Factbook

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Just the Facts: Graduate School and International Education

Who We Are

  • Graduate School
    • Fellowships and Program Support
    • Recruitment and Admissions
    • Registration and Graduation
    • Graduate Student Support
  • International Education
    • Recruitment and Admissions
    • International Students and Scholars
    • Rome Center
    • Sponsored and Special Student Programs
    • Spring International Language Center
    • Study Abroad and International Exchange 
  • Interdisciplinary Graduate Programs
  • Testing Services

What We Do

We advocate for students and student success. We recruit, retain and graduate students who ask tough questions, drive innovation, break barriers, explore every angle and solve complex problems. We foster excellence by preparing our students to contribute to a global society.

We keep a global perspective. We draw strength from diversity by facilitating opportunities for students from Arkansas, the nation and the world to learn from each other and discover together.

We approach complex problems from multiple angles. We develop interdisciplinary graduate programs that bring a holistic perspective to both old and new challenges.

We lead change, and our future has never been brighter.

Graduate School

The Graduate School at the University of Arkansas has a reputation for producing influential leaders and first-class researchers. Our students work with experts in their fields who are striving to answer today’s most challenging questions. They are at the forefront of discovery and are committed to enriching the global community.

Graduate Student Research

  • Masha Lotfi-Marchoubeh: Chemistry doctoral student Masha Lotfi-Marchoubeh is developing a probe the width of a strand of hair that will take chemical measurements within the brain. The probe will allow researchers to differentiate the types and amounts of chemicals in the brain. Better understanding the brain’s chemical interactions could lead researchers to greater discoveries in treating depression, Parkinson’s disease and other neurocognitive disorders. 
  • Casey Jones: De-icing salts can cause the structural deterioration of Arkansas roads. Doctoral Academy Fellow and civil engineering student Casey Jones is testing solutions to improve the longevity of our roads. Jones and his adviser Micah Hale are examining the feasibility of replacing cement used in concrete with fly ash, a recyclable material from the coal industry.
  • Joshua Blackstock: The necessary equipment didn’t exist for his research, so geosciences Doctoral Academy Fellow Joshua Blackstock built the needed device from scratch. The device measures the amounts of dissolved carbon dioxide present in bodies of water at hourly intervals. He is creating an assembly guide, so the everyday scientist can build the device at home with ease.
  • Kaylie Mitchell: Masters of Fine Arts student Kaylie Mitchell is changing the landscape of downtown Springdale, Arkansas. She is serving the community through Crop Stop, a new art installation project. In collaboration with Teen Action Support Center, Mitchell fabricated an open source CNC structure that serves as a covered bus stop, a unique meeting space and a garden producing fresh and free produce for anyone in need. Through Crop Stop, Mitchell brings a layer of beauty, community and connection to Springdale.

Interdisciplinary Programs

We are strong believers that complex problems must often be approached from multiple angles. This mindset has led to the development of six interdisciplinary graduate degree programs that, together with the appropriate research centers, require collaboration among all of the university’s colleges.

Our programs in Cell and Molecular Biology, Environmental Dynamics, Microelectronics-Photonics, Public Policy, Space and Planetary Sciences and Statistics and Analytics bring a holistic perspective to both old and new challenges in a variety of research areas.

Graduate Student Research

  • Josephy Batta Mpouma: What if an athlete’s jersey could monitor his heart rate? What if a baby’s mattress allowed parents to monitor her while she sleeps? Microelectronics-photonics doctoral student Joseph Batta Mpouma is working to make smart textiles into reality. He is developing a process to fabricate cellulose nanocrystals-based nanofibers from cellulose-rich plant materials.The nanofibers would have many potential applications, including the creation of wearable bioelectronics textiles.
  • Willy Mulimbi Byamungu: In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, women are the primary caretakers and the primary laborers. Women make up 70 percent of the nation’s farmers. Environmental dynamics doctoral student Willy Mulimbi Byamungu is working to introduce conservation agriculture techniques that will increase crop yield, so to ease one of the many burdens of Congolese women.
  • Electa Hare-Redcorn: Public policy doctoral student Electa Hare-Redcorn is a recent winner of the Native American 40 Under 40 award. She earned the honor for her work in bringing awareness to tribal health issues. She has actively worked to reduce childhood diabetes and obesity in tribal communities. She has also led tobacco cessation and prevention efforts in Native American populations.
  • Caitlin Ahrens: Caitlin Ahrens joined the likes of John F. Kennedy, Elvis Presley and Kurt Warner when she was named an Outstanding Young American by Junior Chamber International. She was selected for her promotion for science and advocacy for women in STEM fields. Ahrens is a space and planetary sciences doctoral student. Her research focuses on the nature of ice on Pluto. She and her adviser Vincent Chevrier earned a NASA Solar System Workings grant to support the research.

