University of Arkansas Mission

As a land-grant university, the University of Arkansas strives to fulfill a three-fold mission of teaching, research, and service. In addition, as the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System, the U of A in Fayetteville serves as the state’s major center of liberal and professional education and as Arkansas’ main source of theoretical and applied research.

Students pursue a broad spectrum of academic programs leading to baccalaureate, master’s, doctoral, and professional degrees, not only in traditional disciplines within arts, humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, but also in the core professional areas of agricultural, food and life sciences; architecture; business; education; engineering; nursing; human environmental sciences; and law.

The University of Arkansas houses more than 200 academic programs and offers 83 bachelor’s degrees in 74 fields of study. Students may also pursue a wide range of graduate degrees, including the Master’s, the Educational Specialist, the Doctor of Education, and the Doctor of Philosophy. Information about graduate programs can be found in the Graduate School Catalog or on the World Wide Web at http://www.uark.edu/depts/gradinfo/.

The Carnegie Foundation categorizes the University of Arkansas as a research institution with “high research activity,” placing the U of A in the top 10 percent of universities nationwide and in a class by itself within the state of Arkansas. In its 2005 edition, U.S. News and World Report ranked the University in the top tier of institutions of higher education. Faculty members perform cutting-edge research for which they annually win prestigious grants and awards, and the University encourages undergraduates to participate in the research process. Such opportunities enhance the learning process by providing hands-on experience in lab and research techniques, by developing students’ abilities to implement, experiment, discover and teach, and by fostering a mentoring relationship early in students’ academic careers.

Research programs involving both faculty and students serve as vital sources of information on the economic and social needs of Arkansas. In many fields, research performed at the University of Arkansas reaches beyond the state to provide insight and guidance on issues of national and international concern. The University provides extensive technical and professional services to varied groups and individuals throughout the state, helping to further Arkansas’ economic growth. The University operates nationally respected high school and college-level correspondence programs; it assists other institutions in developing educational programs; it offers graduate programs, both cooperatively and singly, throughout the state; and it makes specialized campus resources such as computing services and library holdings available to other institutions in the state.

2007 University of Arkansas Catalog of Studies