The University of Puerto Rico at Aguadilla was established in 1972 as the Aguadilla Regional College (CORA) through the 1971-72 Certification of the Former Council of Higher Education. CORA, as it has been known since its beginnings, began its operations in a building located on Yumet Méndez Avenue, in the town of Aguadilla. Its beginnings were in a building that housed less than 600 students and with associate degree programs in different disciplines. Three years later, he moved to the current facility at the former Ramey Base. The campus occupies 35.86 acres of land, and the former military structures are used as classrooms and as administrative and faculty offices. A new crop of students is beginning to take shape in this movement, giving the opportunity to expand academic offerings.
In the 1980s, CORA framed a natural need to evolve from a two-year institution to a four-year one. For this reason, the CORA 4 YEARS movement was born. This exercise led the House of Representatives, private organizations, and government entities to join forces with the university community of the time, so that the academic offering included baccalaureate degrees. Several years later, the initiative paid off with new bachelor’s degree programs in education, business administration, and natural sciences.
In the 1990s, the federal government sold the land where the amphitheater and the structure that houses the Department of Humanities are located, continuing with the evolution of new baccalaureate programs.
That’s when the idea of turning CORA into a university college came up; thus, the new efforts gave way to the University College of Aguadilla (CUnA). Many understood that the acronym lacked data about the college and a voice emerged that was heard in the Puerto Rico legislature and the Old Board of Trustees. Therefore, CORA was granted academic and administrative autonomy and became the University of Puerto Rico in Aguadilla.
In 1976, the University of Puerto Rico at Aguadilla granted the accreditation by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). This agency is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. In 1999 the Board of Higher Education approved the renewal of its license, and in 2000 the Middle States Commission of Colleges and Schools approved its reaccreditation. The University of Puerto Rico at Aguadilla approved the 2019-2024 Strategic Plan that includes its mission, purpose and values, vision, and strategic goals. This document gives direction to the academic-administrative activities carried out there. The last reaffirmation of accreditation by MSCHE occurred in 2022 and the next self-study evaluation will be 2029-2030.
In 2018, UPR-Aguadilla received the renewal of the license to operate as an institution of higher education by the Puerto Rico’s Council on Education (CEPR) by virtue of Certification 2018-210. Licensed by the Puerto Rico Council on Higher Education (PRCHE) since 1997 (Certification Num. 2007-097 PRCHE).
The UPR-Aguadilla as an institution offers two (2) associate’s, 13 bachelor’s degrees and five (5) articulated transfer programs. These are supported by a network of student services and faculty with the commitment of being a model of excellence.
In the present, the Educator Preparation Program (EPP) is housed in the Education and Physical Education Department at the UPR-Aguadilla. he Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education was established in 1997 (Certification 97-043, Council on Higher Education) and housed in the Education and Physical Education Department. The bachelor’s degree that was housed in the English Department until 2021 was established in 2001 (Certification Number 2001-092, Council on Higher Education) known as Bachelor of Arts in Education with Concentration in English with Multimedia Technology (Elementary and Secondary). The bachelors were housed in the Education and Physical Education Department at UPR-Aguadilla since 2021 (Certification Number 2021-22-30). Also, a new program was established in August 2023 named Bachelor of Arts in Education with Concentration in English with Multimedia Technology Online (Certification Number 2022-097, Board of Postsecondary in Puerto Rico), known before as Council on Higher Education.
The teacher candidate will be distinguished as a knowledgeable, reflective, and transforming professional in continuous learning, with the capacity to modify educational processes within a global and democratic society, and who appreciates the Puerto Rican society. The teacher candidate, as a cognitive-humanistic, constructivist educator, will apply the pedagogical and professional knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to help all students learn. In addition, is committed to the preparation highly qualified teachers with sound knowledge in general education and in the principles, concepts, and processes of the discipline they plan to teach. Candidates will have opportunities to develop competencies in the use of appropriate instructional strategies integrating multimedia technology as a powerful, creative tool for effective learning.
The Department of Education of Puerto Rico established the new Teacher Certification Regulations number 9375 for the year 2022. It establishes the requirements for academic and professional preparation, experiences, concentrations (high school level) and specialties (graduate level) that must be met for those candidates to be certified to practice the profession of teachers in public and private schools in Puerto Rico. In accordance with this Regulation, the Education and Physical Education Department at UPR-Aguadilla revised the curriculums of its programs.
The student enrollment at UPR-Aguadilla for the fall semester of the current academic year 2023-2024 is 1,898 students. EPP has 107 students, 75 females and 32 males. In 2023-2024 the EPP has eight (8). In 2023 UPR-Aguadilla graduated 357 students which, 37 (9.6%) were from Education and Physical Education Department.
The teacher candidate is distinguished as a knowledgeable, reflective, and transforming professional in continuous learning, with the capacity to modify educational processes within a global and democratic society, and who appreciates the Puerto Rican society. The teacher candidate, as a cognitive-humanistic, constructivist educator, will apply the pedagogical and professional knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to help all students learn.
In addition, the program is committed to the preparation highly qualified teachers with sound knowledge in general education and in the principles, concepts, and processes of the discipline they plan to teach. Candidates will have opportunities to develop competencies in the use of appropriate instructional strategies integrating multimedia technology as a powerful, creative tool for effective learning as established in the Manual of Professional Standards of the Teacher of Puerto Rico (EPMPR). The EPMPR’s are a framework of reference for teacher professional performance that shows clear criteria of skills, knowledge, and dispositions to ensure pedagogical interactions that promote meaningful learning in students.
For the year 2022, the Department of Education of Puerto Rico established the new Teacher Certification Regulations number 9375. It establishes the requirements for academic and professional preparation, experiences, concentrations (bachelor level) and specialties (graduate level) that must be met for those candidates to be certified to practice the profession of teachers in public and private schools in Puerto Rico. In accordance with this Regulation, the Educator Preparation Program (EPP) revised the curriculums of its programs. The revised programs began in August 2023.