• The SURE application process is aligned with the Federal Work Study (FWS) process. Both SURE and FWS are programs which can only be used to pay hourly undergraduate employees. SURE-eligible students are in their first four semesters at UMBC, while FWS eligibility is need-based.
• Faculty recipients may only receive one SURE award per academic year.
• Due to the migration of FWS to Handshake, the SURE application process now uses Handshake, as well. SURE applicants post the student job description to Handshake and include "(SURE)" or "(SURE eligible)" in the position title.
• Handshake postings can be used to recruit FWS-eligible and SURE-eligible students at the same time, although checking the "FWS" box is not required for SURE postings.
• Award Size: up to $1,500, paid as reimbursement to the faculty recipient's departmental account. 
• Deadline for SURE: Positions must be posted to Handshake by the start of the Fall semester (August 27, 2025).
• Contact Prof. Don Engel, Associate VP for Strategic Research Initiatives, at donengel@umbc.edu with any questions
  

We have the following courses that may be used by your students as electives:
• Ethics in Software Engineering | SENG 601: Software has entered into everyday objects and now the game has changed. Do you build software that's ethical first?
  
• Software Process Management | SENG 638: When do you use agile processes? Do rich processes still have a place? Can we use a process modeling language to create processes that are purpose-made?
  
• Advanced Software Engineering | SENG 645: Do you know how to engineer a software product? What does it take to create a high-fidelity prototype? Do you want to build a minimally viable product (MVP)?
  
• Special Topics in Software Engineering | SENG 691
•  NEW! AI Agent Computing: New course for Fall 2025 (section is being added and will be available on myUMBC Class Search soon). Do you need an AI agent? Do you want to use Agent Computing to build new applications, tools, and devices?
• Data Intensive Applications: Updated for Fall 2025. Do you want to build apps that serve millions of users with the potential to make lasting meaning and maybe money?
• Reading to Write Code: Updated for Fall 2025. Do you know how to read large open-source code baselines? What if we ask you to add a new feature to an existing code baseline that already has 2 million lines of code and has been in development for 6 years? What do you do?

Helloo I'm Arnob. an upcoming international student from Kuwait coming to UMBC this Fall 2025. I'm looking for an off-campus room (I don't mind sharing a room).

I'd prefer to live with another Muslim roommate, but I'm honestly open to anyone who's respectful and easy to live with :D

A little about me: I go to the gym and I love designing apps & websites + animating. Been doing that stuff since I was like 11 yrs old. I'm a 19 year old male and love playing cozy sandbox games like Stardew Valley, Tiny Glade, Cities Skylines, etc.

I'd honestly love to make new friends here since it'll be my first time in the US which is why I wouldn't mind a shared room with somebody chill that I can get along with.

If you or someone you know is looking for a roommate or has a spot open then feel free to hmu, I'm open to talk and figure things out early.

Email: mohd.ekram.uzmn@gmail.com

Ayra Sangi, an Asian studies senior, has received the 2025 Freeman-ASIA Award. The semester-long education abroad award funds U.S.-based undergraduates up to $5,000 to study abroad in East or Southeast Asia for one semester. Sangi will spend the fall semester of her senior year at the National Taiwan University in Taipei City in their intensive Mandarin Chinese language program to prepare her for a career in Chinese linguistics. 

Sangi’s love of Mandarin began in high school, when she started learning it through English translations of Chinese web novels. This hobby inspired her to explore Asia’s cultures and languages, and it was the deciding factor in choosing UMBC.

“It was important for me to find a university with a strong education abroad program and a comprehensive Asian studies major rather than one centered solely on learning Chinese,” said Sangi, who pursued her degree while working every other semester in the federal civil service. “While I did want to learn the language, I also wanted to learn about the history, culture, and politics. UMBC offered both.”

Sangi is in good company. Despite the unexpected challenges of international travel, UMBC’s 2025 – 2026 academic year marks the largest cohort of Retrievers participating in education abroad programs. “As more and more UMBC undergraduate and graduate students participate in global education opportunities, they are applying for more nationally competitive awards,” says Brian Souders, Ph.D. ’09, language, literacy, and culture, M.A. ’19, TESOL, the associate director of global learning at UMBC’s Center for Global Engagement. “Looking at the past decade, Ms. Sangi is the first Retriever recipient of the Freeman-ASIA scholarship.”

Planning a career in linguistics

Sangi comes from a globetrotting bilingual family that speaks English and Sindhi, a Pakistani language. They have traveled to 14 countries across Europe, Asia, and Africa, which planted the seed for an international career. To go from international vacation mode to international career mode, Sangi intentionally pursued faculty-led education abroad opportunities to develop the professional, social, and cultural skills needed to work and live in Asia. She first explored options within her second major, modern languages, linguistics, and intercultural communication, by enrolling in the Intercultural Communication in Morocco and Spain class in summer 2024. 

“I don’t speak any Arabic at all, but having Samir El Omari, a teaching professor of Arabic and French, who is Moroccan, lead the trip made a huge difference,” said Sangi. “He helped me understand how to navigate the culture in a way I couldn’t have on my own,” said Sangi. 

The success of that trip led her to enroll in the political science class, Comparative Politics and the Italian Political System in Rome, Italy, during the 2025 winter break, led by Carolyn Forestiere, professor of political science, who has spent several years studying and working in Italy. “I feel more prepared to travel solo now,” said Sangi. “I’ve learned that I first need to acclimate to my surroundings, not get overwhelmed with the new language right away, and give myself grace because the jet lag and managing all the logistics take time.”

From campus to Taiwan

Throughout her journey, Sangi benefited from the guidance and support of faculty members who brought both global experience and personal insight to the classroom, in particular her academic advisor, Meredith Oyen, associate professor of history, specializing in the history of U.S.-China relations and migration

UMBC’s 2025 – 2026 academic year marks the largest cohort of Retrievers participating in education abroad programs.

Sangi has excelled in her Chinese coursework with Oyen and left a lasting impression. “Ayra is diligent, thoughtful, and creative. In my classes, she was as good at traditional research and analysis as she was at reimagining engaging ways to present information visually,” said Oyen. “Add her outstanding record in Chinese coursework, and you have someone with endless potential to make her mark. I’m excited to see where she goes next.”

“Professor Oyen was a huge help when I started thinking about studying in Taiwan because she lived in Taiwan while conducting research,” said Sangi. “She helped me find education abroad programs and scholarships and encouraged me to apply for the Fulbright Program. Professor Oyen opened the path for me to study in Taiwan.”

Learn more about UMBC’s education abroad opportunities.