General Information

Graduate Studies

A graduate division was created in 1967 by action of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. In 1973, the division was given the status of a Graduate School in accordance with the new organizational structure approved by the Board of Regents. In June 1996, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia officially changed the name of West Georgia College to State University of West Georgia, which was then changed to University of West Georgia in 2005.

Master’s degrees include the Master of Arts with majors in criminology, English, history, psychology, and sociology; the Master of Music with majors in Music Education and Performance; and the Master of Public Administration. There is the Master of Science degree with majors in applied computer science, biology, mathematics, and sport management and the Master of Science in Nursing. The Master of Professional Accounting, Master of Business Administration, and Master of Arts in Teaching in Secondary Education (biology, broad field science, business education, chemistry, economics, English, history, mathematics, political science, and physics) and Special Education are offered as well. The Master of Education degree is offered with majors in elementary education, professional counseling, media, reading instruction, special education, and speech-language pathology.

The College of Education offers the Specialist in Education degree with majors in educational leadership, early childhood education, secondary education (biology, broad field science, business, chemistry, economics, English, history, mathematics, physics, and political science), professional counseling, media, and special education.

UWG has five doctoral programs. The College of Education offers a Doctor of Education with three majors: (1) School Improvement, (2) Professional Counseling and Supervision, and (3) Higher Education Administration. In collaboration with the College of Education, the Tanner Health System School of Nursing offers a Doctor of Education with a major in Nursing Education. The College of Social Sciences offers a Ph.D. in Psychology with a focus in Consciousness and Society.

UWG graduate certificate programs are offered in selected areas of the arts and sciences, as well as education.

Students can complete non-degree initial, post-baccalaureate and post-graduate (add-on) programs in selected areas.

Accreditations and Affiliations

The University of West Georgia is accredited with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award baccalaureate, master’s, education specialists, and doctorate degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of the University of West Georgia.

The purpose of publishing the Commission’s address and contact numbers is to enable interested constituents (1) to learn about the accreditation status of the institution, (2) to file a third-party comment at the time of the institution’s decennial review, or (3) to file a complaint against the institution for alleged non-compliance with a standard or requirement). However, normal inquiries about the institution, such as admission requirements, financial aid, educational programs, etc., should be addressed directly to the institution and not to the Commission’s office.

Accreditations also include the following:

Organizations in which the University holds institutional membership include the American Council on Education, the American Chemical Society, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning, the Council on Graduate Schools, the National Association for Business Teacher Education, the Council for Undergraduate Education, and the National Collegiate Honors Council.

Information Technology Services

www.westga.edu/its/

Information Technology Services provides technology leadership and support to all areas of the University of West Georgia community. ITS offers a wide variety of technical services - from support of your UWG ID to the planning and maintenance of the campus technology infrastructure including:

• Technology infrastructure providing both wired and wireless network access (SecureWEST),
• On campus computing lab facilities for general purpose/homework and specialized use,
• Support of all technology enhanced classrooms,
• The campus portal (myuwg.westga.edu),
• Email access powered by Google,
• Collaborative services powered by Google including Google Docs, Google Drive, Google Sites, and Google Calendar,
• TechWest, or Student Information Technology Services, located on the first floor of Ingram Library, providing no-cost labor for current students who need help with their personal computers and mobile devices,
• Residential Network Services (RESNET) providing network support to students living on campus,
• Student information system access (Banweb),
• Telephone service.

International Student Admissions and Programs

The International Student Admissions and Programs Office provides advising and support for international students applying to UWG and those already studying at UWG. The office provides assistance and advice regarding housing, immigration matters, finances, personal adjustment, and referrals to appropriate members of the University and the Carrollton community.

Office of Education Abroad

The Office of Education Abroad provides advising and support for undergraduate and graduate students seeking to study abroad. Students have a range of options including short-term programs and more in-depth experiences with our partner institutions overseas. The office also works with faculty interested in developing education abroad programs, in working with international partner schools or in sponsoring visiting international scholars.

Irvine Sullivan Ingram Library

www.westga.edu/library/

As the academic heart of the campus, Ingram Library provides both online and in-house collections and services to meet curricular needs. The four-story building provides seating space for 800, three electronic classrooms, small group study rooms, and computers and other equipment for accessing materials retained in print, online, recorded and micro formats. Wireless access to internet resources is available throughout the building as well as in the Starbucks cafe and adjacent patio overlooking Love Valley.

The library is named in honor of Irvine Sullivan Ingram, 1892-1981, the institution’s first president. The glass enclosed lobby overlooks a study garden designed in honor of Maurice Townsend, fifth president of the university. The lobby area provides study tables and casual seating and displays of new books, current newspapers and periodicals. Ingram Library houses a collection of student and faculty art, including “The Prophet,” a bronze by Gary Coulter, presented by the Class of 1968. A bowl by renowned artist Phillip Moulthrop, Class of 1969, which Mr. Moulthrop donated to the College of Arts & Humanities in 2012, is displayed on the main floor. The third floor features the 1980 ceramic mural “Sporangium Disseminating Spores” by Cameron Covert and Bruce Bobick of the Department of Art.

Library collections include some 450,000 cataloged volumes, some 1,000,000 microforms, and more than 20,000 maps and charts. The library provides access to over 70,000 print and electronic serials, including magazines, scholarly journals, and newspapers. As a selective depository for federal documents, the library houses United States government publications and provides access to government information available in online and other electronic formats. Library users have access to Georgia Library Learning Online (GALILEO), an online library of databases, full text electronic journals, and reference resources available to all Georgians, as well as to an extensive range of electronic materials selected to support the university’s academic programs. All licensed electronic materials are available to university students, faculty and staff through any computer with internet access. By providing access to an extensive range of online materials, through its chat reference service, by developing an electronic reserve system and online request systems for obtaining materials from other libraries, the library ensures that students enrolled at the university’s remote class sites and in online courses are afforded the same level of library support as those who attend classes on the Carrollton campus; the Library’s Off-Campus Services unit provides materials to such students as needed, upon request through its interlibrary loan system.

