A “Discovery” for Graduate Students

A JUST-COMPLETED SIX-STORY apartment building on the UMD campus unlocks a convenient new living option for 741 University of Maryland graduate students, as well as an opportunity for them to collaborate across disciplines in a scholarly community.

Discovery House is the first UMD-affiliated housing for graduate students since Graduate Hills and Gardens in 1995. Built by Mosaic Development Partners, it’s located on the site of the Old Leonardtown community, adjacent to Discovery District Maryland and within walking distance of the College Park Metro Station. It offers fully furnished apartments ranging from studios to five-bedroom units, all with in-unit washers and dryers, along with study rooms and indoor bike storage. A top-floor terrace boasts views of Fraternity Row and Memorial Chapel.

“You bring a shower curtain, sheets for your bed, kitchen stuff and you’re ready to go,” says Christopher Mason, Capstone On-Campus Management’s director of
affiliated housing at UMD. 

Discovery House is also home to the Grand Challenges Graduate Communities, a first-of-its-kind initiative at UMD to reimagine how graduate students and faculty can work together to solve pressing societal problems. The three inaugural interdisciplinary academic cohorts, each with 15 to 20 students, will focus on AI and knowledge; food, water, energy and health; and the future of city planning. 

“Graduate students will gain access to mentors, collaborators and professional opportunities they may not otherwise have encountered,” says Stephen Roth, associate provost and dean of the Graduate School.