Academic Structure

Wilson College of Business

David W. Wilson College of Business

Considered a global leader in business education with a culture of achievement and a record of excellence, UNI graduates are leading the way to a bigger, brighter future for all of us. Students arrive at UNI curious, ready to explore, experience and learn business, and they graduate 'ready for business'. It’s because our program is like no other. We'll take you from coursework to real work so at graduation you can start to achieve more on day one. When you start here, you can go anywhere.

As one of the nation’s top-ranked and internationally recognized business colleges, UNI offers more than 25 undergraduate business programs, plus elite MBA and MAcc graduate programs, valuable internships, study abroad experiences, certifications, supported by an influential faculty and professional mentors. It’s why students serious about a future in business seriously consider UNI.

Plus, to ensure you’re ready for business day one, you’ll participate in the nation’s only industry-leading Professional Readiness Program® where you develop critical soft skills that apply your business education to the real world. You will hone skills such as communication, a growth mindset, emotional intelligence, adaptability, and active listening – skills demanded by today’s employers.

Wilson College of Business Rankings and Accreditations:

• The Wilson College has earned accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AASCB). Fewer than five percent of business schools worldwide have earned the distinction, making it the gold standard of business school accreditation.
• The Wilson MBA program named “A Best Business School” by the Princeton Review for 10+ years.
• The part-time Wilson MBA program has been listed among the top part-time MBA programs by U.S. News & World Report, the most widely sought-after university recognition source in the world.
• Wilson Accounting graduates consistently place in the top 10 nationwide for success on the CPA exam.

Choose from programs in five different departments, Accounting, Economics, Finance, Management, and Marketing and Entrepreneurship, to earn a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree, minor or professional certification:

Majors/Emphasis Area

• Accounting
• Business Analytics
• Business Teaching
• Economics: Applied Economics Analysis
• Economics: Business Economics
• Economics: General Economics
• Economics: Quantitative Techniques
• Finance: Financial Management
• Finance: Investments
• Finance: Personal Wealth Planning
• Human Resource Management
• Marketing and Entrepreneurship: Advertising and Digital Media
• Marketing and Entrepreneurship: Marketing Management
• Marketing and Entrepreneurship: Sales Management
• Management Information Systems
• Management: Business Administration
• Management: Organizational Leadership
• Real Estate
• Supply Chain Management

Minors

• Business Communication
• Economics
• Entrepreneurship
• Finance
• General Business Concepts
• International Business
• Organizational Leadership
• Real Estate

Certificates

• Business of Healthcare
• Financial and Real Estate Sales
• Sustainability
• Entrepreneurship
• International Business, Culture and Language

Many of our programs allow students to earn a professional credential, including:

• Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM®)
• Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®)
• Certified Financial Planner® (CFP®)
• Certified General Appraiser
• Certified Global Business Professional (CGBP®)
• Certified Property Management
• Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
• Expanded Career Option for Secondary Teacher Licensure
• Six Sigma Green Belt

Go the next step within one of our acclaimed UNI graduate programs: the highly competitive Master of Accounting (MAcc) or the lauded Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree. With an emphasis on future-focused innovation and what’s next, experiential learning plus face-to-face interactions with professors and industry leaders, you’ll gain the deep knowledge to achieve beyond. The MAcc program is elite with small class sizes taught by faculty with significant industry experience. Our innovative MBA program, with locations in Pella, Mason City, and Shanghai, has been named a Best Business School by the Princeton Review every year for more than a decade.

To earn an undergraduate business degree, students must take at least 30 hours of business courses at UNI.

College of Education

https://coe.uni.edu/

The College of Education includes six instructional units. Programs offered in this college lead to the degrees of Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Master of Arts (M.A.), Master of Arts in Education (M.A.E.), Specialist in Education (Ed.S.), and Doctor of Education (Ed.D.).