The library participates in state and regional consortia, facilitating extensive access to the collective resources of university system and other libraries. The library catalog, provided through Georgia Interconnected Libraries (GIL), lists materials available in Ingram Library collections and provides links to catalogs of other libraries. West Georgia students, faculty, and staff may request books from any university system library through the online GIL Express service, a feature of the universal catalog, and they also have check out privileges when visiting system libraries. In addition, the University of West Georgia is a member of the Atlanta Regional Council for Higher Education (ARCHE), which allows students, faculty and staff to utilize the resources of member libraries. Ingram Library provides interlibrary loan service through its website, facilitating the borrowing of books from libraries throughout the country. Articles requested through interlibrary loan are transmitted to patrons electronically.

Individuals seeking assistance with library resources and research needs can utilize reference services at the reference desks, via telephone, and through the 24/7 online chat reference service available through the library website. Students can make personal research appointments with librarians through the GoPRO service. The library pursues an active instruction program, working closely with faculty to tailor class instruction to specific assignments and disciplinary needs.

The Annie Belle Weaver Special Collections area on the ground floor of Ingram Library provides access to information about the history of the university and the geographic area it serves. Photographs, family histories, and other materials associated with the west Georgia region are included in Special Collections, as are materials on sacred harp music and American psalmody. The Humanistic Psychology and Parapsychology collections include the papers of Sidney Jourard, Carmi Harari, William Roll, Ingo Swann, and Edith Weisskopf-Joelson. A special effort is made to acquire the manuscript collections of individuals who have represented the region in state or national legislative bodies. One of the most notable collections is that associated with Georgia’s Political Heritage Program, begun by university faculty in 1985. The collection includes taped interviews with state and national leaders, among them most of Georgia’s post-World War II governors, U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young, U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, and Georgia House Speaker Tom Murphy. Senator Herman Talmadge was the first interview subject for the program. The Talmadge collection is particularly significant as it includes some 35 interviews recorded between 1985 and 1995 as well as interviews with his staff and some of his supporters. The Thomas B. Murphy Reading Room and State Capitol Office installation, dedicated in 2012, honors Georgia House Speaker Tom Murphy who left office in 2002 with the distinction of serving as the nation’s longest-serving House speaker. Murphy’s office was replicated as part of a library facility renovation completed in 2011 and funded with a special state legislative appropriation honoring his service to the state of Georgia. The university’s Center for Public History and Thomas B. Murphy Center for Public Service are located on the ground floor of the library.

The library hosts numerous cultural programs, including nationally-touring exhibits, concerts, lectures and readings. Ingram Library’s Penelope Melson Society, established in 2008 in recognition of the library’s centennial, serves as the library’s friends group. The Melson Society assists the library in securing and funding programs to draw the campus and surrounding community together. Information about library programs and services is distributed through publications available in the building and through the library website. An online announcements site outlines upcoming events, programs, and classes.

Thomas B. Murphy Holocaust Teacher Education Training and Resource Center

The Thomas B. Murphy Holocaust Teacher Education Training and Resource Center, on the second floor of Ingram Library, is the only Holocaust center in the United States devoted to teacher training located in a state-supported institution. The Center is administered by the Georgia Commission on the Holocaust. With the study of the Holocaust as a catalyst, the Center encourages and supports human understanding and dignity by developing programs to open minds and hearts to the appreciation of all of humankind. The Center’s multimedia resource collection includes books, videotapes, and archival and electronic materials, augmented by resources available within the collections of Ingram Library. Working collaboratively with academic departments and state and regional organizations, the Center provides curriculum development assistance, teacher conferences, staff development seminars, exhibits, and other programs.

The University of West Georgia Foundation

The University of West Georgia Foundation, Inc. (Foundation) is a Georgia charitable corporation. It receives and manages private contributions (gifts) made for the benefit of the University of West Georgia. The Foundation has been recognized as an organization exempt from Federal Income Tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and gifts to the Foundation are deductible as provided for in section 170 of the Internal Revenue Code. The Foundation encourages both restricted (specific purpose) and unrestricted (general use) gifts from donors.

The University of West Georgia Alumni Association

Graduates of the University of West Georgia constitute the largest single constituency and represent the most valuable resource for the University. Membership in the Alumni Association is open to all former students of the University of West Georgia, the State University of West Georgia, West Georgia College, or the Fourth District Agricultural and Mechanical School. A volunteer-driven 36-member Board of Directors works closely with the professional staff to develop and support opportunities that steward the relationships between alumni and the University. The Association informs alumni of institutional plans, progress, opportunities, and needs.

Through the Alumni Relations and Annual giving department, communication with alumni is achieved through the Alumni Den, email and mailed communications, the Forever West printed edition and the Forever West digital quarterly newsletter. Major activities sponsored by the Alumni Association include Alumni Weekend, Homecoming, Local/Regional/National events, CDI Alumni Annual Roundtable, and many other reunions and special events that involve thousands of alumni each year.

The University of West Georgia Athletic Foundation

The University of West Georgia Athletic Foundation is an independent, non profit organization that strives to support a preeminent intercollegiate athletics program at the University of West Georgia by providing student athletes the opportunity to achieve excellence in academics, community service, and athletic competition.