A Leader in Urban Education

The University of Texas at Arlington’s College of Education and Health Professions strives to promote a collaborative culture of excellence in research, teaching, and service. Our goal is to enliven students' lives, to provide them with unique experiences built on high standards, to encourage them to think critically and creatively, and to instill in them a lifetime commitment to learning and service to their communities.

A History of Excellence

The College of Education and Health Professions’ first appearance at UT Arlington came in a very different form. Originally established in 1963 as the Teacher Education Section in the Department of Psychology, it was part of the College of Liberal Arts. A steady growth in enrollment and the approval of additional degrees, endorsement, and certification programs led to the department’s designation as a freestanding Center for Professional Teacher Education in 1978 and its eventual elevation to School status within the University on Jan. 1, 1999. Then, in the fall of 1999, the School of Education acquired the Department of Exercise, Sport, and Health Studies (now the Department of Kinesiology) from the College of Liberal Arts in order to continue to provide physical education classes and pedagogy classes for students seeking teacher certification in physical education. A couple of years later, on Aug. 6, 2003, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) formerly recognized the School as a College of Education. The College achieved another significant milestone in 2006, when the THECB approved the College’s first Ph.D. degree program, in K-16 Administration and Policy Studies. On July 31, 2009, the THECB approved the College’s name to be changed to the College of Education and Health Professions to better reflect the collaborative culture of the College’s three departments and the capabilities and opportunities that the College has to offer.

The College Today

Today, the College of Education and Health Professions is fully accredited through the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and in 2006 became the first College of Education within the UT System to receive accreditation through the prestigious National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education. The COEHP’s Kinesiology Department holds additional accreditations through the Commission on the Accreditation of Athletic Training Education.

The college currently offers bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees through its three academic units: the Departments of Curriculum and Instruction, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, and Kinesiology. Students may also pursue professional teacher, administrator, kinesiology, and other certifications.

Our Students and Faculty

Over the past five years, College of Education and Health Professions has grown by more than 70 percent, and currently boasts an enrollment of approximately 3,400 students. To accommodate this rapid growth, we currently operate out of seven facilities spread throughout the University’s Arlington and Fort Worth campuses.

Led by Dean Jeanne M. Gerlach, the College consists of 131 full and part-time faculty (c. 2011). The college’s administration, faculty, and staff work together to maintain and enhance the college’s reputation as being a leader in PreK-16 public education partnerships within the DFW Metroplex.