
Southern Maryland is a geographical, cultural and historic region in Maryland composed of the state's southernmost counties on the Western Shore of the Chesapeake Bay. According to the state of Maryland, the region includes all of Calvert, Cha ...
's
Charles
Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...
,
St. Mary's, and
Calvert counties.
History
In September 1958, the predecessor to today's CSM, Charles County Junior College, began evening classes at La Plata High School.
In 1960, the college added an
apprenticeship program.
In 1968, Charles County Community College began construction of the ''Career Education and Administration Building'' on what is now the main CSM campus in
La Plata, Maryland
La Plata is a town in Charles County, Maryland, United States. The population was 10,159 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Charles County.
History
According to an unconfirmed local story, the town was named by one Colonel Samuel Chapm ...
.
On July 1, 2000, the college officially became the College of Southern Maryland.
CSM celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in 2008 with events marking its history.
Academics
The College of Southern Maryland offers more than 120 programs of study including
Associate of Arts
An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree.
The fi ...
,
Associate of Science
An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree.
The f ...
, and
Associate of Applied Science
An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree.
The fi ...
degree programs. CSM has more than 60 guaranteed transfer agreements with four-year colleges and universities. Furthermore, CSM offers a wide range of
continuing education
Continuing education (similar to further education in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, Ireland) is an all-encompassing term within a broad list of post-secondary learning activities and programs. The term is used mainly in the United ...
certificates and
career training programs such as computer programming and repair, truck driving, and nursing.
Accreditation
CSM is accredited by the
Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (Middle States Association or MSA) was a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit association that performed peer evaluation and regional educational accreditation, accreditation of public and priva ...
.
Its business, physical therapy, and nursing programs have specialized accreditation by
Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs
The Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP), formerly the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs, is a U.S. organization offering accreditation services to business programs focused on teaching and learni ...
,
American Physical Therapy Association
The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) is a U.S-based individual membership professional organization representing more than 100,000 member physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, and students of physical therapy. The nonpro ...
, and
National League for Nursing
The National League for Nursing (NLN) is a national organization for faculty nurses and leaders in nurse education. It offers faculty development, networking opportunities, testing services, nursing research grants, and public policy initiatives ...
, respectively.
Campus and training facilities
The Charles County facilities include the La Plata campus and a training center also in
La Plata
La Plata () is the capital city of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. According to the , it has a population of 654,324 and its metropolitan area, the Greater La Plata, has 787,294 inhabitants. It is located 9 kilometers (6 miles) inland from th ...
. In conjunction with the
University of Maryland University College
The University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC, formerly University of Maryland University College) is a public university in Adelphi, Maryland. It is the largest of the University System of Maryland campuses. Established in 1947, UMGC focuses on ...
, CSM operates the Waldorf Center for Higher Education in
Waldorf. The
St. Mary's County St. Mary's County may refer to:
* St. Mary's County, Maryland
*St. Mary's County, Utah Territory
There are 29 counties in the U.S. state of Utah. There were originally seven counties established under the provisional State of Deseret in 1849: ...
campus is located in
Leonardtown
Leonardtown is a town in and the county seat of St. Mary's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 4,563 at the 2020 census. Leonardtown is perhaps most famous for the national oyster-shucking championship that is held annually at the ...
and a training center is located in
Lexington Park
Lexington Park was the name of a former minor league baseball park in St. Paul, Minnesota. It was the home of the St. Paul Saints from 1897 through 1956, when it was replaced by the first version of Midway Stadium.
Lexington Park was commiss ...
. The
Calvert County
Calvert County is located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 92,783. Its county seat is Prince Frederick. The county's name is derived from the family name of the Barons of Baltimore, the proprietors of t ...
campus is located in
Prince Frederick.
La Plata campus
The original campus of CSM houses a
bookstore
Bookselling is the commercial trading of books which is the retail and distribution end of the publishing process. People who engage in bookselling are called booksellers, bookdealers, bookpeople, bookmen, or bookwomen. The founding of librari ...
,
cafeteria
A cafeteria, sometimes called a canteen outside the U.S., is a type of food service location in which there is little or no waiting staff table service, whether a restaurant or within an institution such as a large office building or school ...
,
conference center
A convention center (American English; or conference centre in British English) is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typica ...
, a fine arts center with a 400-seat auditorium, a fitness center,
computer lab
A computer lab is a space where computer services are provided to a defined community. These are typically public libraries and academic institutions. Generally, users must follow a certain user policy to retain access to the computers. This usu ...
oratories, and a
distance learning
Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at a school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance. Traditionally, this usually in ...
center. The Southern Maryland Studies Center,
a regional archives repository and research center, is located in the CSM library.
Leonardtown campus
The Community College of
St. Mary's County St. Mary's County may refer to:
* St. Mary's County, Maryland
*St. Mary's County, Utah Territory
There are 29 counties in the U.S. state of Utah. There were originally seven counties established under the provisional State of Deseret in 1849: ...
was established in 1978 at
Great Mills High School
Great Mills High School is a comprehensive public high school in Great Mills, Maryland, United States. It serves students in grades 9–12 in the mixed rural and suburban area at the confluence of the Potomac River, Patuxent River, and Chesapeake ...
. The campus was moved to its current location in 1997, which includes four buildings—Buildings A, B, C, and D.
The campus has an auditorium/seminar room, science labs, and a wellness center, which is available for student and community use.
Prince Frederick campus
The Community College at Calvert County, established in 1980, moved to its current location on J.W. Williams Road in
Prince Frederick in 2005.
The main building is a two-story, construction, which includes 15 classrooms, 6six
computer lab
A computer lab is a space where computer services are provided to a defined community. These are typically public libraries and academic institutions. Generally, users must follow a certain user policy to retain access to the computers. This usu ...
s, and a library.
The B Building is a two-story construction, which includes student services, seven computer labs and classrooms, the newly expanded wellness center, the Nuclear Energy Training Center, and is the college's first LEED certified building with four green roofs.
Regional Hughesville campus
On February 27, 2013, the College of Southern Maryland announced it had purchased 74 acres in
Hughesville to build another campus. The first phase was the construction of the Center for Trades and Energy Training (CTET).
The second phase proposed for the campus includes a Center for Health Sciences.
* There is also a smaller center for classes a few miles north in
Waldorf, Maryland
Waldorf is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Charles County, Maryland, United States. Located south-southeast of Washington, D.C., Waldorf is part of the Southern Maryland region. It is an urban area, with a populat ...
.
Intercollegiate sports
The College of Southern Maryland has six intercollegiate men's teams and six intercollegiate women's teams that compete in the
NJCAA
The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), founded in 1938, is the governing association of community college, state college and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 separate regions ...
, Division II
The men's teams include basketball, lacrosse, soccer, baseball, tennis, golf, and cross-country. The women's teams include basketball, lacrosse, soccer, softball, tennis, volleyball, and cross-country.
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Southern Maryland
Two-year colleges in the United States
Universities and colleges in St. Mary's County, Maryland
Community and junior colleges in Maryland
Universities and colleges in Charles County, Maryland
Educational institutions established in 1958
1958 establishments in Maryland
Education in Calvert County, Maryland
NJCAA athletics