UA Research Colleges, Institutes & Centers

Colleges

Buchtel College of Arts & Sciences
The largest, most diverse of UA’s 10 degree-granting colleges has the largest undergraduate student body and offers doctoral programs in chemistry, counseling psychology, engineering applied mathematics, history, psychology, sociology, and urban studies and public affairs.

College of Business Administration
Offers degree, minor and certificate programs, as well as Master's level programs in many cutting edge fields such as e-business, entrepreneurship, supply chain management and health care management along with traditional fields of study.

College of Education
One of Ohio's largest teacher educator preparation programs prepares Educators as Decision Makers through standard-setting programs that enhance teaching, learning, and human development; research and inquiry; and outreach.

College of Engineering
Offers seven undergraduate and six masters degrees and is home to 1,512 undergrads, 294 graduate students, 63 full-time faculty and internationally-known researchers.

College of Fine & Applied Arts
Includes the schools of art; communication; dance, theatre and arts administration; family and consumer sciences; music; social work; and speech-language pathology and audiology.

College of Nursing
Provides professional nursing education at the baccauariate, master’s and doctoral levels, as well as research in the areas of gerontological health, prevention and treatment of trauma and violence, and promotion of health in vulnerable populations.

College of Polymer Science & Polymer Engineering
Offer undergraduate, master’s and doctoral programs with research focusing on adhesions and adhesives, biomaterials, coatings, compounding, blending, mixing, micro and naocomposites, modeling, nanotechnology, photonics, physics and characterization, rubber recycling, structure development and phase separation, synthesis, and advanced manufacturing.

Institutes

English Language Institute
Provides non-credit academic English as a second language instruction to international students and non-native residents who plan to pursue an undergraduate or graduate degree at a U.S. university.

Fisher Institute for Professional Selling
Ranked among the six best undergraduate and graduate sales programs nationally, offers customized sales training courses designed for corporate customers and public seminars on sales topics.

Gary L. and Karen S. Taylor Institute for Direct Marketing
Created to elevate the direct marketing industry and provide students entering the field with valuable skills.

Institute for Biomedical Engineering Research
Serves educational functions and provides research service to local hospitals and industry, as well as private and government agencies.

Institute for Global Business
Focuses on educational advancement, professional development, international operations experience and international business information gathering to encourage Ohio’s economic competitiveness worldwide.

Institute for Health and Social Policy
Conducts research, collaborates with other University of Akron centers and assists faculty in developing proposals to improve the quality of health and social services to at-risk groups.

Institute for Life-Span Development and Gerontology
Campus-wide program administering student placement in numerous community service settings and conducting research studies.

Institute of Polymer Engineering
Offers the expertise of some of the world’s foremost polymer engineers, serving as a confidential, objective and affordable source of technical assistance.

Institute for Teaching and Learning
Coordinates, promotes and supports efforts to improve the success of students both inside and outside the classroom and to advance and disseminate scholarly investigations into the teaching and learning process.

Joseph G. Miller and William C. Becker Institute for Professional Responsibility
National center devoted to serving the legal profession and the judiciary.

Maurice Morton Institute of Polymer Science
Conducts basic and applied research, focusing on the creation of new polymers and the study of their physical properties.

Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics
Bipartisan research and teaching institute dedicated to increasing understanding of the political process with special emphasis on political parties, grassroots activity and ethical behavior.

William and Rita Fitzgerald Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies
Promotes the principles of free enterprise and encourages the entrepreneurial spirit and specializes in teaching creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship related to startups, family business, franchising, acquisitions, corporate innovation and entrepreneurship.

Centers

Akron Polymer Training Center
18,500-square-foot teaching facility offers a wide variety of non-credit plastics and rubber training courses to enhance on-the-job effectiveness for all professionals working in the polymer field.

Applied Polymer Research Center
Offers companies of all sizes access to top researchers, knowledge bases and advanced equipment.

Center for Collaboration and Inquiry
Supplies the resources and assistance necessary for P-16 teachers to create effective learning environments and fosters collaborative research efforts between experts of both content and educational methods.

Center for Conflict Management
Trains students, teachers and business leaders to better prevent, resolve or reduce the harms associated with conflicts—from interpersonal to international.

Center for Emergency Management and Homeland Security Policy Research
Specializes in emergency personnel training, business continuity and resumption planning, after action reports, meeting facilitation and customized briefings.

Center for Environmental Studies
Provides opportunities for scientists, educators, students and special interest groups to work together to improve the environment by sponsoring activities appropriate to attaining a quality environment.

Center for Family Studies
Encourages participation of UA faculty and students, as well as leaders from area schools, hospitals, courts, churches and mental health and social agencies by fostering collaboration on curriculum development, educational events, research, training and public policy relevant to family issues.

Center for Gerontological Health Nursing and Advocacy
Has a threefold focus of nursing education, research and service to improve healthcare and quality of life for elders.

Center for Information Technology and e-Business
Created in 2000 to identify and promote best practices in the design, development and application of information technology in organizations.

Center for Intellectual Property Law and Technology
Coordinates the School of Law's intellectual property curriculum and administers a certificate program and the state's first Intellectual Property Law Master of Laws program.

Center for Literacy
Supports research and scholarship, service projects and literacy development, which is broadly defined as the basic communication and calculation skills necessary for existence in modern society.

Center for Nursing
Serves as an education and practice center for College of Nursing faculty and students and is among the first academic nurse-managed centers in the United States.

Center for Organizational Development
Provide training and management development, market research, assessment and feasibility services to meet the needs of community members and area businesses.

Center for Organizational Research
Provides top-quality consultation and research-based interventions managed by UA’s acclaimed Industrial/Organizational Psychology Department.

Center for Policy Studies
Seeks to understand the nature and sources of mass attitudes toward policy issues, as well as the causes and consequences of policy decisions.

Center for Public Service Research and Training
Has specific expertise in program evaluation and improvement strategies, strategic management, community needs assessment, community planning and the design of research projects.

Center for Statistical Consulting
Provide the University of Akron community at large with professional assistance in the design and analysis of statistical problems.

Center for Urban and Higher Education
Conducts public education and research to improve student achievement in pre-K through higher education.

Center for Women’s Studies
Integrates intellectual scholarship and research to explore how women have been represented in literature, history, society, sociology and the media.

Collaborative Center in Polymer Photonics
Develops polymer-based materials and fabrication methods for photonic applications.

H. Kenneth Barker Center for Economic Education
Exists to improve the economic literacy of citizens and foster understanding of the American economic system.

The Magnetic Resonance Center
Operates eight superconducting NMR spectrometers, including an INOVA 750 MHz instrument with a cryoprobe and other accessories to perform every possible experiment yet devised.

Microscale Physiochemical Engineering Center (MPEC)
Focuses on operations involving small particles such as heterogeneous catalysts, fluid-solid separations, surface coatings, water treatment and energy conversion.

Pan African Center for Community Studies
Provides opportunities for students and the community to experience the educational excellence, leadership, and legacy of African Americans.

Training Center for Fire and Hazardous Materials
Coordinates seminars and workshops presented by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), The Division of EMS Fire Charter and other related organizations to offer training in general safety, planning for the worst and first responder protocol.

Training Center for Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice
Provides state certified training through the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission in basic police academy, police refresher course, advanced police training and private security.

Workforce Development and Continuing Education
Offers credit and noncredit courses spanning a wide range of subjects from Six Sigma and leadership to computer and languages.