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The University
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The University of Rhode Island is a medium-sized state university with its primary campus in the southern part of Rhode Island in the village of Kingston. In part because of its unique location near the ocean and six miles from Narragansett Bay, the University has developed strong marine programs and has been designated a national Sea Grant institution.
The University enrolls about 12,000 undergraduate and 3,000 graduate students, and has a full-time tenure-track teaching faculty of approximately 600.
Mission. The University of Rhode Island is the State’s public learner-centered research university. We are a community joined in a common quest for knowledge. The University is committed to enriching the lives of its students through its land, sea, and urban grant traditions. URI is the only public institution in Rhode Island offering undergraduate, graduate, and professional students the distinctive educational opportunities of a major research university. Our undergraduate, graduate, and professional education, research, and outreach serve Rhode Island and beyond. Students, faculty, staff, and alumni are united in one common purpose: to learn and lead together. Embracing Rhode Island’s heritage of independent thought, we value:
• Creativity and Scholarship
• Diversity, Fairness, and Respect
• Engaged Learning and Civic Involvement
• Intellectual and Ethical Leadership
Campuses. The University has a spacious rural campus 30 miles south of Providence in the northeast metropolitan corridor between New York and Boston. The center of campus is a quadrangle of handsome, old granite buildings surrounded by newer academic buildings, student residence halls, and fraternity and sorority houses. On the plain below Kingston Hill are gymnasiums, athletic fields, tennis courts, a freshwater pond, agricultural fields, and the University’s Thomas M. Ryan Center.
In addition to the Kingston Campus, the University has three other campuses. The Feinstein Providence Campus houses the Alan Shawn Feinstein College of Continuing Education (ASFCCE), the University’s biotechnology manufacturing program, and the new “Admission Option” for incoming traditional-aged freshmen. The Narragansett Bay Campus, six miles to the east of the Kingston campus, overlooks the West Passage of Rhode Island’s prized bay and is the site of URI’s Graduate School of Oceanography. In the western part of Rhode Island, just 20 miles from Kingston, is URI’s W. Alton Jones Campus; its 2,300 acres of woods, fields, streams, and ponds are the site of environmental education, research, and conference facilities.
History. The University was chartered as the state’s agricultural school in 1888. The Oliver Watson farm was purchased as a site for the school, and the old farmhouse, now restored, still stands on the campus. The school became the Rhode Island College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts in 1892, and the first class of 17 members was graduated two years later.
The Morrill Act of 1862 provided for the sale of public lands. Income from these sales was to be used to create at least one college in each state with the principal purpose of teaching agriculture and mechanic arts. From this grant of land comes the term “land grant,” which applied to the national system of state colleges. In a later adaptation of the concept, federal funds given to colleges for marine research and extension are called “sea grants.”
In 1909 the name of the college was changed to Rhode Island State College, and the program of study was revised and expanded. In 1951 the college became the University of Rhode Island by an act of the General Assembly. The Board of Governors for Higher Education appointed by the governor became the governing body of the University in 1981. A historical timeline can be found at the end of this catalog.
Programs of Study
Undergraduate Study. All programs aim at a balance of studies of the natural and social sciences, the humanities, and professional subjects. The courses and programs of study have been approved by national accrediting agencies and are accepted for credit by other approved institutions of higher education (see page 9).
Undergraduate students can earn the following degrees at URI:
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Fine Arts
Bachelor of Landscape Architecture
Bachelor of Music
Bachelor of General Studies (Feinstein College of Continuing Education only)
URI’s College of Pharmacy also offers a six-year entry-level program, leading to the Pharm.D. degree.
All Kingston freshmen who enter the University to earn a bachelor’s degree are first enrolled in University College. All undergraduates at the University, whether at our Kingston or Providence campuses, have a wide choice of programs from which to choose a major, and our advising programs provide help in making this important decision and in choosing appropriate courses.
