The Ohio Department of Higher Education is the governing body responsible for the University System of Ohio, which includes college campuses across the state like the University of Akron. Founded in 1870 as Buchtel College, it had an early connection to the Universalist Church. Many of its early donations came from members of that church, but the university no longer has affiliation with any church or religious organization and operates as a public college. Many of its courses and programs have a connection to STEM studies, and many programs require that students do a lot of research on their own too.
The University of Akron offers nearly 200 undergrad degree programs and more than 100 programs for doctoral and graduate students. Though more than 27,000 students take classes from the university, not all take classes on the main campus in Akron. The university also operates three campuses across the state and has a partnership program with Lorain County Community College. This partnership allows students to take introductory courses and general education requirements at the community college before transferring to the university. Some of the programs offered by the University of Akron that rank among the country's best include its undergrad business program, cooperative education program and engineering program.
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University of Akron Accreditation Details
The American Psychological Association, also known as the APA, is just one of the organizations that granted accreditation to the University of Akron. This accreditation applies to its undergrad and grad programs in psychology. APA accreditation is a type of program accreditation that only applies to specific programs and internships offered by the university. Other organizations that granted the University of Akron program accreditation include:
- American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences
- American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
- Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc.
- American Bar Association
- Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs
- Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs
- National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education
- Council on Social Work Education Office of Social Work Accreditation
The University of Akron also has institutional and regional accreditation from the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCACS), which means that any student who completes one of its programs will receive a college degree.
University of Akron Application Requirements
Unlike other colleges that ask for a letter from a teacher and/or a response to an essay question, the University of Akron asks for neither. The university simply asks that students complete the online application and that they mail any verifying documents to the main campus. You can also fill out the application via the Common Application, which is great for those who want to apply to multiple schools. You'll also pay a $50 application fee. All incoming freshmen will also automatically have their applications mailed to the financial aid office, which will determine whether they qualify for any scholarships. Prospective undergrads must also submit an ACT or SAT test score and a high school transcript. The University of Akron recommends that you take four years of English and math, three years of natural science and social science and two years of foreign language classes.
The graduate school application is also available online and charges a $45 application fee. The university requires that all graduate students have a bachelor's degree in a related field before entering a graduate program. In addition to the application, you must also submit an official test score and a transcript from your college. Keep in mind that if the university accepts you and you do not start classes in the following year, you'll need to apply again.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Full-time are undergrads can take a minimum of 12 credit hours up to a maximum of 18 credit hours each semester and pay the same rate for tuition and miscellaneous fees. The cost for Ohio residents is around $5,500 a semester or $11,000 a year. The university charges an additional rate of around $4,300 a semester for nonresidents, which will bring their costs up to around $19,000 a year. You're also responsible for any textbooks or supplies you need, which the university estimates as costing $900 a semester. The university has residence halls available for undergrads, but you'll need to pay for both a room and a meal plan.
While the University of Akron charges around $421 per credit hour for graduate students, the school also adds fees to that amount that increases tuition to more than $455 per credit hour. This figure only applies to Ohio residents. You can easily figure out your semester costs based on the number of graduate classes you take. The fees added for nonresidents will increase this amount to more than $755 per credit hour for graduate students who do not live in Ohio. Taking nine credits of classes each semester will cost you between $4,100 and $6,800, depending on where you lived before classes started. Both graduate and undergraduate students can apply for loans, grants and other financial aid through the FAFSA.
Counseling and Psychology Programs
Psychology and counseling programs are available through the Department of Psychology and the School of Counseling at the University of Akron. Its Bachelor of Arts in Psychology program includes 12 credits of core psychology courses like introduction to experimental psychology and quantitative methods in psychology. Students must then take 16 credits of advanced psychology courses that cover topics like abnormal and social psychology, personality and tests and measurements. Students must also do fieldwork or complete an internship too. The graduate programs offered by the university include a Psychology Master of Arts. Students have the option of doing a thesis or taking one extra class and doing some type of independent study project.
Its School of Counseling offers degree programs in school counseling, marriage and family counseling, clinical mental health counseling and classroom guidance. The clinical and mental health counseling program is an accredited program that gives students experience working with real patients in clinical settings. It also includes electives like counseling youth at risk and play therapy. Most of these grad programs require that students spend at least 100 hours working under direct supervision and 500 hours or more of fieldwork. The University of Akron helps students with fieldwork placements and internships to ensure they complete the necessary hours.