About UMD
The University
The University of Minnesota Duluth is the second-largest campus of the University of Minnesota system, with a population of approximately 7,800 students, including over 300 graduate students enrolled in 18 graduate programs.It is a comprehensive regional university whose mission includes research and discovery, teaching and learning, and outreach and public service. Providing an alternative to both large research universities and small liberal arts colleges, UMD attracts students looking for a personalized learning experience on a medium-sized campus of a major university.
The Campus
The main campus consists of more than 50 buildings on 244 acres on a hillside overlooking Lake Superior. The buildings are connected by a concourse system that enhances accessibility and is a real plus in winter. UMD is home to the Tweed Museum of Art, the largest Minnesota art museum north of the Twin Cities, the Marshall W. Alworth Planetarium, the Marshall Performing Arts Center, and the Large Lakes Observatory. Other UMD facilities include Glensheen Historic Estate, the Sports and Health Center, the Medical School and the William R. Bagley Nature Area, a 13-acre tract with its own pond and two miles of trails.
Recreational Opportunities and Cultural Events
Surrounded by the natural advantages of Lake Superior's North Shore, UMD students can hike, bike, skate and ski. The Outdoor Program offers canoeing, kayaking, climbing and fantastic wilderness experiences. Students enjoy intramural and club sports and many join the Life Fitness/Wellness Program. UMD offers access to personal trainers, facilities for swimming, weight training, running, aerobics, an ice rink and an indoor rock-climbing wall. UMD has a thriving intercollegiate sports program, including Division I men's and women's ice hockey, and Division II men's baseball, basketball, football, cross-country, track and field and tennis. Every year, UMD's School of Fine Arts launches a rich offering of cultural events. The departments of Art, Music, Theatre and the Tweed Museum of Art combine forces to bring the region opera, jazz, vocal and instrumental concerts, mainstream and experimental theatre and a wide spectrum of both innovative and traditional art exhibitions. UMD has its own radio station, KUMD 103.3, the only independent public radio station in the Duluth Superior market. It offers a unique and rich mix of both University and community-based programs.
Academics
Graduate education at UMD is supported by an infrastructure which includes a highly qualified faculty, modern laboratory facilities, and a state-of-the-art library. UMD faculty participate in research and scholarly activities as part of their institutional mission of research, teaching and public service.
The UMD Library has a collection of more than 650,000 volumes, 2,181 periodical subscriptions, 2,306 electronic journal titles, 14,800 non-print items and over 300,000 government documents. The library's on-line catalog is an information gateway to the holdings of libraries worldwide. It gives access to 42 FirstSearch databases, other databases accessed through the UM Twin Cities Library and to full-text academic journal databases. Electronic resources in the chemical sciences include Chemical Abstracts and the journals published by the American Chemical Society and Elsevier Science in addition to extensive holdings of print journals.
UMD and Duluth are host to a number of specialized research institutes, including the Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI), the Large Lakes Observatory, the Sea Grant Program and the EPA Water Quality Lab. NRRI fosters the economic development of Minnesota's natural resources in an environmentally sound manner to promote private sector employment. The Large Lakes Observatory and the Sea Grant Program provide opportunities for freshwater research programs from Africa to Antarctica. Housing Although on-campus housing is available, most graduate students prefer to live off campus in one of the pleasant residential neighborhoods surrounding the campus. The University has a housing office to assist students in finding on- or off-campus housing.
Housing
Although on-campus housing is available, most graduate students prefer to live off campus in one of the pleasant residential neighborhoods surrounding the campus. The University has a housing office to assist students in finding on- or off-campus housing.
