University of Central Arkansas: Courses, Admission, Cost

Founded in 1907, as the Arkansas State Normal School, the University of Central Arkansas (Central Arkansas or UCA) was only established in January 1975. Located in Conway, Arkansas, this is one of the oldest universities in the U.S. state of Arkansas. The university is noted for programs in business, education, nursing, performing arts, physical therapy, and psychology.

The University of Central Arkansas is home to five residential and one community college including EDGE Residential College, EPIC Residential College, HPaW Residential College, STEM Residential College, The Stars Residential College, and the Minton Commuter College. Along with the above, the university also comprises of six colleges. They are

• The College of Fine Arts and Communication that offers five areas of study for a degree, including music, public relations, communication, etc.
• The College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics offers eight fields of study in physical and natural sciences, along with six pre-professional programs.
• The College of Business provides an associate, graduate, bachelor, or MBA degree in the fields including accounting, economics, finance, innovation, etc.
• The College of Health and Behavioural Science offers bachelor and graduate degrees in health, exercise and sport science, nutrition, psychology, counseling, etc.
• The College of Liberal Arts offers graduate and bachelor's degrees, including anthropology, Chinese, criminology, sociology, political philosophy, French, international studies, etc.
• The College of Education nurtures future trainers, teachers, and educators.

The University is one of the largest universities in the state with a current total enrolment of 10,870 students (Fall 2019). The university offers over 150 undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs spread across 120 buildings within its 356 acres of occupied land.

The university dedicates itself to academic vitality, integrity, and diversity. The university is considered to be one of the largest universities that offer a wide range of programs and courses to its students. The faculty of the university adopts interactive teaching methods and provides students a comfortable environment to nurture and grow themselves.

The university also consists of the Student Government Association that represents the student body under all circumstances. The association is to ensure that there is adequate student representation on campus and to support all initiatives that would benefit the student body.

Besides academics, the university is also known for encouraging its students to be a part of extracurricular activities. The university offers 17 kinds of sports, including basketball, golf, football, golf, soccer, etc. consisting of about 400 student players. The official colors of the UCA sports teams are purple and grey for all events.

The university has a long list of notable alumni, some of who Sheffield Nelson - American attorney, Scottie Pippen - American basketball player, Gil Gerard - American actor, Benjamin Travis Laney - Former Governor of Arkansas, Dale Alford - American Politician, Monte Coleman - American football head coach, Jimmy Driftwood - American songwriter, Mary L. Good - American chemist, Hiroyuki Nishimura - Japanese entrepreneur and Raymond Simon - American educator among several others.