Tucson was not exactly thrilled when they were chosen as the location of the first university in the Arizona territory in 1885. They were vying to be the state capital or to be the location of an asylum for the insane. Instead, the legislature named Prescott as the capital and gave the asylum to Phoenix. One condition stipulated by the legislature was that the people of Pima County had to donate 40 acres for the school. No one offered land and Jacob S. Mansfield, a member of the new Board of Regents, took a walk into the desert to pick out land for the university. The land was owned by two professional gamblers, E.B. Gifford and Ben C. Parker, as well as a saloon keeper, W.S. “Billy” Read.” The men were initially unwilling to give the land to the college, but, in 1886, a deed was filed giving the land to the university. The groundbreaking for Old Main was held on October 27, 1887.
By the time construction was complete, however, the opinions of Tucson residents had changed. In fact, all of Tucson celebrated when the University of Arizona opened its doors in 1891. However, because there were no high schools in the area, only six of the 32 students who enrolled the first year were admitted to the freshman class. The remaining students were required to attend a specially established prep school and it took another 17 years before the number of students at the university outnumbered the students at the prep school, which remained in place for 23 years.
Students often rode cows and ponies to school, tying them to the hitching post at Old Main. Running on the balcony of Old Main cost a student ten demerits and, in 1892, the dean asked the Board of Regents to ban the use of firearms on campus. If a student was not doing well, the entire faculty met to discuss it and the student’s parents were called in for a conference.
In 1938, the main building on campus, Old Main, was declared unsafe. There were proposals and arguments to tear the building down. In 1942, the United States Navy awarded a contract to repair the building for use as the wartime Naval Indoctrination School. During World War II, more than 11,000 men trained at the university with the largest group, 10,000, in the Naval Training School.
After the war, the G.I. Bill resulted in a flood of young men and women attending universities and colleges throughout the country. Many of the servicemen who remembered the warmth of Tucson came “home” to the area, many bringing wives and children. Many of these families lived in federally provided Quonset huts, meant to be temporary housing. The huts remained on campus for 38 years.
Today, the University of Arizona in Tucson ranks in the top five American Indian and Hispanic graduates among United States public health schools. There were ten University of Arizona graduate programs ranked in the 2013 Top Ten in U.S. News and World Report. The university is in the top 25 producers of Fulbright award winners in the United States. The College of Science is ranked first among observational, theoretical and space astronomy programs and the college has the number one mineral database in the world.
Accreditation Details
The University of Arizona is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. In addition, certain programs are accredited by the following agencies and organizations:
- Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care
- Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology
- Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education
- Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
- American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business
- American Association of Poison Control Centers
- American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians
- American Chemical Society
- American Council on Pharmaceutical Education
- American Dietetic Association
- American Library Association
- American Planning Association
- American Library Association
- American Society of Health-System Pharmacists for Residency Accreditation
- American Society of Landscape Architects
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
- Association for the Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International
- Association for the Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired
- Association of American Law Schools and American Bar Association
- Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
- Commission on Rehabilitation Education
- Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology
- Council for Education of the Deaf
- Council on Education for Public Health
- Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications
- Council on Rehabilitation Education
- International Association of Counseling Services
- International Association for Management Education
- Liaison Committee on Medical Education
- National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences
- National Architectural Accrediting Board
- National Association of Schools of Art & Design
- National Association of Schools of Dance
- National Association of Schools of Music
- National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration
- National Association of Schools of Theatre
- National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Weather Service
- Planning Accreditation Board
- Society for Range Management
Application Requirements
Incoming freshman must complete the official University of Arizona official admission application and have their official high school transcript sent to the university. Students must also submit their SAT and/or ACT scores. Some colleges and programs require additional application information so students are encouraged to speak to an admissions counselor before registering. Transfer students must complete the official application and submit official copies of transcripts from all colleges and universities attended.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Tuition for full-time students who are Arizona residents is $11,400 per year and for non-residents it is $32,600 per year. Online tuition is $11,800 per year for both residents and non-residents. Graduate tuition for Arizona residents is $12,000 per year and for non-residents is $32,400 per year.
Financial aid is available in the form of scholarships, grants, loans and federal work study. In addition, the University of Arizona accepts the Montgomery GI Bill, tuition assistance and scholarships for members of the military. They also accept employer-provided tuition payments for students whose employer offers tuition benefits.
Online Degree(s) Available
Ph.D in School Psychology
The doctoral program in School Psychology is designed to prepare students as leaders in school psychology and related disciplines. Graduates are prepared to enter research, scholarship or practice environments. Students learn to apply psychological principles to improve the outcomes for students. Students receive a wide range of training and are provided with many research opportunities to improve their competence in the area of school psychology. Students are qualified for credentialing nationally as a certified school psychologist as well as a licensed psychologist in Arizona.
The University of Arizona offers a wide range of programs that provide outstanding opportunities for learning. Their online programs offer flexible schedules that allow students to continue their education while meeting their work, family and school obligations.