Admission Requirements

Core Paramedic Program Admission Requirements

  • Applicants offered acceptance into the program must complete all EDHS paramedic concentration lower-division requirements with a grade of “C” or higher before being admitted into the Paramedic Program. These include:
    • Introduction to Emergency and Disaster Health Systems (EDHS 200)
    • English Composition (ENGL 100)
    • Introduction to Psychology (PSYC 100)
    • Abnormal Psychology (PSYC 285)
    • Introduction to Statistics (STAT 121 or STAT 350)
    • Concepts of Biology (BIOL 101 or BIOL 141)
    • Anatomy & Physiology 1 with lab (BIOL 251/251L)
    • Anatomy & Physiology 2 with lab (BIOL 252/252L)
    • General Chemistry 1 (CHEM 101 or CHEM 123)
    • General Chemistry 2 with lab (CHEM 102/102L or CHEM 124/124L)
  • Candidates must also possess:
    • NEW FOR 2025: At the time of application, a valid Maryland EMT certification or valid EMT certification issued from another state or be currently enrolled in a state-approved EMT educational program with an expected completion date before June 1st of the year of application
    • Documentation of 100 patient contacts as a certified EMT
    • Current grade point average of 2.5

Additional Requirements if Admitted

    • Paramedic concentration students must purchase malpractice insurance through the university.
    • Paramedic concentration students must purchase scrubs and clinical uniforms from the department while engaged in clinical and field experience.
      • Other fees and costs may be associated with participation in clinical and field training.
    • Students are required to provide their own transportation to clinical and field experience sites.
    • Personal health insurance coverage is strongly recommended.
    • Acceptable verification of the status of physical health and immunizations
    • Actively engaged in patient care with a Maryland fire or EMS agency is STRONGLY encouraged.

Once all application materials are received and reviewed, applicants who meet the GPA requirements will be offered to participate in the interview and testing process, which entails interviewing with five pairs of interviewers, who are a mixture of current students and alumni. Each panel will pose several prewritten questions or scenarios and note the answers provided by the candidate. Candidates will also be required to take an EMT and a mathematics exam.

All of the information gained through the application process will be reviewed and scored. From this information, the selection committee will provide their recommendation to the faculty about which candidates they feel will be successful in our program. Within one to two weeks, candidates will receive notification as to if they have been granted admittance, granted conditional admittance in the instance of incomplete prerequisites, or declined admission to the program. If accepted into the core program, incoming students will be required to attend an orientation session held in early May.

Advanced Placement

The UMBC EDHS Paramedic Concentration does not offer Advanced Placement, such as RN to Paramedic.

Transfer of Credit

The UMBC EDHS Paramedic Concentration does not accept core paramedic courses from other institutions. It does waive EDHS 202 and EDHS 203 (EMT) for those students coming into the program who already possess a valid EMT certification. Transfer credit of EDHS 202 and 203 and other courses are available through the Registrar’s Office. Student who already hold a Paramedic Certification and wish to complete their degree would apply to the Emergency Health Leadership track.

Experiential Learning

The UMBC EDHS Paramedic Concentration does not award credit based upon experience.