Graduate Study. Graduate study at the University was inaugurated in 1907 with Master of Science degrees in chemistry and engineering. The Master of Arts degree was first awarded in 1951, and in 1960 the University awarded its first Doctor of Philosophy degree. Graduate work for professional degrees was initiated in 1962, when the degree of Master of Public Administration was first awarded. Today, the master’s degree is offered in 48 areas of study and the doctorate in 36 areas. To date, over 18,400 master’s degrees and 2,300 doctoral degrees have been conferred. Students may earn the following degrees:
Master of Arts
Master of Science
Master of Business Administration
Master of Environmental Science and Management
Master of Library and Information Studies
Master of Marine Affairs
Master of Music
Master of Oceanography
Master of Public Administration
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Physical Therapy
The University also offers two joint programs with Roger Williams University, the M.S./J.D. in labor relations and human resources, and the M.M.A./J.D. in marine affairs. Additionally, the University cooperates with Rhode Island College in offering a joint Ph.D. degree in education.
The Graduate School has primary responsibility for administering policies and procedures relating to advanced study at URI. Graduate School policy is formulated by graduate faculty members, acting through their delegate body, the Graduate Council, which includes student members. Only the Graduate School or the Graduate Council can grant exceptions to the regulations for graduate study, which are explained in detail in the “Graduate Programs” section.
The University’s graduate programs of study are listed on the previous page. Study and research in a combination of special areas is often possible, and some graduate programs actively encourage collaborative multidisciplinary work. Specific mention of these opportunities is included in individual program descriptions. Graduate-level course work applicable to a number of programs is offered in several locations throughout the state by the Alan Shawn Feinstein College of Continuing Education. In most cases, however, a portion of the courses must be taken on the Kingston Campus.
Students with a bachelor’s degree from URI or another university with equivalent requirements and accreditation may be admitted for graduate study, providing their credentials meet the standards set by the Graduate School and the department in which they wish to study, and that facilities for study are available in their field of interest. Among the standards required for admission are an approximate undergraduate average of B or better and, where required, satisfactory scores on a nationally administered examination.
Information Services and Research Resources
University Libraries. The University Libraries are located on three of the University’s campuses. The major collection is housed at the University Library in Kingston. There are also libraries at the Feinstein Providence Campus and at the Narragansett Bay Campus. The Pell Marine Science Library on the Narragansett Bay Campus houses the National Sea Grant Depository.
The University is a member of the Higher Education Library Information Network (HELIN), which extends borrowing privileges to the faculty, staff, and students of the Community College of Rhode Island, Brown University, Bryant College, Johnson & Wales University, Providence College, Rhode Island College, Roger Williams University, Salve Regina University, the University of Rhode Island, and Wheaton College (in nearby Norton, Massachusetts). The 13 R.I. health sciences libraries are also part of the HELIN network. Holdings of these libraries are included in the online public access catalog.
The University Library in Kingston. The University Library has open stacks that provide direct access to 1.3 million volumes, 25,000 electronic journals, 750,000 government documents, 1.6 million microforms and 9,250 items in the audiovisual collection. The Special Collections Department collects and maintains rare books, personal and political papers, church and historical records, the University archives, the commercial pattern archives, and a variety of special interest materials. The University Library provides full reference, bibliographic, and circulation services during most of the 100 hours a week it is open.
Information Services. The Office of Information Services (OIS) provides computational resources to the University community for instruction and research. OIS maintains central server support, general purpose computing facilities, student personal computing resources, and a high-speed network. Students are provided access to an assortment of electronic services through the commercial Internet as well as Internet2. Our staff provide a variety of services to support these facilities and assist the University community.
Centralized general purpose computing at URI is supported on an IBM RISC system running AIX. A full complement of programming languages and packages is available. Facilities for computer graphics are also offered, including a color plotter. Several hundred personal computers and workstations are located in public work areas, and most private offices are equipped with computing resources. These devices are connected to the campus Ethernet which provides access to the Office of Information Services, as well as independent college and departmental facilities.
