Environmental Science at UCA

Background

Flower In the 1960s, Rachel Carson published Silent Spring, the nation's first undergraduate environmental studies program was begun (at Middlebury College), and the National Environmental Policy Act was passed. Since that time, there has been an increasing awareness about environmental issues and the need for environmental protection. As environmental protection and regulation efforts have increased dramatically in the last three decades, so too has the number of environmental specialists employed by businesses, industries, and national, state, and local government agencies. Similarly, the number of degree programs in environmental science has risen. Over 100 colleges and universities in the U.S. currently have academic environmental programs.

There is no degree program in Arkansas which is analogous to UCA's new Environmental Science program. Two other programs have environmentally related aspects: one in Fisheries and Wildlife Biology at Arkansas Tech University, and an Environmental Health Science program at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. The latter is described as a program that "provides inter-disciplinary skills necessary to assess physical, biological, and chemical characteristics in our environment and their relationship to human health," a focus much narrower than that of UCA's program.

Employment

Job opportunities for graduates of environmental science programs are expanding rapidly. National data show that virtually all environmental employment areas are projected to experience growth. The most rapidly growing areas, by percent growth expected per year into the 21st century, are:

Interviews of staff at the Arkansas Department of Pollution Control and Ecology, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department, the Natural Heritage Commission, the U.S. National Park Service, and several environmental consulting firms all indicate a growing need for graduates who will have the kind of training in environmental science and environmental studies that is now available at UCA. This need will only increase, as population growth in Arkansas is expected to average 12% between 1993 and 2003.

Admission and Financial Assistance

Trillium flower Applicants may be unconditionally admitted to UCA if they have graduated from high school and meet the following criteria:

  1. A cumulative high school GPA of 2.75 or above on a 4.0 grading scale, with at least six semesters of high school work.
  2. A score of 19 or above on the reading, mathematics, and English sections of the ACT, or equivalent scores on the SAT or ASSET exams.
  3. All graduates of Arkansas high schools after May 1, 1997, must also complete either the college preparation or technical preparation core curriculum in order to qualify for admission into a public institution of higher education in Arkansas.
For more information, contact the UCA Admissions Office.

Approximately 65 percent of UCA students receive some sort of financial aid or scholarship assistance. Financial aid is awarded in the form of scholarships, grants, loans, Federal College Work Study, Pell Grants, Stafford Student Loans, and a variety of state aid programs. No qualified student should hesitate to apply for admission to UCA because the cost seems beyond his or her means. For information on the availability and procedures of obtaining financial assistance, contact the UCA Office of Financial Aid [phone: (501) 450-3140; FAX: (501) 450-5159].

The UCA Community

The University of Central Arkansas is a comprehensive, coeducational institution of over 9,000 students. It offers 120 undergraduate and 40 masters degree programs with an overall student-faculty ratio of 19:1. The 1997 entering class had the highest ACT scores of any public university in Arkansas and was two points above the national average. The Environmental Science program draws upon these strengths, and combines dynamic instructors and productive environmental researchers to provide a curriculum that is relevant, challenging, and comprehensive.

The city of Conway is located near the center of the state, just thirty miles north of Little Rock. Conway is a dynamic and rapidly growing city with a population approaching 40,000, containing three colleges. Within 100 miles of campus are two National Parks, two National Forests, the Arkansas and Mississippi river basins, the Ozark and Ouachita Mountains, and delta, coastal plain, prairie, lake, and other physiographic regions. Applied fieldwork is a critical component of this program, and UCA has a wide diversity of environments available.

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