For students willing to dive in intellectually, the University of North Carolina Wilmington offers a perfect environment for learning and living, both on campus and online, one that is dynamic, demanding and engaging.

At UNC Wilmington, passionate and engaged teaching, learning, and research matter. Students praise the quality of their interactions with faculty and express satisfaction with their overall educational experience. The faculty culture emphasizes teaching and mentoring, incorporating research as an important component of the undergraduate learning experience and a service to the state.

UNC Wilmington offers programs at the baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral levels. Its strength in the natural sciences, especially the disciplines that form the core of its internationally respected niche in marine sciences, is the result of decades of intentional focus and investment. With receipt of the 2006 Christa McAuliffe Award for Excellence in Teacher Education by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, UNC Wilmington became one of only two universities in the nation and the only one in the state to be so honored.

In the area of arts and literature, UNC Wilmington's highest profile programs are film studies and creative writing. The Department of Film Studies, which works closely with the local film industry, has evolved from a few film-related courses in various departments to a very popular major balanced between analysis and production. The Master of Fine Arts in creative writing has become one of the most respected on the East Coast.

The university currently offers a wide array of online courses in the arts, sciences, social sciences, education, and business. The School of Nursing delivers the RN to B.S. option in nursing totally online. In response to demand from the pharmaceutical product testing industry, the School of Nursing developed the state's first bachelor's degree in clinical research, which is also offered online. Designed for the highly motivated student, both on- and off-campus, online courses are expected to increase in the future. To learn more, visit http://uncw.edu/online.

UNC Wilmington is located in a historic port city in the southeastern region of the state. Equidistant between the Cape Fear River and the Atlantic Ocean, the campus features modified Georgian architecture nestled among moss-laden oaks and towering pines. The university takes a leadership role in the long-term economic, environmental, educational, social and cultural health of the region. Through the Professional Development System in the Watson School of Education, faculty work closely with nearly 100 area schools and agencies to improve the quality of the region's public schools.

For the ninth year, UNC Wilmington was among the top 10 public master's universities in the South in the 2007 rankings by U.S.News & World Report. UNC Wilmington received the 2007 "Best in the Southeast" designation by The Princeton Review, and on the list of 150 "Best Value" colleges is designated as one of the best overall bargains—based on cost and financial aid—among the most academically outstanding colleges in the nation. In Kiplinger's Personal Finance 2007 rankings of "Best Values," UNC Wilmington is in the top eight nationally.

On April 12, 1994, the School of Education at The University of North Carolina at Wilmington was named in memory of Donald R. Watson. A noted Wilmington businessman and community leader, Donald R. Watson believed that the future of the Cape Fear region was tied to the quality of education provided to our children. He acted on this belief by providing generous gifts of his time and financial resources to The University of North Carolina at Wilmington, particularly the School of Education.

The primary mission of the Donald R. Watson School of Education at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington is to develop highly competent professionals to serve in teaching and other educational leadership roles in southeastern North Carolina, the state, and nation. The Watson School is committed to achieving excellence in teacher and administrator preparation in all of its programs. To realize the mission of the Watson School, thorough grounding in theoretical and empirical bodies of knowledge is provided, the educator's capacity to utilize knowledge to improve schools and enhance learning by children and youth is developed, and commitment to personal, professional and institutional development is fostered.

The Watson School of Education fulfills its obligation to serve the field of public education through support of individual faculty, public school leaders, educational systems, and state and national organizations engaged in efforts to develop policy, implement improved practice, and set new directions at local, state, and national levels. This obligation is addressed through commitment to general research, evaluation, policy analysis and development, collaboration to provide relevant public school experiences and programs, and other forms of technical and professional assistance.

The faculty of the Watson School of Education strives to demonstrate: excellence in teaching; engagement in the generation and dissemination of knowledge; infusion of technology as an instructional tool; development of new roles and relationships in the institution of education; and inquiry, continuous learning, creativity, and the valuing of diversity. As part of the commitment to excellence, the Watson School of Education engages in continuous assessment of individual, program, and institutional outcomes.

The Watson School of Education is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), and undergraduate and graduate licensure programs are approved by the State Department of Public Instruction (SDPI).

There are four departments within the Watson School of Education:

• Department of Early Childhood and Special Education
• Department of Elementary, Middle Level & Literacy Education
• Department of Instructional Technology, Foundations and Secondary Education
• Department of Educational Leadership

The Watson School of Education awards undergraduate and graduate degrees.

For more information on UNCW’s Watson School of Education, click here.

At UNCW, passionate and engaged teaching, learning and research matter. Students consistently praise the quality of their interactions with faculty and express satisfaction with their overall educational experience. The faculty culture emphasizes teaching and mentoring, incorporating research as an important component of the undergraduate learning experience and a service to the state.

The university currently offers a wide array of online courses in the arts, sciences, social sciences, education, and business. The School of Nursing delivers the RN to B.S. option in nursing totally online. In response to demand from the pharmaceutical product testing industry, the School of Nursing developed the state's first bachelor's degree in clinical research which is also offered online. Designed for the highly motivated student, both on- and off-campus, online courses are expected to increase in the future. To learn more, visit http://uncw.edu/online.