College of Education and Health Professions

Mission and Objectives

The mission of the College of Education and Health Professions is to enhance the quality of life of the citizens of Arkansas, the nation, and the world through the development of scholar-practitioners in education, health, and human services.

The goals of the College of Education and Health Professions are to:

• Strengthen the academic quality and reputation of the college by developing and enhancing programs of excellence in teaching, research, and service.
• Improve the quality and diversity of our students, faculty, and staff.
• Generate increased private and public support for the college’s research, academic, and service initiatives.

Facilities and Resources

The Sylvia Hack Boyer  Center for Student Services

The office provides advising and student support services to undergraduate students in the College of Education and Health Professions from matriculation to graduation.

The Office for Teacher Education

The office provides field placement, teacher licensure, and student assessment. The office also provides support to the academic departments as they pursue state and national accreditation.

Organization

For administrative purposes, the undergraduate programs of the college are organized under five academic units, with majors shown after each unit:

1. Communication Disorders and Occupational Therapy
   1. Communication Sciences and Disorders
   2. Occupational Therapy
2. Counseling, Leadership and Research Methods
   1. Human Resource Development
3. Curriculum and Instruction
   1. Career and Technical Education
   2. Childhood Education
   3. Drama Education
   4. Educational Studies
   5. Elementary Education
   6. English Education
   7. French Education
   8. German Education
   9. Social Studies Education
   10. Spanish Education
   11. Special Education
4. Eleanor Mann School of Nursing
   1. Nursing
5. Health, Human Performance and Recreation
   1. Exercise Science
   2. Physical Education
   3. Public Health
   4. Recreation and Sport Management
   5. Teaching K-12 Physical Education and Health

Facilities

The Graduate Education Building, Peabody Hall, Epley Center for Health Professions, and the Health, Physical Education and Recreation Building serve as the nucleus of the College of Education and Health Profession’s activities.

The Graduate Education Building houses the Department of Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders,  an auditorium, several conference and seminar rooms, classrooms, and offices for individual professors, along with administrative and service units such as the Dean's office, OASIS, and computer laboratory.

Peabody Hall houses the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, classrooms and offices for individual professors, along with the Office for Teacher Education for the College and University.

The Health, Physical Education and Recreation (HPER) Building houses the majority of faculty offices and classrooms for Athletic Training, Public Health,  Kinesiology, Recreation and Sport Management, the Office for Studies on Aging, and the Exercise Science Research Center.

The Communication Sciences and Disorders program and the Speech and Hearing Clinic are housed in Epley Center for Health Professions. The clinic contains faculty offices, a classroom, a graduate seminar room, teaching and research laboratories, and space and facilities for the provision of services to the speech, language, and hearing impaired. University services are provided through the clinic to university students and the community.

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing is also housed in Epley Center for Health Professions. The nursing program facilities include administrative offices, faculty offices, two classrooms, simulation laboratories, a conference room, and a computer classroom. The school has affiliation agreements for clinical practice with area health care agencies.

The West Avenue Annex building houses research and service units: the Center for Mathematics and Science Education (CMASE), the Center for Children and Youth, the Arkansas Leadership Academy (ALA) and the Office for Innovation in Education (OIE). Established in 1991, the Arkansas Leadership Academy is a nationally recognized statewide partnership of 13 universities, 9 professional associations, 15 educational cooperatives, the Arkansas Departments of Education, Higher Education, and Workforce Education, the Arkansas Educational Television Network, Tyson Foods Inc., Wal-Mart Stores Inc., and the Walton Family Foundation. The Center for Mathematics and Science Education provides quality resources to private and public educators. The center also serves as the Arkansas NASA Educator Resource Center, disseminating educational materials provided by NASA. The Office for Innovation in Education is funded by the Arkansas Department of Education to develop and test new approaches to deliver and assess K-12 education innovations.

Established in 1974, the Center for the Utilization of Rehabilitation Resources for Education, Networking, Training and Service (CURRENTS) provides customized training and consulting for organizations ranging from large state agencies to small not-for-profits and is nationally recognized for the high level of commitment and responsiveness to their customers and their efforts to expand, improve, and strengthen services to people with disabilities. The center is located at the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts, Hot Springs, Arkansas.

Academic Journals

The college is host to the Journal of Research on the College President, edited by  G. David Gearhart, a professor of higher education and Chancellor Emeritus, and the Journal of School Choice, edited by Robert Maranto, 21st Century Endowed Chair in Leadership in the Department of Education Reform.