The Doctor of Education Degree is one degree supervised through the College of Education. It can be completed with one of the following Intensive Study Area concentrations: Curriculum and Instruction; Educational Leadership; or Postsecondary Education: Student Affairs.

The various units which comprise the college are described below:

Curriculum and Instruction

The Department of Curriculum and Instruction offers three undergraduate majors in early childhood, elementary, and middle-level education as well as undergraduate minors in early childhood (PK-K), literacy education, social studies, and social and emotional learning leading to one of the following Iowa teaching endorsements: school library studies, reading K-8, reading 5-12, elementary teaching, unified early child and middle-level teaching. Coursework features multiple field experiences ranging from work with infants and toddlers through K-12 environments. Graduate degree programs leading to a master’s degree are offered in elementary education, literacy education, early childhood education, learning technologies, school library studies, and the Doctoral Intensive Study Area in Curriculum and Instruction. Graduate Iowa teaching endorsements offered for Reading Specialist. For further information, visit the website https://coe.uni.edu/curriculum-instruction.

Educational Psychology, Foundations, and Leadership Studies

The Department of Educational Psychology, Foundations, and Leadership Studies offers the following graduate programs and program certificates: M.A.E. Principalship; M.A. Postsecondary Education: Student Affairs; M.A. Teacher Leadership for International Educators; M.A.E. Context and Techniques of Assessment; and Ed.S. School Psychology. The last two are both associated with EPFLS’ National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) approved School Psychology Program. Additionally, there are two program certificates in Principalship and Superintendency Preparation. Finally, the department houses two Doctoral Intensive Study Areas in Educational Leadership and Postsecondary Education: Student Affairs. Specific requirements for these graduate programs and program certificates are listed within the Department of Educational Psychology, Foundations, and Leadership Studies section of this catalog.

There are no undergraduate majors in the Department of Educational Psychology, Foundations, and Leadership Studies. However, there is one minor (Educational Studies), and the department is responsible for multiple courses required of all prospective teachers and provides core courses for many graduate programs.  For further information, visit the website https://coe.uni.edu/epfls.

Health, Recreation and Community Services

The Department of Health, Recreation and Community Services offers graduate and undergraduate majors in Recreation, Tourism and Nonprofit Leadership, Environmental Resource Management, as well as Doctoral Intensive Study Area, Recreation and Community Services. The department also offers minors and/or program certificates in Nonprofit Management, Outdoor Recreation, Tourism, and Youth Work in Religious Settings. National certification as a therapeutic recreation specialist is also available. The department operates one center of excellence in the National Program for Playground Safety and the strong, nationally recognized Nonprofit Leadership Alliance. The department is endorsed by Nonprofit Leadership Alliance and the Council on Accreditation of Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Related Professions (COAPRT). For further information, visit https://coe.uni.edu/hrcs.

Special Education

The Department of Special Education offers two undergraduate minors (Instructional Strategist and Early Childhood Special Education) as well as post-baccalaureate or graduate coursework leading to one of the following special education teaching endorsements: Instructional Strategist I (K-8); Instructional Strategist I (5-12); Instructional Strategist II-Intellectual Disabilities (K-12); and Early Childhood Special Education. Coursework features multiple, intensive, supported field experiences in Pre-K settings and K-12 schools. The special education minor/endorsements complement elementary, early childhood, middle-level education, and/or secondary education majors while enhancing teaching skills and competencies needed in inclusive and diverse schools. Graduate programs emphasize field specialization, special education consultation, and transition programming for college and careers. For further information, visit the website at https://coe.uni.edu/special-education.

Teaching

The Department of Teaching administers and supervises clinical experiences for UNI’s undergraduate educator preparation program that include preK-12 classroom-based field experiences, human relations education, and student teaching. It collaborates with partner schools across the state, nation, and world to develop intensive and extensive classroom-based experiences. Information on the department may be found at the website https://coe.uni.edu/teaching.

