The university

At the University of North Texas, our greatest passion is to give a green light to greatness in all we do: in the achievements of our students, in the excellence of our teaching and research, and in the impact our university has on the larger North Texas region.

The flagship of the UNT System, UNT has a legacy of excellence in a broad range of academic areas. UNT is the most comprehensive university in the Dallas–Fort Worth area, offering 97 bachelor’s, 82 master’s and 35 doctoral degree programs—many nationally and internationally recognized. Enrolling 36,000 students, it’s one of the largest universities in Texas and the nation’s 25th largest public university.

UNT is a student-focused public research university. Named one of America’s 100 Best College Buys^® for 17 consecutive years, UNT offers the state’s most affordable research university education. With more than 80 research centers and cross-disciplinary research clusters, our faculty and students are discovering innovative solutions to real-world problems and serving the public good.

Location

UNT is in Denton, a college town of about 117,000 people located about 40 miles north of Dallas and Fort Worth. The 900-acre campus includes 168 buildings and Discovery Park, a 300-acre research facility. Discovery Park is accessible by shuttle buses, as are residence halls, athletic facilities and other areas of campus.

The Dallas–Fort Worth area is one of the largest, most dynamic regions in the United States and home to many of the nation’s fastest growing cities. UNT powers the North Texas region through innovation, education and research; forming partnerships with many business, industry, education, government and cultural organizations.

The university’s mission

UNT is a public research university deeply committed to advancing educational excellence and preparing students to become thoughtful, engaged citizens of the world.

The university’s vision

As the most comprehensive public research university providing a top quality education in one of the nation’s largest, most dynamic regions, UNT will be celebrated for its academics, arts and athletics. UNT will be a diverse and inclusive institution creating knowledge and innovations that will shape the future, while cultivating excellence in the next generation of scholars and leaders for the global community.

Achieving the vision

UNT’s promise

The University of North Texas’ ultimate responsibility is to provide students with the best education possible, so they may achieve their goals, succeed at the highest levels and improve their communities, the state of Texas, the nation and the world.

UNT promises to offer students a challenging, rigorous, high-quality education and provide a supportive environment to help them successfully learn and grow.

UNT promises to contribute to the greater good through scholarship, research, creative endeavors and public service.

UNT’s four bold goals

At the heart of the university’s strategic plan are four cornerstone goals that drive UNT to provide the best education possible and rival the nation’s best higher education institutions. The goals are ambitious, but the plan builds on UNT’s strengths and momentum. We are reaching our destination by working together to meet the most ambitious goals. We hold ourselves accountable to the highest standards of quality, service and engagement and measure our progress against clear and accepted standards.

Goal 1: Provide the best undergraduate educational experience in Texas.

Goal 2: Provide superior graduate education, scholarship and artistic endeavors and achieve status among the nation’s tier-one research institutions.

Goal 3: Become a national leader among universities in student support, employee relations, operational effectiveness and service to constituencies.

Goal 4: Establish UNT as a nationally recognized, engaged university and regional leader by building and expanding mutually beneficial partnerships and resources.

History of the university

UNT was founded in 1890 as Texas Normal College and Teachers’ Training Institute. Joshua C. Chilton, the founding president, leased facilities above a hardware store on Denton’s square to establish a teacher training institute. His charge to the faculty at its first assembly remains an important part of UNT’s value system: “It will be our aim to become leaders in the education of the young men and women of Texas, fitting them to creditably fill the most important positions in business and professional circles. We desire the cooperation of all who believe in higher education and who want to see our state in the very front of intellectual as well as material progress.”