URI’s Office of Information Services manages numerous personal computer laboratories on campus, featuring both IBM and Macintosh workstations. A wide variety of software application packages are available. These labs are available for faculty research, teaching, and general student use. In addition, a number of laboratories are specifically designed for use as computer classrooms.
Other Research Facilities. URI is the principal public research institution in the state of Rhode Island and a number of innovative research facilities are housed on our campuses. These include facilities at theURI’s Narragansett Bay Campus, the College of Engineering’s Kirk Computer Center, chemistry laboratories, and marine research laboratories, including a 12,000-square-foot research aquarium. The R/V Endeavor is the University’s “offshore” research vessel, a 184-foot ship operated by the Graduate School of Oceanography. Endeavor is capable of working in all parts of the world’s oceans. The Bay Campus is also home to the Rhode Island Nuclear Science Center, where scientists have access to a research reactor for chemical analysis by neutron activation and mass spectrometry. Other significant Bay Campus research facilities include the Marine Ecosystems Research Laboratory where large-scale marine ecosystem experiments are conducted; the Marine Geological Samples Laboratory, a virtual reality simulator used to study ocean and atmospheric circulation; and acoustic calibration and model tow tanks.
URI’s research facilities are as varied as our programs of study. Our College of Nursing possesses practice laboratories for students with a variety of equipment, and the Department of Plant Sciences operates 50 acres of research and education farm centers, including the C. Richard Skogley Turfgrass Center, the oldest research and teaching program in the U.S. URI’s entomology program also has a biological quarantine laboratory, the only such university-affiliated facility in the Northeast. Plant Sciences is also affiliated with the URI Botanical Gardens and E.P. Christopher Arboretum. Our physical therapy program has a clinical service and research unit that includes specialized exercise training equipment, computerized muscle dynamometry and clinical electrophysiology laboratories, aquatic therapy facilities, and work hardening stations. The Department of Kinesiology possesses a weight management clinic, exercise testing laboratory, and more. URI’s Speech and Hearing Clinic is a state-of-the-art service provider for individuals with speech, language, and hearing problems. While serving the community, it provides training and research opportunities for students. The Department of Chemistry houses laboratories specializing in NMR, analyses of energetic materials, forensic, biological, and separations science, and spectroscopy.
The Genomics and Sequencing Center (GSC), in the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology in the Morrill Science Building, provides technical and analytical support for the molecular biology and genomics research focus of the University. The GSC offers services in robotic sample preparation, DNA sequencing, fragment analysis, and real-time/quantitive PCR to campus researchers and external clients. The GSC also provide imaging services using transmitted light, epifluorescence and scanning confocal microscopy as well as cryostat sectioning of frozen specimens. Investigators are encouraged to incorporate these services into their research and teaching needs. The GSC is available for students, staff, and faculty at URI, as well as non-URI researchers. Detailed information on sample preparation, submission instructions, and equipment use may be found at the GSC Web site at uri.edu/research/gsc.
For more information on URI’s research facilities, please turn to the section on the college or department you are interested in.
Research
Since 1907, the University has held the major responsibility within the state for graduate education, which is closely associated with a strong program of research. Research leads to the discovery of knowledge and its dissemination through teaching. Responsibilities for graduate education, embodied in the Graduate School, and the overseeing of research funding in the Research Office are assigned to the Office of Graduate Studies, Research, and Outreach. Research and public service projects are conducted in all departments and programs offering graduate degrees.
URI undergraduates are provided with a unique learning experience by participation in the research activities of Presidential Partnerships, which involve various disciplines and faculty from several departments and colleges. Current partnerships are in the areas of infectious disease control, health promotion, the coastal environment, surface and sensors technology, and family resources.
