Welcome to the College of Education and Professional Studies at UCO, a large and diverse unit offering 27 undergraduate and 14 graduate degree programs. Whether you are a first-time student preparing for your first career, a returning student seeking to upgrade your skills, or an advanced student interested in new challenges and graduate-level work, CEPS is ready to assist you in meeting your educational goals.

Our college mission is to provide excellent programs which dynamically meet the needs of a changing society and prepare individuals to be outstanding professionals in the various teaching and non-teaching disciplines represented in the college. Our programs are recognized at the state and national levels with accreditations by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the American Dietetic Association (ADA), the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA), National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR), and the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation (OCTP).

Approximately 2500 undergraduate and 850 graduate students are served by 88 full-time faculty, 90 part-time faculty and 30 staff members who are organized into eight departments across the college. The name of the college was changed in 2005 to better reflect both the education programs designed to assist individuals as they pursue teaching careers and other outstanding programs in professional areas related to psychology, kinesiology, and speech language pathology along with many others.

The College of Education and Professional Studies has a long and proud history. UCO was founded as the Territorial Normal School in 1890 with a mission of preparing teachers. As the oldest and one of the largest teacher preparation institutions in the state, our college has the distinction of being one of very few institutions to have been accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education for over 50 years. Our motto is “Emphasizing the 3 R’s since 1890.” The traditional 3 R’s of reading, writing and arithmetic have been replaced by reflective, responsive and resourceful, the three areas of competency that are the core of our conceptual framework and belief systems.

Facilities in the College of Education and Professional Studies include the Education Building, which was completed in 1996 and includes state of the art classrooms, office space, computer laboratories, and multimedia facilities. Programs and departments in the college are also located in the Max Chambers Library, the Human Environmental Sciences Building, Wantland Hall, and the Health and Physical Education Building.

A hallmark of our college is the personal attention and care faculty and staff members provide to students. I trust that you will experience these attributes in us and let us know what we can do to help you be successful. Enjoy navigating the various areas on our college website and contact us to let us know how we can help you. Thank you for visiting our site.

Sincerely,
James R. Machell, Ph.D., Dean
College of Education and Professional Studies