UW-River Falls

Dr. Terry Brown, Dean

The College of Arts and Sciences
provides . . .

Student-Centered Experiences

The college provides many opportunities for student involvement. Internship opportunities provide professional experience. Cooperation with companies in biotechnology, chemistry, geographic information systems (GIS), marketing, communications, etc. provide opportunities for students and faculty. We have an active program of undergraduate research and creative activity. Every program in the college has a student organization. Faculty are involved with students, offering options for individualized programs and involvement with seminars and individual projects.

Excellence in the Humanities and Social Sciences

The college offers a program in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). We have excellent professional placement in journalism, which is the smallest accredited program in the country. Marketing Communications is a unique inter-disciplinary program. We are a state center for education in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). We have a student writing series. Our forensics team won the collegiate Division III National Championship in 2002. UWRF is home to the Literary Magazine Review, a nationally circulated publication. The college also publishes "Prologue" to showcase student writers and it sponsors a student and professional writers series. We educate for work and for life through our excellent pre-professional programs with a strong liberal arts base.

Excellence in the Fine Arts

UWRF has the oldest continuous commissioned composer program in the country, which attracts prominent musicians and provides compositions that have been performed around the world. The college’s outstanding and unique glass program is one of the best in the country. The college provides excellent instruction in ceramics, fibers, print-making, and photography. Our semi-professional summer theatre has provided training and entertainment in this region for 35 years. In 2002, the UW Board of Regents approved our theatre major to take advantage of the talent on our campus and the vital theatre community in this region. Our major musical ensembles make annual international tours. UWRF alumni work as artist/educators and professionally in all of the arts (e.g. graphic design; art gallery administration; documentary film and still photography; fabric, ceramics, glass, and pottery design; regional theatre; and the Metropolitan Opera in addition to positions in arts education).

Excellence in Science and Mathematics

The Board of Regents named UWRF as a Center of Excellence for Chemistry and Physics Education. Our Student Physics Association has received national recognition as the outstanding chapter four years in a row. A large percentage of the state’s physics teachers have studied at UWRF. Our biotechnology program has 14 years of excellence and is providing active leadership in this vital area to enhance economic growth. The mathematics program is among the oldest on campus and has been producing quality teachers and applied mathematicians for over 70 years. We have an American Chemical Society accredited program, including one of two approved undergraduate polymer programs in the country. Our MSE programs in Science Education and Math Education are growing rapidly.

Innovative Programs

A strong history of interdisciplinary work, both across departments and across colleges, has created undergraduate programs in biotechnology, marketing communications, film studies, musical theatre, international studies, women’s studies, ethnic studies, and environmental studies, as well as our Masters in Science Education. For four decades, the Semester Abroad program has provided innovative and individualized experiences for our students in Europe. Students can participate in study tours for credit to places like Mexico, Scandinavia, Greece, Uganda, and China. Our Semester in Scotland program, offered through a consortium of Western Wisconsin universities, provides students and faculty with international experience. Pigeon Lake provides a unique North Woods environment for education for the entire Wisconsin System. Interactive television is used to extend instruction to schools in the region.

Support for Teacher Education

CAS programs are strongly committed to interacting with K-12 school systems to provide current and varied content knowledge for students and teachers as well as providing the foundation for training future teachers. The college provides masters programs designed specifically to meet the needs of returning teachers by offering courses in summer institutes and in special settings like the Pigeon Lake Field Station. Departments sponsor a variety of activities throughout the school year including Advanced Placement Review Days, disciplinary workshops, speech and debate contests, science exploration days, and art and music events. These activities involve thousands of students and their teachers from this region every year.