Research throughout URI was supported by $66 million in 2004, up from $40 million in 1998. Support comes from foundations, commercial firms, federal and state agencies, and the University. The University ranks among the top five percent of the country’s colleges and universities in the amount of research funding received.
Applications for research grants and acceptance of awards are approved by the Vice Provost for Graduate Studies, Research, and Outreach. The Research Office provides assistance to the University research community in all aspects of research and the preparation of proposals and award acceptance.
In addition to department research, the University has established a number of research, extension, and technology transfer programs in the following areas:
Children, Families, and Communities
• child development
• family therapy
• family violence
• historic costumes and textiles
• innovative programs in response to the needs of state government
• policy evaluation and analysis for public officials
• research and support activities for the public and human services area
• textile conservation
• urban field research and technical assistance
Enterprise and Advanced Technology
• advanced sensor-based systems, including robotics
• basic and applied research in filtration and separation processes
• business and economics
• consumer product safety
• distributed computing
• early design analysis for improving product design for ease of manufacturing
• fault-tolerant digital circuits and systems
• high-performance computer processor, memory, and input/output design
• international aspects of business
• labor and industrial relations
• market research
• nanotechnology
• nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy
• Pacific basin capital markets information
• pollution prevention and technical assistance for New England industries
• process engineering
• product design
• rapid prototyping for manufacturing
• scientific criminal investigations
• sensors
• signal processing
• telecommunications and information marketing
• textile performance testing
• thin film materials
• water resource research and training
Health
• anti-infective pharmacology
• biology, ecology, and control of vector-borne diseases
• biotechnology
• cancer prevention through behavioral change
• drug delivery and development
• evaluation services and assistance to exercise and athletic programs
• nutrition and food science
• gerontology
• medicinal chemistry
• physical therapy
• speech and hearing testing and diagnosis
• thanatology (end-of-life care and bereavement)
• weight management through behavior modification
Marine and the Environment
• agriculture experimentation and research
• autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs)
• aquaculture
• atmospheric chemistry studies
• biotechnology
• economic effect of marine policy
• environmental horticulture
• estuarine and coastal pond dynamics
• golf and sports turf management
• management of coastal resources
• marine ecosystems
• marine environmental modeling and monitoring systems
• marine geological sampling and testing
• marine geomechanics
• marine pathology
• nonlinear wave dynamics
• ocean drilling
• ocean instrumentation (forward looking sonar)
• satellite remote sensing for terrestrial, coastal, and near-shore applications
• seabed characterization
• sea floor mapping
• Sea Grant research, education, and marine advisory services
• structural acoustics
• underwater tracking
• use of geographic databases to solve environmental problems
• waves generated by tsunamis
Additional information on these areas of research and expertise at URI can be obtained from the Research Office, 70 Lower College Road, or online at uri.edu/home/research/index.
Accreditation
The University of Rhode Island is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. In addition, certain courses and programs of study have been approved by national accrediting agencies.
The New England Association of Schools and Colleges is a nongovernmental, nationally recognized organization whose affiliated institutions include elementary schools through collegiate institutions offering postgraduate instruction.
Accreditation of an institution by the New England Association indicates that it meets or exceeds criteria for the assessment of institutional quality periodically applied through a peer group review process. An accredited school or college is one that has the necessary resources available to achieve its stated purposes through appropriate educational programs, is substantially doing so, and gives reasonable evidence that it will continue to do so in the foreseeable future. Institutional integrity is also addressed through accreditation.
Accreditation by the New England Association is not partial, but applies to the University as a whole. As such, it is not a guarantee of the quality of every course or program offered, or of the competence of individual graduates. Rather, it provides reasonable assurance about the quality of opportunities available to students who attend the University.
Inquiries regarding the status of an institution’s accreditation by the New England Association should be directed to the school’s administrative staff or the association at 209 Burlington Road, Bedford, MA 01730; 781-271-0022.
