University of Texas at Arlington - Definition and Overview

The university seal

The University of Texas at Arlington (full official name), UT Arlington or UTA for short, is the largest institution of The University of Texas System in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and is second in size (in the region) only to the University of North Texas. It has a student population around 25,000.

History

Established in 1895 as Arlington College.

Academia

UTA has strong programs in engineering, nursing, fine arts, and business. Liberal-arts strengths include innovative programs in Southwestern Studies and Mexican-American studies. The university is home to outstanding cartography collections and to one of the strongest collections of material relating to the Mexican-American War. UTA also has the only accredited achitectural masters program in the region.

Athletics

Although its ancestor schools North Texas Agricultural College and Arlington State College were national two-year football powers, UTA does not now field a football team. Its strongest and most distinctive athletic team is in wheelchair basketball, where its Movin' Mavs have won several national collegiate championships.

Famous alumni

Several famous individuals either attended or graduated from UTA:

• Kalpana Chawla
• Pat Choate
• Tommy Franks
• Lou Diamond Phillips

External links

• University of Texas at Arlington home page (http://www.uta.edu/)
• UTA Overview (http://www.uta.edu/uta/overview.html)
• UTA History (http://www.uta.edu/masterplan/html/history.html)