Degrees Offered

The college offers curricula leading to four degrees — the Bachelor of Science in Education degree (B.S.E.), the Bachelor of Science (B.S.), the Bachelor of Arts in Teaching (B.A.T.), and the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.). Some of these degree programs have concentrations and specialties that are described within their sections.

College Admission Requirements

All entering students (including freshmen, international, and transfer) admitted to the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, are eligible for admission to the college. Some undergraduate programs require additional admission criteria to complete.

Transfer of Credit

The policies controlling the granting of credit for course work taken at other institutions apply as follows:

1. Courses completed at the lower-division (freshman or sophomore) level at another institution may not count as equivalents of upper-division (junior or senior) level courses offered in the college unless student requests program modification with proper petition approvals.
2. Students should be prepared to submit official course descriptions of transfer course work if there is any question as to whether the college will grant degree credit for such work.

Exploring Majors

Students enrolled in the College of Education and Health Professions are encouraged to declare a major as soon as possible. For assistance contact the Sylvia Hack Boyer  Center for Student Services, 3rd floor Graduate Education Building, 479-575-4203.

College Scholarships

Thanks to the generosity of donors, the College of Education and Health Professions offers several scholarship opportunities. These gifts allow the college to support the university's mission of recruiting and retaining high-achieving students who enrich and diversify the academic environment. Scholarships are available for both graduate and undergraduate students. Please visit the college's scholarship webpage for more information.

Student Organizations

There are many general-interest societies and organizations on the campus, and nearly every department of the university maintains an honor society through which high scholarship is rewarded. Of special interest to students in the college are the following:

• Eta Sigma Gamma — honor society for Public Health
• Kappa Delta Pi — honor society for education
• Phi Delta Kappa — honor fraternity for graduate students
• Kinesiology Club — for kinesiology majors
• Recreation and Sport Management Majors Club — for recreation and sport management students
• Razorback Athletic Training Association (RATA) — for undergraduate kinesiology majors with a concentration in exercise science – pre-athletic training, entry level graduate athletic training students and graduate assistant athletic trainers in women’s and men’s athletics
• National Student Speech-Language-Hearing Association — for communication sciences and disorders majors
• Arkansas Nursing Students Association, National Student Nurse Association, and the Pi Theta chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing — for nursing majors

College Academic Regulations

Admission Process for Initial Teacher Licensure

Stage I: Enrollment

Enroll in an undergraduate degree program leading to a potential teacher licensure field. Potential fields include the following:

• Agricultural Education – B.S.A.
• Art Education – B.F.A.
• Career & Technical Education (Business Education) – B.S. E. Licensure Program
• Career & Technical Education (Family & Consumer Science) – B.S. E. Licensure Program
• Career & Technical Education(Technology Education) – B.S. E. Licensure Program
• Childhood Education – B.S.E.
• Elementary Education – B.S.E. Licensure Program
• Human Environmental Sciences Education – B.S.H.E.S.
• Kinesiology K-12 – B.S. Licensure Program
• Music Education – B.M.
• Secondary Education – B.A., B.S. B.A.T.
• Special Education - B.S.E. Licensure Program
• Speech-Language Pathology – B.S.

Stage II: Admission to Teacher Education

Complete the Admission to Teacher Education application on the Office of Field Placement and Licensure website for details. Satisfactory completion of this form does not guarantee admission to the student teaching semester or the Masters of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) degree program or other teacher education programs. 

Stage III: Program Admission

The following minimum criteria are necessary to be eligible for consideration for admission to a teacher education program: 

1. Meet all requirements in stages I and II.
2. Consult with faculty adviser for additional requirements set by the chosen program.

Initial Licensure

Students who have completed the stages listed above must obtain a licensure packet from the Teacher Certification Officer, 338 Graduate Education Building, prior to entering internship/student teaching. A mandatory meeting is held each semester before starting either an internship or a student teaching experience.

Students should always consult the Teacher Certification Officer or adviser regarding licensure requirement changes. Students will not be licensed to teach in Arkansas until they have met all requirements for licensure as set forth by the Arkansas Department of Education.

College Honor Roll

At the close of each semester, the college recognizes students who qualify for the Honor Roll.  Students must carry a minimum of 12 semester hours to be eligible for the Honor Roll and obtain a minimum term GPA of 3.75.

Graduation with Distinction

Graduation with Distinction will be conferred to College of Education and Health Professions students (who are not participating in the college “Honors Program”) based upon their University of Arkansas cumulative grade-point average at the time of graduation. To earn this distinction, a student must have completed at least one-half of the course work required for his or her degree at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. The graduation with distinction designation will be assigned as follows:

1. For highest distinction, the student must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.95.
2. For high distinction, the student must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.80.