The national accrediting agencies that have approved the quality of certain course offerings and programs of study include the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy, American Chemical Society, American College of Nurse-Midwives, American Dietetic Association, American Library Association, American Physical Therapy Association, American Psychological Association, American Society of Landscape Architects, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, National Association of School Psychologists,National Association of Schools of Music, National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, and the Planning Accreditation Board.
The University is also an approved member institution of the American Association of Adult and Continuing Education, the American Council on Education, the Association for Continuing Higher Education, the Association of American Colleges and Universities, the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, the Council of Graduate Schools, Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, the Institute for International Education, the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges, the North American Association of Summer Sessions, the Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools, the Society for College and University Planning,and the University Continuing Education Association.
The University Community
In addition to the student body, the University community is made up of faculty, administration, staff, and alumni. The Faculty Senate represents the faculty and is authorized by the general faculty to conduct the business assigned to the faculty by law or by the Board of Governors for Higher Education. The Graduate Council is the representative body for the graduate faculty and determines the academic policies for graduate study. The office of University Ombud investigates complaints from students, faculty members, and administrative personnel that they have been unfairly dealt with in the normal channels of the administrative process. The ombud is a tenured or emeritus member of the faculty appointed by the Faculty Senate and is assisted by a student appointed by the President.
The Instructional Development Program (IDP) exists to help faculty members in their teaching responsibilities. Faculty members who want to increase their teaching effectiveness by improving their skills or developing new ones may work individually with IDP staff and participate in various workshops, colloquiums, and seminars on teaching.
The voices of alumni are heard through the Alumni Association. The Alumni Relations Office recognizes all those who have attended the University for two semesters or more and whose class has graduated. URI has more than 90,000 alumni throughout the world. The Alumni Relations Office promotes the interests of the University and helps keep alumni in touch with their alma mater. Through its office and its network of chapters and affinity groups throughout the country, the Alumni Relations Office maintains ties with URI alumni through services, programs, special events, the magazine QUAD ANGLES, and the bi-weekly e-newsletter InAdvance. An annual membership drive program provides funds for reunions, Homecoming, special events, the Student Alumni Association, alumni publications, and other University projects. The annual Winter Gala, Alumni Golf Tournament, and Annual Fund Drive provide scholarship and other University aid.
The University receives less than 25 percent of its support from the state. The balance comes from student fees and tuition, federal grants, and auxiliary enterprises and other miscellaneous sources. The University of Rhode Island Foundation seeks to encourage private giving to the University and manages the endowment. The Foundation exists solely for the benefit of the University of Rhode Island. Its mission encompasses various activities including a boat donation program made possible by the Foundation’s 501(c)(3) status and an annual ball to raise money for scholarships. The Foundation also manages and licenses patents, copyrights, and trademarks for the University. Its 175 trustees elect officers and an executive board of 19 members. Among the latter are the chairman of the R.I. Board of Governors for Higher Education, the University president, and the president of the Alumni Association. During the past twenty years, the URI Foundation has made contributions to the University of Rhode Island from endowment totaling $32.2 million. The University of Rhode Island Foundation was established by an act of the Rhode Island General Assembly on May 2, 1957, and is celebrating 49 years of commitment and service to the University community.
Academic and Social Codes. Each student is a member of the University community, with all the rights, privileges, and responsibilities that go with such membership. The rights and privileges include full use of the educational opportunities and facilities offered on campus. The responsibilities include those of making proper use of these facilities in order to progress educationally, respecting the rights of others, and knowing and obeying the rules and regulations developed by the University community for the good of the total membership.
The University expects that all course papers, theses, and dissertations will be prepared, and all examinations taken, in conformance with accepted standards of academic integrity. This includes the proper citation and attribution of all material that is not the original product of the writer. It is the student’s responsibility to determine the appropriate style used in his or her discipline for presentation of material derived from other sources and to adhere to it scrupulously in all written presentations. (See “Cornerstones,” below.)
