College of Public Service

Leigh Van Horn, EdD, Interim Dean
C430, 713-221-8991

Myrna Cohen, EdD, Associate Dean
C400, 713-221-8907

The College of Public Service is a community-based center for higher learning dedicated to preparing students to enter and/or advance in professional careers in criminal justice, education, and social work. It believes that an educated society creates thoughtful policy and humanistic practices for the betterment of its diverse constituents. The College seeks to instill analytical thinking skills that nurture in students an appreciation of the use of scientific inquiry to solve the problems of our time and encourages creativity and the development of new ideas. It embraces the professional and personal growth of its faculty, staff and students by promoting intellectual collaboration within the school, university, and community at large. The College of Public Service strives to engage in dynamic research that will improve the quality of our area schools, social service organizations and justice institutions, and will instill scholarship, integrity, and responsibility in tomorrow’s leaders.

Center for Public Service and Family Strengths

The Center for Public Service and Family Strengths (CPSFS) and the Institute for Community Research (ICR) are located in rooms C-220 and C-222 within the College of Public Service. The mission of the CPSFS and the ICR is to initiate and develop collaborative partnerships with the community through which we demonstrate our servant leadership, participate in active engagement and mutually beneficial problem solving, and advocate and effect positive change. The CPSFS will incubate, facilitate, and promulgate systemic change through collaboration and community based research with our external stakeholders. Programs in Criminal Justice, Urban Education, Social Work, and the Criminal Justice Training Center are served by the CPSFS, and the Journal of Family Strengths is housed within the Center. Our faculty, students, and staff are currently engaged in a wide variety of public service projects based upon specific needs identified by our partners. Some are focused on education and service, while others include community partners in research.

Admission and Declaration for Urban Education Degree Program

The University of Houston-Downtown’s teacher education program offers certification in elementary, secondary, and bilingual education. Students wishing to obtain EC-6 Core Subjects with ESL Supplemental, EC-6 Core Subjects with Bilingual Supplemental, and 4-8 Core Subjects with ESL Supplemental certification will need to take courses in a variety of academic areas.

Students wishing to obtain secondary certification may choose from the following subject areas: Mathematics, English-Language Arts and Reading, History, Social Studies with Composite Social Studies Certification, Life Science, Physical Science, and Composite Science.

Declaration as an Urban Education Pre-Major

Students who are continuing at UHD will be declared as a Pre-Urban Education major with the following requirements:

Cumulative GPA of 2.3 or higher

Students who are transferring to UHD will be declared as a Pre-Urban Education major with the following requirements:

Cumulative GPA of 2.3 or higher

Freshman who are admitted to UHD will be declared as a Pre-Urban Education major with the following requirements:

High School GPA of 2.5 or higher
Freshman admission requirements met

Formal Declaration as an Urban Education Major

Students who meet the following formal admission criteria to Teacher Education will be declared as Urban Education majors:

Submission of application to the program
A minimum 2.5 overall grade point average
Completion of 30 semester credit hours (SCH) of course work
TSI Requirement met
Be in good academic standing with the university
Completion of all developmental courses, if required
Earned credit in ENG 1301 and 1302 with a grade of “C” of higher
Earned credit in MATH 1301 with a grade of “C” or higher
Earned credit in American History component with a grade of “C” or higher
Earned credit in Life and Physical Sciences component with a grade of “C” or higher

Teacher education students must be approved for the professional development sequence. The courses in the professional development sequence are closed to non-teacher education students. Students interested in the teacher education program should contact the College Advising Center at 713-221-8906 or visit C-420 (Commerce Street Building).

Students who do not meet the Pre-Urban Education Major or Formal Urban Education Major criteria above do not qualify for admission to the Urban Education Program and will be classified as an Undeclared Major with Urban Education Interest.

Admission and Declaration for Social Work Degree Program

Declaration as a pre-major in Social Work

Students who are continuing at UHD will be declared as a Pre-Social Work Major with the following requirements:

Cumulative GPA of 2.3 or higher

Students who are transferring to UHD will be declared as a Pre-Social Work Major with the following requirements:

Cumulative GPA of 2.3 or higher

Freshman who are admitted to UHD will be declared as a Pre-Social Work Major with the following requirements:

High School GPA of 2.5 or higher
Freshman admission requirements met

Formal Declaration as Social Work Major

Students who meet the following formal admission criteria to Social Work will be declared as Social Work majors:

Completion of all required developmental courses;
Completion of a minimum of 30 college credit hours
Be in good academic standing.
Submission of a completed Social Work Program admission application packet;
Have a GPA of 2.5 or greater for the most recent 30 hours of college credit hours that have been taken in the past five years. (Although UH-Downtown accepts earned credits older than 5 years, the Social Work Program does not include grades for courses more than five years old in its admissions GPA calculation.)

Students considering applying to the program are encouraged to take SOCW 2361 and SOCW 2363 as soon as possible; these two required courses are open to non-majors and serve as prerequisites for upper-level Social Work courses.

Admission to the Social Work Program is a competitive process. All students who wish to major in Social Work must complete a separate, admissions application for the Social Work major which is available on-line. Applications are accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis throughout the year.

As part of the social work admissions process, a student must:

Submit a Social Work Program admissions application form
Submit to the Social Work Program a copy of transcripts from all colleges/universities attended.
Have a GPA of 2.5 or greater for the most recent 30 hours of college credit hours that have been taken in the past five years. (Although UH-Downtown accepts earned credits older than 5 years, the Social Work Program does not include grades for courses more than five years old in its admissions GPA calculation.)
Submit two references in support of their application; and
Submit an admissions essay
NOTE: Forms available at: https://www.uhd.edu/academics/public-service/social-work/Pages/bsw-admissions-application.aspx

Students who do not meet the Pre-Social Work Major or Formal Social Work Major criteria above do not qualify for admission to the Social Work Program and will be classified as an Undeclared Major with Social Work Interest.

Admission and Declaration for Criminal Justice Degree Program

All undergraduate students at UH-Downtown are assigned for academic advising to University College until they are accepted into one of the degree programs.

Declaration as a major in Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences in Criminal Justice require the following:

Continuing students at UHD must have a UHD GPA of 2.0 or higher.
Students transferring to UHD must have a transfer GPA OF 2.0 or higher
Freshmen who meet the Freshman Admissions criteria will be declared upon admission to the university.

Students who do not meet the criteria above do not qualify for admission into the Criminal Justice degree programs and based upon their respective interest will be classified as one of the following pre-majors: Pre-Criminal Justice (B.S.) or Pre-Criminal Justice (B.A.A.S.).