International Education

Students from Australia to Vietnam, Bolivia to Yemen, Croatia to Zambia and everywhere in between call the University of Arkansas home. Our students have diverse backgrounds, but they share the goal of wanting to receive a quality education from a university known for its academic and research excellence.

Arkansas hospitality is at the heart of our academic mission. We strive to create an engaging campus life by providing international education seminars, intercultural training and cultural immersions.

International Education Highlights

  • Panamanian Pride: The University of Arkansas is home to more Panamanian students than any other college or university in the country. The U of A has a rich history with the Central American nation. We enrolled our first Panamanian students in 1951. In 2011, we worked with the Panamanian government to create a pipeline program for Panamanian students. The program begins with English language training, continues with academic coursework and concludes at graduation.
  • Global Community: International Education Week is global celebration of the benefits of international education and exchange. Each year, the University of Arkansas joins with institutions and organizations across the world to take part in the celebration. During this week, cultural displays, performances, seminars and hosts of other internationally-centered activities are available for the entire campus.
  • Friend Goals: Making friends in a new country isn’t always easy. However, we help facilitate cross-cultural friendships through our iFriend program. The program connects international students with domestic students on campus and members of the Northwest Arkansas community. By sharing in meals, activities and cultural exhange, lifelong friends are formed.
  • A Culture of Sharing: At the University of Arkansas, we have an entire team of students dedicated to sharing their cultural with the campus and local community. The international culture team brings the world to Northwest Arkansas through cultural presentations, demonstrations, cooking displays, clothing and performances. The team interacts with about 10,000 people in the community each year.

Study Abroad

Learning extends beyond the classroom at the University of Arkansas. Our students interview Tibetan refugees in India, study art and economics at our Rome Center, engage in community development in Belize, Mozambique and Vietnam and make lasting connections at partner universities all over the world.

  • Students from disciplines across campus travel to Belize twice a year to help with community development in Dangriga, Belize. The students hold health screenings and educational seminars, arrange for micro-finance loans for women-led businesses, provide clean drinking water and much more. 
  • Hundreds of students flock to Italy each semester to study at the University of Arkansas Rome Center. The Center offers diverse program options across the academic disciplines. In addition to serving U of A students, the Rome campus serves students from six other universities.
  • Every summer, University of Arkansas students travel to Nampula, Mozambique to work in a poultry business outside the city center. Students learn first-hand of the challenges of creating a sustainable business in an inhospitable environment. This service learning program helps students develop leadership skills as they work with locals to improve the business.
  • Every other year, University of Arkansas students travel to India to record interviews with the oldest Tibetans who live in exile in the country. The refugees remember life in Tibet before 1959, when the Chinese invasion was complete. As these elderly Tibetans pass away, so do their personal histories. Our students are building a permanent online archive to house these interviews.
  • "Study Abroad has made me find myself as a person, which has enhanced my knowledge of the world so I know where I fit inside it," Meghan Massie.
  • "I know the world is giant, but after being abroad it feels smaller," Jonathan Douglas.

The path to a brighter future starts here

  • Highest research classification: The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching places the U of A in its highest research category, a status shared by only 2 percent of the nation's universities.
  • More than 250 baccalaureate, master's, doctoral, professional and specialists degree programs
  • 78th best national public university (U.S. News & World Report 2019)
  • Top 5 place to live: U.S. News & World Report has ranked Fayetteville among the top five best places to live in the country for four years in a row, beginning in 2015.
  • Record high research expenditures and research awards earned (2018)
  • 13th fastest growing public doctoral institution in the country (Chronicle of Higher Education, 2018).