Student Affairs

Religious Observances Policy

As stated in the school's catalog:

"It is the policy of the University of Maryland at Baltimore to excuse the absence(s) of students that result from the observance of religious holidays. Students shall be given the opportunity, whenever feasible, to make up, within a reasonable time, any academic assignments that are missed due to individual participation in religious observances. Opportunities to make up missed academic assignments shall be timely and shall not interfere with the regular academic assignments of the student."

Procedures

  1. At the beginning of each academic year, the Office of Student Affairs will distribute a list of common religious observances to faculty and administrators. Additional dates may be added based on a request from a student or group of students and in consultation with UMB administrators.
  2. Students are responsible for notifying course masters for each of their courses at least a week in advance (at the beginning of the semester, if possible) about their plans to observe a religious holiday.
  3. Faculty members will treat the absence as any other excused absence (illness, personal emergency) and will assign make up work in a fair and equitable manner as they do for other excused absences.
  4. Faculty and school administrators will avoid scheduling exams on the recognized religious holidays.