Degree Requirements

Minimum Requirements for the B.S.E. or B.S. or B.S.N.  or B.A.T. Degree

The candidates for a baccalaureate degree from the college must meet university requirements, which specify at least 120 semester hours of work with a grade-point average of at least 2.00 on all work attempted in the university. Students exempting any course must still meet the 120-hour graduation requirement and should consult their adviser for specific program requirements. Exemption of courses does not result in credit earned. The students must comply with the prescriptions and restrictions listed below and under General Studies and must complete the requirements in one or more of the approved degree programs.

Students must also meet all other university requirements for graduation, including the University Core requirements. Students are required to have a pre-graduation check at least one semester prior to the graduation term. Students who complete the pre-graduation check and meet all university and College of Education and Health Professions requirements may apply for graduation under the guidelines detailed on the Graduation Requirements page. All course work, university requirements, and college requirements must be completed by the deadline for the term in which applied. Students not graduating in spring, but wishing to participate in the spring commencement ceremony, must apply for graduation by the established priority deadline for the spring term. For clarification, please contact the Sylvia Hack Boyer Center for Student Services, 350 Graduate Education Building, at 479-575-4203.

Graduate Studies

The Graduate School, in cooperation with the college, offers advanced work in education and health professions leading to the degrees of Master of Arts in Teaching, Master of Science, Master of Education, Educational Specialist, Doctor of Education, and Doctor of Philosophy.

The graduate programs include:

• Adult and Lifelong Learning
• Athletic Training
• Childhood Education
• Communication Sciences and Disorders
• Community Health Promotion
• Counselor Education
• Curriculum and Instruction
• Educational Leadership
• Educational Statistics and Research Methods
• Educational Technology
• Education Policy
• Elementary Education
• Higher Education
• Human Resource and Workforce Development
• Kinesiology
• Middle-Level Education
• Nursing
• Physical Education
• Recreation and Sport Management
• Rehabilitation
• Secondary Education
• Special Education

The Graduate School awards the graduate degrees. Students who are interested in registering for graduate courses or in becoming candidates for these degrees should consult the dean of the Graduate School and the Graduate School Catalog.

Students who plan to study for an advanced degree in the subject-matter field should consult with the head of the department concerning course requirements to be eligible to begin graduate study. Specialization requirements for a B.S.E. degree in the College of Education and Health Professions may not be sufficient in every field to gain admission for graduate study without deficiencies.

Accreditations

The University of Arkansas holds membership in and is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. The college is also a member of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education.

The graduate program in communication disorders is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, but the program is currently on probation. Find out more in the Graduate Catalog.

The counselor education graduate program is nationally accredited through the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) degree program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. It is also approved by the Arkansas State Board of Nursing.

The M.S. degree program in Rehabilitation Counseling is accredited by the Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE). Graduates of the accredited program are eligible to sit for the Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) examination.

The B.S. degree program in Public Health is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH).

The teacher education program of the College of Education and Health Professions is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). This accreditation covers the initial teacher preparation programs and/or advanced educator preparation programs. Because of the accreditation by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, students who complete the curricula as outlined in this catalog are eligible to be recommended for licensure in states that agree to certify graduates who are recommended by the College of Education and Health Professions as having fulfilled its requirements. Students who complete the approved program of study leading to initial licensure are eligible to receive licenses to teach at the grade level or in the fields for which they have made preparation upon application and presentation of acceptable scores on the appropriate Praxis exams. However, students must follow licensure guidelines set forth by the Arkansas Department of Education to be licensed to teach.

Office of the Dean of the College

324 Graduate Education Building, 479-575-3208

Dean of the College
Kate Mamiseishvili

Interim Associate Dean of Academic and Student Affairs
Matthew S. Ganio

Assistant Dean for Administration and Diversity
Lewatis D. McNeal

Associate Dean for Research and Innovation
Stephen Dittmore

Director of On-Campus Advising and Initiatives
Elizabeth McKinley

Director of Student Services and Online Advising
Denise Bignar

The Sylvia Hack Boyer Center for Student Services

Student Success Center suite 114/3rd floor Graduate Education Building, 479-575-4203

Teacher Education/Licensure

109 Peabody Hall, 479-575-6740

Honors Program

Student Success Center suite 114, 479-575-4538

Speech and Hearing Clinic

606 North Razorback Road, 479-575-4509

World Wide Web: coehp.uark.edu

Below the majors, concentrations and minors are listed the requirements for teaching licensure.