College of Humanities, Arts and Sciences

https://chas.uni.edu/

The College of Humanities, Arts and Sciences (CHAS) engages students in high quality educational experiences, preparing them to live and work in our global and diverse world. The college is committed to an emphasis on teaching a broad range of undergraduate majors and well-focused graduate programs. Our scholarship encompasses everything from research and creative activity, to distinguished service to our community, state, professions, and society.

The College of Humanities, Arts and Sciences, which offers a diverse and exciting array of coursework, is comprised of 14 departments: 

• Applied Engineering & Technical Management
• Art
• Biology
• Chemistry and Biochemistry
• Communication and Media
• Communication Sciences and Disorders
• Computer Science
• Earth and Environmental Sciences
• Languages and Literatures
• Mathematics
• School of Music
• Philosophy and World Religions
• Physics
• Theatre

Three interdisciplinary programs are also part of the college: Interactive Digital Studies, a program shared across campus but housed in Communication and Media; Science Education, which offers undergraduate and graduate programs; and Women's and Gender Studies, a campus wide program primarily housed in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences.

CHAS faculty have engaged students in study abroad programs (including coursework and concert tours, for example) in more than a dozen countries such as China, Ecuador, Ireland, Italy and more. Students also study in our community, actively participating in service learning projects which are often embedded in our coursework.

The College of Humanities, Arts and Sciences is proud of its excellent facilities, including the Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center. In these facilities, CHAS hosts many applied and extracurricular experiences for community members, CHAS majors and non-CHAS majors that include: music and theatre festivals, speech events, and physics competitions. These activities are in addition to the recitals and ensemble performances of individuals, ensembles, and symphonies in the School of Music, the productions staged by TheatreUNI and Interpreters Theatre, and the art exhibitions organized by the UNI Gallery of Art. Additional opportunities for applied learning and undergraduate research are available in many departments and allow undergraduate and graduate students to work with faculty and staff with modern equipment from day one. Credit and paid internship and employment experiences are found throughout the college. For example, students gain experience in arts management at the Gallagher Bluedorn, work on the North American Review, make discoveries in research labs, and televise live sports events.

Career opportunities for CHAS graduates are numerous and diverse, ranging from research scientists, actuaries, teachers, writers, and translators, to professional performers, artists and speech/hearing therapists.

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

https://csbs.uni.edu/

The College of Social and Behavioral Sciences (CSBS) houses a diverse and inclusive community of teachers, scholars, learners, leaders and engaged citizens who work to understand human behaviors, structures and institutions, past and present, in order to address global, social and environmental issues.

CSBS houses the following divisions:

• Geography
• Health and Human Sciences, School of
  • Family, Aging & Counseling
  • Kinesiology & Athletic Training
  • Nursing & Public Health
  • Social Work
• History
• Interior Design and Textiles & Apparel
• Military Science
• Political Science
• Psychology
• Social Science Teaching
• Sociology, Anthropology & Criminology
• Women's & Gender Studies

The college offers a wide variety of bachelor's degrees as well as unique minors, certificates, and interdisciplinary programs. CSBS also houses several graduate programs, including Athletic Training (MA), Clinical Mental Health Counseling (MA), Geography (MA), History (MA), Kinesiology & Sport Performance (MA), Physical Education - Pedagogy (MA), Public Policy (MPP), School Counseling (MA), Social Work (MSW), and Women and Gender Studies (MA).

For additional information about the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, contact:

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
319 Sabin Hall
University of Northern Iowa
Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0403
319-273-2221
csbs.uni.edu

Division of Online Education and Individual Studies

https://online.uni.edu/​

The Division of Online Education and Individual Studies offers a variety of services that enable the University to provide accessible educational offerings to Iowa residents. The Division works cooperatively with UNI academic departments and colleges to plan, support, and promote online and off-campus credit courses as well as undergraduate and graduate degree, endorsement, and certificate programs that are delivered online, off-campus, or in hybrid formats. The unit also supports workshops offered for credit. The Office of Online and Distance Education offers more than 900 sections annually, with students typically enrolled in all of Iowa's 99 counties.

