Mission:
The University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) exists to help students learn by providing transformative education experiences to students so that they may become productive, creative, ethical and engaged citizens and leaders serving our global community. UCO contributes to the intellectual, cultural, economic and social advancement of the communities and individuals it serves.
Vision:
The University of Central Oklahoma, as Oklahoma’s metropolitan university committed to helping students learn, embraces its role as a collaborative partner and leader to meet the educational, business and community aspirations of the Greater Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area. Our dynamic metropolitan region shapes the university even as the university contributes to the cultural, social, economic, and intellectual life of the region to realize our shared future. Metropolitan engagement informs every dimension of the university’s activities in cultivating learning, discovery of new knowledge, and encouraging shared leadership to the extent that this synergy will inspire others to recognize UCO as one of the nation’s leading metropolitan universities.
About Us:
The University of Central Oklahoma prepares future leaders in an opportunity-rich environment. Located in Edmond, Central is one of the top public ¨ universities in Oklahoma City's thriving metropolitan area.
As Oklahoma's metropolitan university, Central offers ¨its more than 17,000 students an innovative learning community where teaching comes first, a commitment seeded in the university's roots as a teachers' college. Students develop personal relationships with more than 450 full-time and ¨ 500 adjunct faculty and staff who, guided by the mission of helping students learn, are committed to transforming lives.
With 116 undergraduate majors and 70 graduate majors, Central is a smart investment for students dedicated to their success. Notable academic programs include Forensic Science, Music Theatre, Graphic Design, Mass Communications, Teacher Education, Accounting, the region's only accredited Professional Golf Management program, Jazz Studies and the Academy of Contemporary Music at ¨ UCO, located in downtown Oklahoma City's Bricktown district. The university also opened the CHK|Central Boathouse on the Oklahoma River in 2015. Central also is one of two universities in the country named an official U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Site.
Central's appealing 210-acre main campus offers a learning and ¨living environment that is a source of pride for the Central ¨community. Central is ranked among the top public ¨ regional universities in the nation by US News and World ¨ Report, and has been named as one of the top universities ¨to work for by the Chronicle of Higher Education five of ¨ the past six years. The university also stands among the ¨top universities nationally for student housing and sustainable "green" practices, like its use of 100 percent wind energy and alternative transportation programs. Central is an official "Green Power Partner" of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and won the EPA's Green Power Challenge for its athletic conference the past three years.
The UCO Broncho athletic teams compete in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association conference. The university's athletics program has a rich tradition of success, most recently winning the 2013 NCAA Division II National Softball Championship.
Founded in 1890 as one of the state's first institutions of higher learning, Central cultivates creativity and innovation in every corner of campus, creating a culture of change where students learn, lead and serve.
The University of Central Oklahoma is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