Majors, Concentrations and Minors

Majors and Concentrations

• Career and Technical Education
  • Business Education
  • Family and Consumer Sciences Education
  • Technology Education
• Childhood Education
• Communication Sciences and Disorders
• Drama Education
• Educational Studies
• Elementary Education
• English Education
• Exercise Science
• French Education
• German Education
• Human Resource Development
• Nursing
• Public Health
• Recreation and Sport Management
  • Recreation Administration
  • Sports Administration
• Social Studies Education
• Spanish Education
• Special Education
• Teaching K-12 Physical Education and Health

Minors

• Educational Studies
• Human Resource Development
• Outdoor Leadership
• STEM Education

Undergraduate students in the college may declare any official academic minor available at the University of Arkansas. Students must notify the Sylvia Hack Boyer Center for Student Services of their intent to pursue a minor. The college, with the assistance of the college offering the minor, will certify that the requirements of the minor have been satisfied. The academic minor will be designated on the student’s official transcript. Requirements for the minor are listed in the catalog under the department offering the minor.

Certificates

• STEM Education

Other Programs

Curricula Offered for Initial Licensure

Nursing Licensure: Completing the minimum requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Nursing will satisfy the academic requirements for licensure as a Registered Professional Nurse. Students must complete all of the requirements set forth by the Arkansas State Board of Nursing to be licensed as a registered nurse. See adviser for details.

Teacher Licensure and Licensure of other School Personnel

The University of Arkansas offers approved undergraduate programs of study for initial licensure in childhood education, career and technical education (business education, family and consumer science, technology education), kinesiology (P-12 physical education), school counseling, special education, speech-language pathology, music and art education, and agriculture education, initial teacher licensure programs in secondary education (English/language arts, drama/speech, social studies, science, mathematics, world language), and childhood education in the Masters of Arts In Teaching (M.A.T.) degree program. The M.A.T. degree program is offered in consecutive summer, fall, and spring semesters with initial enrollment in the summer semester. The M.A.T. is a graduate degree program and requires a minimum of 33 semester hours. The M.A.T. degree program has two areas of emphasis: childhood education and secondary education in drama/speech, English, foreign language, mathematics, science and social studies. Consult the Admissions Process for Initial Teacher Licensure Stages I-III and the Graduate School Catalog for admission and graduation requirements for the M.A.T. degree program. The approved program of study for initial licensure in speech-language pathology is the Master of Science degree in Communication Disorders. Procedures for obtaining licensure parallel those used with M.A.T. graduates. There are some non-M.A.T. licensure programs. See the appropriate sections of this catalog for that information. For bachelor’s degree licensure requirements in career and technical education, music and art education, and some areas of agriculture education, see appropriate sections of this catalog.

The State Board of Education issues the regulations governing the licensure of teachers in Arkansas. The Board specifies minimum cut-off scores for all Praxis exams. Each application for a teacher’s license requires completion of an approved program of study, completion of a state and national background check, and documentation of passing the Praxis exams. Those wishing to add an additional license or endorsement, should contact the Teacher Certification Officer in 338 Graduate Education Building for the approved programs of study or go to the menu “Additional Licensure Plan” on the college's website.

University Teacher Education Board

The University Teacher Education Board is composed of the associate deans; faculty representatives from the College of Education and Health Professions; the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences; the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences; public school teachers and/or administrators, and students. The functions are to

• Govern the teacher education and licensure program.
• Establish general policies and procedures necessary to maintain quality in degree programs.
• Oversee the general coordination of the initial licensure process
• Approve new courses and course changes in individual licensure program.

The Board serves as a liaison for the faculties involved and emphasizes the importance of teacher education as one of the primary responsibilities of the university.

Honors Program

The College of Education and Health Professions (COEHP) Honors Program is designed for students who value and want to be challenged by an exceptional educational experience and intensively focus their studies. The program creates and supports an academic environment of intellectual adventure and provides a carefully integrated and demanding curriculum. The rewards are immense: high academic achievement; involvement in undergraduate research; academic distinction of summa cum laude, magna cum laude, or cum laude and confirmation of an honors degree on the student’s transcript; and recognition at commencement.

The mission of the Honors Program is to: establish and maintain an honors community of learning that is intellectually rigorous, personally and culturally enriching, and fosters learning and discovery through independent and collaborative inquiry; allow students to be creative, inquisitive and innovative; support student research and experiential learning; support student academic ventures through mentoring, travel funding, and research support; provide the opportunity to present work at undergraduate research symposia; challenge students to connect the classroom with the larger world by expanding social and cultural experiences and promoting leadership, and prepare students for admission to and success within graduate and professional schools in the United States and abroad.