The Office of Online and Distance Education also works with UNI academic departments in providing general Continuing Education Units (CEUs). CEUs are the nationally recognized unit for recording participation in non-credit continuing education courses.

For information about distance education programs and courses, or the establishment of such courses, visit:

Online and Distance Education Office
106 Human Performance Complex
Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0223
call 319-273-7206
e-mail mailto:online@uni.edu
visit online.uni.edu

Online and Distance Education - Self-Paced Online Courses

For those who find it inconvenient to attend classes on campus, opportunities to learn and earn university credit are available through Self-paced online courses. More than 40 courses are available via this method of delivery. Self-paced online courses do not follow the regular semester schedule; students can enroll at any time, work at their own pace, and have up to nine months to complete the course. Program details are available by contacting:

Online and Distance Education Office
106 Human Performance Complex
319-273-7206 or
view the information at online.uni.edu

Online and Distance Education Courses and Degree Programs

Each semester UNI offers a wide variety of courses, workshops, degree programs, and certification programs in different communities throughout Iowa using on-site delivery, video conferencing, eLearning and other distance education technologies.  A majority of the courses and programs are designed for working professionals, especially those working in K-12 settings who are seeking advanced degrees, an additional endorsement/certification, or recertification hours. Courses and programs are also offered to business and industry employees and other groups who have specific educational needs. Information about distance education offerings can be found at: https://online.uni.edu/. 

Online Education and Individual Studies Program

online.uni.edu/individual-studies-department

The Individual Studies Program is under the administrative umbrella of Division of Continuing Education and Special Programs. The following program options and course offerings are available through Individual Studies:

• National Student Exchange Program
• Exploratory Seminar: Self-Forming
• Interdisciplinary Readings
• Undergraduate Thesis
• Individual Study Project
• Individual Studies major
• General Studies major
• General Studies for Registered Nurses
• Bachelor of Liberal Studies degree
• Bachelor of Applied Science: Managing Business and Organizations

National Student Exchange Program

The University of Northern Iowa is affiliated with the National Student Exchange (NSE), a consortium of state colleges and universities throughout the country that arranges for students to study on various campuses as visiting students. The purpose of the exchange is to enable students to get better acquainted with different social and educational patterns in other areas of the United States, the U.S. territories and Canada while paying UNI tuition. NSE encourages students to experience new life and learning styles, learn more about themselves and others, and broaden their educational backgrounds through specialized courses or unique programs which may not be available at UNI. Students may exchange to one of 160+ colleges and universities such as Texas State University, University of Idaho, Montana State University and University of New Orleans.

Students make exchange preparations through the Individual Studies Office. Sophomores with at least a 2.50 grade point average may take part in the program for either a semester or an entire year. Financial aid and scholarship recipients should not be adversely affected by participation in the NSE program.

More information about the National Student Exchange is available at:

Individual Studies Office
106 Human Performance Complex
Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0285
319-273-2504

https://online.uni.edu/nse

Students initiate applications there under the advisement of the NSE Coordinator. Applications must be submitted in the spring semester prior to the academic year in which an exchange is planned.

Individual Studies Courses

Self-Forming Seminar (INDIVSTU 4192)

This course is a type of group independent study which allows students with a common interest to organize a time for study together with each member of the team often working on part of a larger problem or project. A faculty consultant must agree to evaluate the completed project at the end of the term.

Interdisciplinary Readings (INDIVSTU 4196)

This course allows the student to develop a program of readings on a topic not dealt within the university’s regular course offerings. The reading list and the number of credit hours must be approved by a faculty member specifically chosen to supervise and aid the students work.

Undergraduate Thesis (INDIVSTU 4197)

The writing of a thesis is required of all Individual Studies majors. This six-credit project may take the form of a research paper, creative work, or application of knowledge gained from an internship or work-related experience. The thesis topic must be approved by the faculty advisor. Copies of Undergraduate Thesis Guidelines are available in the Individual Studies Office.