The university has had seven names through the years:

1890 Texas Normal College and Teachers’ Training Institute
1894 North Texas Normal College
1901 North Texas State Normal College
1923 North Texas State Teachers College
1949 North Texas State College
1961 North Texas State University
1988 University of North Texas

Incoming students score well above the national and state averages on the SAT, and choose UNT for the quality of its programs, many of which are nationally and internationally recognized. UNT “firsts” through the years include:

• First jazz studies program in the U.S.
• First undergraduate emergency administration and planning program in the U.S.
• First bachelor’s degree in digital retailing in the U.S. and first master’s degree in merchandising offered completely online
• First school library certification program in the U.S. offered completely online
• First accredited master’s program in applied behavior analysis in the world
• First master’s program in international sustainable tourism in the U.S.
• First four-year aviation logistics program at a university in Texas and one of only two such programs in the nation
• First comprehensive training/research center for Spanish language media
• First and only PhD program in art education in Texas
• World’s first graduate program in environmental philosophy and world’s first field station in environmental philosophy, science and policy at Cape Horn, Chile

Research

UNT engages in innovative research in a wide range of disciplines, promoting new discoveries through collaborative, multidisciplinary initiatives. UNT supports its world-class faculty, top-notch students and state-of-the-art research facilities through strategic investments. Graduate students actively participate in research and scholarly activities with supportive faculty mentors, building strong research records and expertise for their chosen careers.

Accreditation

The University of North Texas is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097; telephone 404-679-4500) to award bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees. Inquiries to the commission should relate only to the accreditation status of the institution.

In addition, the University of North Texas offers programs accredited by the following organizations.

AACSB International — The Association to Advance-Collegiate Schools of Business
ABET
ABET-Computing Accreditation Commission
ABET- Technology Accreditation Commission 
Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration
Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications
American Association of Forensic Science
American Chemical Society
American Library Association
American Psychological Association
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
Association for Behavior Analysis International
Commission on English Language Program Accreditation
Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related
Educational Programs
Council for Interior Design Accreditation
Council on Rehabilitation Education
Council on Social Work Education
National Accreditation Commission for Early Care and Education Programs
National Association of Schools of Art and Design
National Association of Schools of Music
National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration
National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education
National Recreation and Park Association/American
Association of Leisure and Recreation Council on Accreditation
Texas State Board for Educator Certification

Addresses of accrediting organizations are printed following the index.

In addition, the University of North Texas offers programs that are approved or recognized by:

American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance
Council for Exceptional Children
Educational Leadership Constituent Council
International Society for Technology in Education
National Council of Teachers of English
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Institutional memberships

The University of North Texas holds the following memberships.

American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences
American Association of State Colleges and Universities
American College Dance Festival Association
American Collegiate Retailing Association
American Council on Education
American Hotel and Lodging Association
American Mathematical Society
American Political Science Association
Association for Symbolic Logic
Association of Texas Colleges and Universities
Association of Texas Graduate Schools
Association of Women in Mathematics
Broadcast Education Association
Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities
Conference of Southern Graduate Schools
Council for Chemical Research
Council for Higher Education Accreditation
Council for Public University Presidents and Chancellors
Council of Graduate Schools
Council on Undergraduate Research
Dallas Dance Council
Federation of North Texas Area Universities
Greater Denton Arts Council
Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International
International Council of Shopping Centers
International Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education
International Textile and Apparel Association
Mathematical Association of America
National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges
National Collegiate Honors Council
National Restaurant Association
National Retail Federation
National Women’s Studies Association
Oak Ridge Associated Universities
Society for Cinema and Media Studies
Texas Association of Broadcast Educators
Texas Educational Theatre Association
University Film and Video Association

Administration, faculty and librarians

See Administration, faculty and librarians  for lists of university officers, UNT System officers and Graduate School administration.

Information regarding individual faculty members and librarians is available from the Faculty Profile System (https://faculty.unt.edu/index.php). Select “Faculty Profiles” from the Browse menu. To access faculty information from a specific department or from the Libraries, use the drop-down menu at the head of the faculty list.

Graduate faculty of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and the School of Public Health at the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth (UNTHSC) also are members of the graduate faculty of the University of North Texas and thus can serve as mentors or committee members of UNT graduate students appropriate to their graduate appointment. See the UNTHSC Graduate Catalog for UNTHSC graduate faculty listings.