Benefits of participating in the Honors Program include: small class sizes, close contact with talented faculty, opportunity for independent study that counts toward the requirements of the Honors Program, special academic counseling and priority registration, increased confidence and skill in writing, honors housing, Latin Honors designation on transcript, enhanced career opportunities, and increased advantages for graduate or professional school applicants.

Admission to the University of Arkansas Honors College assures automatic admission to the COEHP Honors Program for incoming freshmen. The student can apply for admission electronically through the Honors College website. The following are admission criteria for students seeking admission to the COEHP Honors Program:

Entering Freshmen

• Please visit the Honors College section of the catalog to view the admission criteria for new freshmen.

Students Applying as Continuing or Transfer

(within and outside the University of Arkansas)

• 3.5 or greater cumulative GPA
• Applications from students who are currently on probation in another UA college's Honors Program will be evaluated following the conclusion of their probationary semester.
• Applications will not be accepted from students who are within three full semesters of anticipated graduation date.

Expectations

At the end of each academic semester, the COEHP Honors Program will review academic records of all enrolled COEHP Honors students. A student’s cumulative GPA must be 3.50 or greater to remain in good standing within the COEHP Honors Program; if the cumulative GPA falls between 3.00 and 3.49, the student will be placed on warning for one academic semester. At the end of the warning period if the student’s cumulative GPA is 3.50 or greater, they will be reinstated in good standing within the COEHP Honors Program; if the cumulative GPA is less than 3.50 the student will be removed from the COEHP Honors Program. If the student’s cumulative GPA falls below 3.00 at any point, the student will be immediately removed from the COEHP Honors Program.

All COEHP honors students are held to the highest standard with regard to academic achievement and academic integrity. Students violating the Academic Integrity Policy that receive a sanction of 1.0 or greater at the University of Arkansas will be permanently removed from the COEHP Honors Program without the ability to reapply. The student may appeal the decision to the University’s Academic Integrity Board; if the sanction is overturned and removed, the student will be reinstated into the COEHP Honors Program.

Honors Degrees

The College of Education and Health Professions is dedicated to providing programs designed to meet the Honors student’s needs. To achieve this aim, the college faculty has developed the COEHP Honors Program — an honors program for students of superior academic talent.  Students successfully completing the COEHP Honors Program will receive the following academic accolades:

• GPA of 3.9 or greater – summa cum laude
• GPA of 3.7 or greater – magna cum laude
• GPA of 3.5 or greater – cum laude

Requirements for COEHP Honors Program

Requirements for the COEHP Honors Program include meeting all university, COEHP, and department degree requirements. Additionally, students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.5, complete a minimum of 18 credit hours of honors courses, and complete and defend an honors thesis/project. Of the 18 honors credit hours, a minimum of 10 must be completed within the student's program of study (except in situations as described in the following paragraphs), including the Honors Tutorial (390H1 or PHED 399H1) and 3 hours of Honors Thesis/Project (498HV), which may be split across multiple semesters. With prior approval from the student's academic adviser and the COEHP Honors Program, graduate level courses may be counted toward the 10 honors hours within the student's program of study.

Nursing students shall complete NURS 384H2 in place of the Honors Tutorial (390H1). Non-nursing students who choose to complete their Honors thesis/project with a nursing faculty mentor shall also complete NURS 384H2 in place of the Honors Tutorial (390H1). A nursing student who is completing their Honors thesis/project with a faculty mentor outside of their major or outside of COEHP shall complete NURS 384H2, but will still be required to complete 4 hours of thesis courses in their mentor’s home department/program.

For Exercise Science students, Honors Research Methods in Exercise Science (EXSC 372H3) may be substituted for the Honors Tutorial (EXSC 390H1).

For Public Health students, Honors Research Methods in Public Health (PBHL 372H3) may be substituted for the Honors Tutorial (PBHL 390H1).

Students who wish to complete the Honors thesis/project with a COEHP faculty mentor outside of their major should enroll in the Honors Tutorial and Honors Thesis courses that correspond with the faculty member's department/program; these hours shall be counted toward the 10 hour requirement. Students who wish to complete the Honors thesis/project with a non-COEHP faculty mentor should accumulate a minimum of 4 hours of Honors research/independent study courses that correspond with the faculty mentor's department/program; these hours shall be counted toward the 10 hour requirement.

Honors courses must be completed in residence at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville campus in order to satisfy the required 18 honors credits to receive the COEHP Honors distinction. Any honors credits awarded based on AP/IB results shall not be used to fulfill this requirement. Transfer students from other four-year institutions may initiate an appeal with the COEHP Honors Council if they wish to have transfer Honors credit satisfy part of the 18 hour requirement.

For more information about the COEHP Honors Program or to complete an application form, please visit coehphonors.uark.edu.