Individual Study Project (INDIVSTU 4198)

This course is an opportunity for research, creative work, or experience-oriented study in areas not usually covered by the university curriculum. The form of the project and the number of credit hours assigned to the project (usually 1-3) are worked out between the student and the faculty consultant selected.

Registration Procedures

All Individual Studies courses are listed in the semester schedule of classes and may be found by referring to the course offerings. In addition to listing the Individual Studies course on the registration form, the filing of a prospectus is required. The prospectus is a written contract between student and faculty consultant which states what will be done, how it will be done, and what constitutes a completed project. The prospectus must be signed by the consultant and turned in during the second week of classes. Copies of Guidelines for Independent Study are available in the Individual Studies Office. This handout answers many questions about the policies and procedures to be followed by students enrolled in Individual Studies courses.

Office of International Engagement

https://internationalengagement.uni.edu/

The Office of International Engagement (OIE) provides comprehensive service and support to UNI international students, domestic English learners and visiting international scholars. We provide English language instruction through the Culture & Intensive English Program (CIEP), immigration advising, orientation, pre-arrival guidance, academic coaching, intercultural activities, student service-learning opportunities and various student success initiatives. The OIE also leads the development of external and internal collaborations with international partners, cultural competency for students, faculty and staff, and global awareness across the campus.

For further information, contact:

Office of International Engagement

113 Maucker Union
University of Northern Iowa
Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0164
Phone: 319-273-6807
E-mail: international@uni.edu

Culture and Intensive English Program

113 Maucker Union
University of Northern Iowa
Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0511

Other Educational Opportunities

Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) Program

Army ROTC offers scholarship opportunities during college, but the real benefits begin when you graduate and are commissioned as a Second Lieutenant. ROTC opens up opportunities for positions of responsibility while teaching you valuable leadership and management skills impressive to the top employers in business and industry. ROTC also helps you grow individually, improve self-confidence, discover your capabilities, and perform to your full potential. For further information see https://csbs.uni.edu/military-science.

Service-Learning

At the University of Northern Iowa, service-learning is a class-based experience, informed by/co-created with community partners, intended to expand and deepen discipline-specific knowledge and skills, strengthen the community, and develop a student’s sense of civic responsibility. Service-learning is the integration of service and learning to enhance each.

In service-learning classes:

1. Service-learning activities align with academic coursework, providing a deeper understanding of the academic discipline.
2. Service-learning activities align with community strengths and needs and faculty prepare students to work with the community partner.
3. Faculty engage students in purposeful and guided reflection.
4. Service-learning activities prepare students for active citizenship and social responsibility and builds students' cultural competence for engaging with diverse populations in diverse settings.

The University of Northern Iowa supports service-learning work and initiatives through the Service Learning Institutes (SLI) and Course Designation.

Community College Partnerships

Several statewide partnerships exist between the Regent institutions and Iowa community colleges. These articulation agreements can be found in the publication, "The Public Connection" found on the website, http://www.transferiniowa.org/. The reverse credit transfer agreement allows students to complete their A.A. or A.S. degrees after transferring by using UNI courses to complete the A.A. or A.S. degrees. The Transfer Connection Program provides students enrolled at the community college an adviser from UNI to help plan a course of study at the community college. In addition, other partnerships, known as articulation agreements, have been developed between UNI and all Iowa community colleges for specific UNI baccalaureate degree programs. These agreements show specific courses that need to be taken at each school to complete a program. If available, an articulation agreement typically results in the quickest route to graduation for a transfer student.

UNI has developed numerous articulation agreements between Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) programs at the community colleges and various majors/programs at UNI, including Bachelor of Applied Science programs, which allows for a greater number of Career-Technical credits to transfer.

