Did You Know?

  • Forty-five educator preparation, certificate and licensure programs are offered by the Watson College at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
  • All education and pre-education majors and graduate students are advised by academic advisors and full-time faculty members.
  • The Watson College is a host site for the North Carolina Principal Fellows program.
  • Watson College students completed 320 internships and more than 4,000 field placements in area schools during the 2014-15 academic year.
  • Field experiences are offered in every program through the Watson College's national award-winning Professional Development System (PDS) and partnerships with local businesses and community agencies.
  • Since 1993, PDS has grown to include 12 school districts, 146 schools and more than 2,000 P-12 teachers. Partnership schools include the Cape Fear Center for Inquiry, Island Montessori School in New Hanover County; Whiteville City, Clinton City and Camp Lejeune schools; and the Brunswick, Carteret, Columbus, Duplin, Jones, New Hanover, Onslow, Pender and Sampson county school systems.
  • Through the International Studies Program, students have an opportunity to work and study abroad in many countries, including Belize, Costa Rica, Japan, Kuwait, Malawi and South Africa.
  • Watson College graduates have a strong track record for securing jobs and are highly rated by principals and other employers.
  • The passing rate for Watson College graduates on the Praxis II Specialty Area Tests required for licensure is 98 percent.
  • Many Watson College graduates have achieved National Board Certification status, and several have been honored as Teacher of the Year and Principal of the Year.
  • The Watson College received an outstanding reaccreditation report from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) in 2014.
  • The Watson College received the 2014 Exemplary Achievement Award from the National Association of Professional Development Schools in recognition of the college's strong partnerships with 12 school districts.
  • The Watson College Middle Grades Program was named 'Middle Level Teacher Preparation Program to Watch' for North Carolina's Eastern Region in 2014.
  • In 2015, WCE was ranked 35th in the nationby U.S. News and World Report for Best Online Programs in Education (Graduate).
  • The annual Razor Walker Awards recognize individuals and community organizations that have made a significant difference in the lives of children and youth in North Carolina.
  • WCE's Center for Education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (CESTEM) is host to the Southeast Regional Science Olympiad, and offers dozens of outreach programs for teachers and students to support STEM education in the region.
  • The Center for Assistive Technology manages a lending library where persons with disabilities and their teachers and caregivers can obtain innovative communication devices, materials and equipment.
  • The Dropout Prevention Coalition at the Watson College was created in 2011 to bring school and community leaders together to collaborate on programs to help students succeed in school. Membership in the coalition has reached 650.
  • UNCW's MarineQuest is now in its 35th year, and Engineering Expectations programs have been offered to school-age youth since 2010.
  • The Education Building at UNCW is not only beautiful and unique, it also is known for high-quality, technology-enhanced learning spaces.
  • WCE's distance learning classrooms connect UNCW with others around the world, an assistive technology classroom has state-of-the-art technologies for teaching students with disabilities and an early childhood education classroom has distance learning capabilities to connect with similar classrooms at two community college sites.
  • The Education Building also has a Curriculum Materials Center for students and area teachers and an Education Laboratory that serves as a tutoring facility and model classroom. More than 5,000 Watson College students have provided tutoring for children in the community in the Ed Lab over the past 30 years.
  • The Watson College's grant efforts focus on obtaining funding for collaborative initiatives that address P-16 needs of schools in the southeastern region.
  • Recent grant awards include $299,974 to develop an integrated STEM teacher education program (National Science Foundation), $216,788 for a "Writing in Science, Science in Writing" initiative with Pender County Schools (UNC General Administration) and $89,279 to support a South African Culture, History and Literacy project in partnership with Onslow County Schools (Fulbright-Hays).