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For Students: Community College Transfers

DSXX-Distributive Studies Wildcard

The DSXX designation is used only for at Maryland Community college students transferring to the University of Maryland who have not earned an associate’s degree, or students from USM four year schools who have not earned a bachelor’s degree or who do not have a completed a General Education package from their institution.

Please note that when a student has attended multiple institutions, the University will follow the requirements of the most recently attended school.

The Maryland Higher Education Commission requires that the University accept general education courses from Maryland public higher education institutions. General education courses from Maryland public colleges and universities that do not carry designations in our new General Education program will be given the designation of DSXX (“Distributive Studies Wildcard”). These DSXX designated courses may be used to satisfy Distributive Studies requirements (Humanities, History and Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, Scholarship in Practice) in a transfer student’s general education. DSXX cannot be used to satisfy Fundamental Studies, I-Series, Understanding Plural Societies or Cultural Competence; nor can DSXX courses be used to replace the four-credit laboratory requirement. Only those DSXX courses taken prior to transferring to the University of Maryland are applicable to a student’s general education.

Please note: Students who have earned an associate’s degree will be considered to have completed all general education courses with the exception of Professional Writing and additional courses in order to fulfill the 40 credit minimum required general education courses. Students with associate’s degrees or who have completed the general education requirements at the sending institutions are not required to complete a course by course articulation. The DSXX designation is used only for students transferring to the University of Maryland who have not earned an associate’s degree. Students who have earned Bachelors’ degrees do not need any additional General Education courses.

Because the general education requirements are different at each school, the maximum number of courses/credits that are acceptable to the University of Maryland’s General Education program vary. 

Below is a chart that indicates the number of DSXX courses that the University of Maryland will accept.

School DSXX
School Allegany College of Maryland DSXX 2 courses or 6 credits
School Anne Arundel Community College DSXX 2 courses or 6 credits
School Baltimore City Community College DSXX up to 8 credits
School Carroll Community College DSXX 1 course or 3 credits
School Cecil Community College DSXX none
School Chesapeake College DSXX 2 courses or 6 credits
School College of Southern Maryland DSXX 1 course or 3 credits
School Fredrick Community College DSXX 2 courses or 6 credits
School Garrett Community College DSXX 1 course or 3 credits
School Hagerstown Community College DSXX 1 course or 3 credits
School Harford Community College DSXX none
School Howard Community College DSXX 1 course or 3 credits
School Montgomery College DSXX 1 course or 3 credits
School Prince Georges Community College DSXX 1 course or 3 credits
School The Community College of Baltimore DSXX up to 8 credits
School Wor-Wic Community College DSXX none

Below is a chart that indicates the number of DSXX courses that the University of Maryland will accept.

Four Year Schools DSXX
Bowie State University 1 course or 3 credits
Coppin State University 1 course or 3 credits
Frostburg State University 2 courses or 6 credits
Morgan State University 2 courses or 6 credits
Salisbury University 1 course or 3 credits
Towson University 1 course or 3 credits
University of Baltimore 2 courses or 6 credits
University of Baltimore, Baltimore County 1 course or 3-4 credits
University of Maryland, Eastern Shore 2 courses or 4 credits
University of Maryland, Global Campus 2 courses or 7 credits
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