Education

Utah’s young and educated workforce is a major attraction for companies thinking of relocating to the state. Utah ranks fourth in the nation in the percentage of adults who have completed high school. Plus, 26 percent of Utahns have four-year college degrees and higher. Utah is expected to have the nation’s fastest growing college enrollment through at least 2007.

Utah’s average class size is large when compared to other states, yet excellent results are achieved. In fact, Utah ranks 14th in the states for public school spending per $1,000 of personal income. Utah also ranks 18th among the states for per capita direct general expendi­tures of state and local governments for education.

Twenty years ago, Utah implemented the Core Curriculum Program, which played a major role in improving the state’s education system and in raising student ACT scores. Since 1994, ACT college entrance examination scores in Utah have risen twice as fast as the national average. Sixty-seven percent of Utah’s high school graduates took the ACT in 2004, which is also well above the national average. Utah public school students have the 10th highest average Advanced Place­ment (AP) exam scores in the nation. It is no wonder that the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education gives Utah a grade of “A” for how well its schools prepare students for college.

Utah has 40 public school districts, 100 private/parochial schools, 23 charter schools, ten public four-year degree-granting universities and colleges, and four private higher learning institutions. Of these, three are major research universities and two have law schools.

The University of Utah, which encompasses a medical school, is the state’s flagship institution and is recognized as one of the premier institutions in the country. The school (enrollment 28,437) is known nationally for its “technology transfer” program, which moves state-of-the-art research into practical applications in the business world. External funding jumped to almost $286 million in 2003, much of which was designated for research. www.utah.edu

Utah State University in Logan is best known nationally for space-related research. Its College of Education is ranked in the top 50 in the nation. The university is also known for its expertise in agriculture, natural resources, and biotechnology. The university (enrollment 23,000) secured a record $138.4 million in research grants in 2003. www.usu.edu

Brigham Young University (daytime enrollment 33,427), the nation’s largest church-sponsored private university, is located in Provo. BYU is 16th in the country in number of National Merit Scholars enrolled, ahead of Duke and Penn. It is also home to the J. Reuben Clark Law School and Marriott School of Management, both ranked in top 40 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. About half of BYU’s students have lived outside of the United States and three-fourths speak another language. www.byu.edu

Nearby in Orem is Utah Valley State College (enrollment 23,803), the eighth fastest growing four-year public institution of higher education in the nation. U.S. News & World Report has ranked UVSC among the top five Best Comprehensive Colleges in the West for quality. www.uvsc.edu

Westminster College (enrollment 2,500) is Utah’s only private, nondenominational, non­profit college. It prepares its students for success through a strong foundation of liberal education combined with cutting-edge programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks Westminster as a top tier institution in the west, and as one of the top ten “Best Values” among universities in the West offering a master’s degree. www.westminstercollege.edu

Salt Lake Community College (enrollment 24,000) has been named one of the top 100, two-year colleges in various fields including engineering, health sciences, computer and information sciences, business management, and administrative services. www.slcc.edu

To the north of Salt Lake, is Weber State University with campuses in Ogden and Layton. The university offers masters’ degrees in educa­tion, criminal justice, business administration and accounting, as well as more then 215 degree programs in arts and humanities, science, applied science and technology, business and economics, education, social and behavioral science, and the health professions. www.weber.edu

The Utah College of Applied Technology, comprised of ten Area Technical Colleges (ATCs) located throughout the state, as well as the state’s colleges and universities, provide training programs tailored to fit the specific needs of industries at no cost to the employer. More than 58,000 students enroll in vocational education programs each year through an ATC, and thousands more through community colleges. www.ucats.org

There are many other full and part-time higher education institutions available in Salt Lake. See the “Utah Schools” sidebar to this article on page 48 for a comprehensive list.

Custom Fit is a dynamic partnership between the Utah College of Applied Technology, its college campuses, select sister institutions across the state, and the local business community. Its mission is simply to provide customized employee training. This unique program offers companies and their employees the benefit of state-of-the-art training and development, customized to meet their specific needs, and does so at an affordable cost. The Utah State Legislature appropriates funds for a large portion of the training costs. Custom Fit representatives work with many types and sizes of businesses from mom and pop shops to the largest employers in the state. It has helped companies with specific technical training, safety certifications, computer skills, leadership / management skills, or just help in how to get along with others at work. Custom Fit’s goal is
to assist companies in build­ing and maintaining a quality workforce to meet their demands and strengthen your com­petitive edge. www.ucats.org/aboutcustomfit.html

For more information about the state’s institutions of higher education, contact the Utah System of Higher Education at 801.321.7100, or at www.utahsbr.edu. For information about the state’s K-12 public schools, contact the State Office of Education at 801.538.7500.