The University of Central Oklahoma prepares future leaders in an opportunity-rich environment part of the thriving metropolitan area. Central’s appealing campus is on track to become a certified botanical garden, offering a pleasing living environment and a source of pride. The University of Central Oklahoma prepares future leaders in an opportunity-rich environment. Located in Edmond, Central is one of the top public_ universities in Oklahoma City’s thriving metropolitan area. As Oklahoma’s metropolitan university, Central offers its more than 17,000 students an innovative learning community where teaching comes first, a commitment seeded in the university’s roots as a teachers’ college. Students develop personal relationships with more than 450 full-time and_ 500 adjunct faculty and staff who, guided by the mission of helping students learn, are committed to transforming lives. With 114 undergraduate majors and 63 graduate majors, Central is a smart investment for students dedicated to their success. Notable academic programs include Forensic Science, Music Theatre, Graphic Design, Mass Communications, Teacher Education, Accounting, the region’s only accredited Professional Golf Management program, Jazz Studies and the Academy of Contemporary Music at_ UCO, located in downtown Oklahoma City’s Bricktown district. The university will add to its downtown presence with the opening of the CHK|Central Boathouse on the Oklahoma River in 2015. Central also is one of two universities in the country named an official U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Site. Central’s appealing 210-acre main campus offers a learning and _living environment that is a source of pride for the Central _community. Central is ranked among the top public_ regional universities in the nation by US News and World_ Report , and has been named as one of the top universities _to work for by the Chronicle of Higher Education five of_ the past six years. The university also stands among the _top universities nationally for student housing and sustainable “green” practices, like its use of 100 percent wind energy and alternative transportation programs. Central is an official “Green Power Partner” of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and won the EPA’s Green Power Challenge for its athletic conference the past three years. The UCO Broncho athletic teams compete in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association conference. The university’s athletics program has a rich tradition of success, most recently winning the 2013 NCAA Division II National Softball Championship.