In addition, each student’s University ID Card must be carried at all times on campus and presented upon request. Use of the card constitutes acceptance of all applicable terms and conditions. This card will remain the property of URI. Lost, stolen, or damaged cards must be reported immediately to the Campus Access Office (Room 216, Memorial Union).
Affirmative Action and Nondiscrimination. It is the policy of the University of Rhode Island not to discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion, age, color, creed, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or discriminate against disabled and Vietnam era veterans in the recruitment, admission, or treatment of students, the recruitment, hiring, or treatment of faculty and staff, and in the operation of its activities and programs, as specified by state and federal laws, including the Equal Pay Act of 1963, Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, Title IX of the 1972 Educational Amendments to the Higher Education Act, Executive Order 11246, as amended, Sections 503/504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and all other laws which pertain to access and equity. For further information regarding this statement, please contact Robert Gillis, Director, Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity and Diversity, at 401-874-2442.
The administrators of Undergraduate Admission, Student Financial Aid, Graduate School, Career Services, Counseling Center, and Special Programs for Talent Development cooperate to provide information and guidance for economically and socially disadvantaged individuals seeking opportunities for study at the University. Inquiries may be directed to any of these offices.
With regard to scholarships and commissioning into the armed forces, the ROTC program, in accordance with Department of Defense policy, does not comply with the University’s policy on nondiscrimination based on sexual orientation.
Most buildings on campus are architecturally available to the disabled, and provision is made to ensure that no student is prevented from pursuing a course of study because of restricted access to buildings.
AIDS is one of the most tragic, life-threatening epidemics of modern times. Students, faculty, and staff at the University of Rhode Island must provide the compassion, understanding, and support necessary to help individuals with AIDS and HIV infection. As part of this responsibility, the University will vigorously enforce individual rights of confidentiality and freedom from discrimination. The rights of individuals with AIDS are covered under three University policies based on Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973: “Reasonable Accommodation for Handicapped Employees,” “Life-Threatening Illness,” and “Handicapped Policy.” Copies of these policies are available at the Office of Human Resource Administration, Health Services, and the Disability Services office in the Memorial Union.
Inquiries concerning compliance with antidiscrimination laws should be addressed to Robert Gillis, Director of Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity and Diversity, Suite 201, Carlotti Administration Building, 401-874-2442. Questions regarding provisions for students with disabilities should be directed to the director of Disability Services in the Office of Student Life, 330 Memorial Union, 401-874-2098 (TT via R.I. Relay, 1-800-745-5555).
Notice of Change
Rules, regulations, dates, tuition, fees, the availability and titles of programs and areas of specialization, their administrative location, and courses set forth in this catalog are subject to change without notice. Where a change in program requirements is made while a student is enrolled, the student may elect to complete the program under the requirements in effect at the time of matriculation or to shift entirely to the new requirements, but may not choose parts of each set. As a result of the ongoing reviews of all programs, certain offerings and specializations may be deleted or restructured between editions of this catalog.
URI Cornerstones
The University of Rhode Island is a principled community guided by values. As members of this community, we subscribe to the following principles which form the foundation of our endeavors.
•We pursue knowledge with honesty, integrity, and courage.
•We promote independent choice, intellectual curiosity, open-mindedness, and free expression.
•We respect the rights and dignity of each individual and group.
•We reject prejudice and intolerance, and we work to understand differences.
•We accept personal responsibility for our actions and their consequences.
•We actively cooperate to improve the University, the state of Rhode Island, and the global community beyond our borders.
•We strive to be a community where the environment and property are treated respectfully.
•We seek to create and maintain an environment conducive to personal health and wellness.
•We work to develop skills which promote lifelong learning, leadership, and service.
Developed by the Quality of Student Life Committee and endorsed by the URI Student Senate.
Undergraduate Degrees
* This degree program is no longer open to incoming students. |
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Graduate Degrees
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