The UCA Core
Website: uca.edu/core
Contact: Jacob Held, jmheld@uca.edu
The UCA Core requires 38 credit hours at the lower division (LD Core). These courses include the 35 credit hour required state minimum core and one additional three credit hour course to satisfy the responsible living element in the UCA Core mission. The remaining 35 hours from the state minimum are distributed in the other knowledge and skills areas of critical inquiry, effective communication, and diversity.
Embedded within the lower division is a first-year seminar (FYS). The first-year seminar comes from one of the lower-division academic courses. The purpose of the first-year seminar is to provide a small-class learning environment to facilitate engagement in academic study at the collegiate level, make a connection to the university, and reinforce the importance of communication skills.
At the upper-division (UD Core), additional courses within the four knowledge and skills areas promote the development and application of knowledge and skills learned at the lower division. In addition, a capstone experience provides the integration of critical inquiry and effective communication.
In addition to the UCA Core, students across the university have the opportunity to participate in common intellectual experiences through programs such as the Schedler Honors College’s annual Challenge Week and the Office of Student Success’s Summer Start program offered prior to the start of the first year.
Schedler Honors College
Website: uca.edu/honors
Contact: Patricia Smith, psmith@uca.edu
The Norbert O. Schedler Honors College and the Schedler Honors Program offer qualifying students the opportunity to participate in a number of high-impact practices through the university’s honors programs. The Honors College currently serves 415 students and features a dedicated honors residence hall and honors center which includes faculty offices, a conference room, classrooms, and an honors lounge. Offering a minor in Honors Interdisciplinary Studies, the Schedler Honors College is one of only a few programs in the country that has a full department of full-time and tenured faculty members. The Honors College offers students in both programs funding support for study abroad, undergraduate research, and experiential learning opportunities. Both programs offer scholarship incentives as well.