Additionally, UNI has developed an Elementary Education 2+2 Program. Students in this program can earn an A.A. or A.S. degree from an Iowa community college, or have completed a similar set of courses at another institution. The program is typically for students who are place bound or adult learners or career changing. The UNI course schedule of the Elementary Education 2+2 Program is offered through our Online and Distance Education Department. The Elementary Education 2+2 Program offers B.A. degrees in Elementary Education or Elementary/Middle Level Education dual majors. Minors can be added as they are available through the Online and Distance Education Department. 

For more information contact:

UNI Office of Admissions
Cedar Falls, IA
Phone 319-273-2281

Iowa Lakeside Laboratory Regents Resource Center

Iowa Lakeside Laboratory is a field station run cooperatively by the University of Northern Iowa, the University of Iowa, Iowa State University, and Drake University through the Board of Regents, State of Iowa.

The laboratory was established in 1909 for the conservation and study of the rich flora and fauna of northwest Iowa, especially those of the Iowa Great Lakes region with its numerous lakes, wetlands, and prairies. Its campus is located on approximately 140 acres of restored prairie, wetland, and gallery forest along the west shore of West Okoboji Lake. The mission of the Iowa Lakeside Laboratory Regents Resource Center (ILLRRC) is to provide facilities and programming as a field station and community resource to support scientific education, research, and outreach programs of the Regents universities and other institutions.

Lakeside offers students a unique educational experience: small, full-immersion, field-oriented courses. Most courses meet all day (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) Monday through Friday. Course enrollments are usually limited to 11 students. Weather permitting, students normally spend at least part of each day doing fieldwork. Students from any college or university can take classes at Lakeside. If you are a student at the University of Iowa, Iowa State University, the University of Northern Iowa, or Drake University, your credits and grades are recorded at your home school. If you attend another college or university, your credits and grades are recorded at the University of Iowa.

Before registering, please check with your academic adviser to determine if specific courses can be used to satisfy major, minor, college or university requirements at your institution.

Lakeside students may reside on or off campus. Please click here for housing options. Undergraduate and graduate students are strongly encouraged to do independent projects at Lakeside, and graduate students are welcome to use it as a base for their thesis and dissertation research. Laboratory space and other facilities are available for long-term or short-term research projects. Endowed scholarships and other funding for coursework and research is available through Friends of Iowa Lakeside Lab.

Teaching and research facilities include eight laboratory buildings, a library, and a lecture hall. Living accommodations include cottages, and motel-style units. All students and faculty are encouraged to stay at Lakeside while they are taking courses to take full advantage of its educational, professional, and social life. Faculty and researchers are also encouraged to take advantage of Lakeside Laboratory facilities and access to natural areas for research and sabbaticals.

Further information can be found at the website iowalakesidelab.org.

Iowa Space Grant Consortium

The Iowa Space Grant Consortium is an organization sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and comprised of UNI, the other Iowa Regents' universities, Drake University, and affiliate institutions and businesses. The consortium is part of a national network of universities interested in space-related fields; encouraging cooperation among industry, governments, and universities in technical career programs; organizing educational programs and STEM research; and recruiting and training professionals - especially women and minorities - for careers in aerospace technology and related fields, thereby promoting a strong math and science education base from kindergarten through college. Through a program of internships, scholarships and fellowships, the consortium provides undergraduate and graduate students with opportunities to pursue interdisciplinary research in STEM fields related to NASA's mission directorates. For further information visit http://www.iaspacegrant.org/. 

Regent Universities Student Exchange Program

University of Northern Iowa students may take courses at either of the other two Regents’ universities (Iowa State University or University of Iowa) with credits earned counted as UNI resident credit.  Degree-seeking students in good standing at any of the three Regents’ universities may attend another Regents’ university for a maximum of two semesters.

Approval for participation and credit in the exchange program must be obtained well in advance of registration since the department head must approve the acceptance of such credits if these are to apply to the major, and to ensure adequate time for processing of the application.

Detailed information and application forms for the exchange program are available from the Office of the Registrar (Gilchrist 115).