University of North Texas

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:About Template:Infobox university

The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public research university located in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. Its main campus is in Denton, with a satellite campus in Frisco. It serves as the flagship of the University of North Texas System, which also includes universities in Dallas and Fort Worth. UNT offers 114 bachelor's, 97 master's, and 39 doctoral programs.Template:Sfn Founded in 1890, it was the 48th largest university in the United States by enrollment in 2023.Template:Sfn

UNT is classified as an "R1: Doctoral University – Very High Research Activity" by the Carnegie system,Template:Sfn Template:Sfn the highest Carnegie designation for U.S. research institutions. UNT is also designated an Emerging Research University by the State of Texas and is one of four universities supported by the Texas University Fund (TUF). Created with an initial $3.9 billion endowment, TUF provides $100 million in annual funding to help elevate these institutions into the top tier of national research universities.Template:Sfn

As of fall 2023, UNT enrolled 46,724 students, making it the third-largest university in Texas.Template:Sfn It is also the largest university in the Dallas–Fort Worth area. UNT shares Denton with Texas Woman's University, the largest primarily women's university in the United States. UNT's main campus covers Template:Convert, with academic buildings to the north and athletic facilities, including Apogee Stadium, to the south. The university's research park, Discovery Park, spans Template:Convert and lies about five miles (8 km) to the north. UNT also maintains a Template:Convert branch campus in Frisco, a growing suburb of Dallas.

In 2020, UNT was designated by the U.S. Department of Education as both a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) and a Minority-Serving Institution (MSI). These designations made UNT eligible for Federal grants under Title III and Title V of the Higher Education Act, which support institutional initiatives that advance the enrollment, retention, and graduation of underrepresented student populations.Template:Sfn

The university's athletic teams are the North Texas Mean Green. Its sixteen intercollegiate athletic teams compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I. North Texas is a member of the American Athletic Conference. UNT's official school colors are green and white and its mascot is an Eagle named Scrappy.

Campus and facilities

The University of North Texas's main campus is located in Denton, a city of approximately 170,000 in the northern part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States. As the flagship of the University of North Texas System, UNT has steadily expanded its physical presence since 1975, when it acquired a medical school in Fort Worth.

In 1981, the medical school was reorganized as a separate institution under the UNT Board of Regents.Template:Sfn In 2009, the University of North Texas at Dallas became the system's second stand-alone university, and that same year, the Texas Legislature approved the creation of the University of North Texas at Dallas College of Law, which opened in 2014 in Downtown Dallas. The UNT System itself was established by the board of regents in 1980 and formally recognized by the 78th Legislature in 2003.

In 2004, UNT opened Discovery Park in Denton, a Template:Convert research and technology campus located five miles (8 km) north of the main campus. It houses facilities focused on science, engineering, and innovation. In 2011, the College of Visual Arts and Design opened the Design Research Center in Dallas's Design District.Template:Sfn

To extend access to its academic and research programs, UNT Denton established a satellite campus in Frisco, a rapidly developed city in the northern Dallas–Fort Worth area known for its corporate and educational infrastructure. Frisco is located approximately 30 miles (48 km) north of Downtown Dallas and 25 miles (40 km) east of Denton. In 2018, UNT at Frisco opened Inspire Park and now serves about 2,000 students each semester across several Frisco and Collin County sites, including Hall Park and the Collin Higher Education Center in McKinney.Template:Sfn In 2020, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board approved the development of a new UNT branch campus on a Template:Convert site donated by the City of Frisco. Template:Gallery

Institutional designations and affiliations

In 1976, the Carnegie Foundation designated North Texas as a "Class 1 Doctorate-Granting Institution." Four decades later, in February 2016, it was reclassified as a Doctoral University with "Highest Research Activity."Template:Sfn This places UNT in the top tier of U.S. research institutions, known informally as "R1" universities.

In 1992, UNT was elected to full membership in the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities, reflecting its status as a public research university.Template:Sfn Template:Efn In 2011, it was designated an Emerging Research Institution by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

In 2020, the university received dual federal designations from the U.S. Department of Education as a Minority-Serving Institution (MSI) and a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), making it eligible for federal grants under Titles III and V of the Higher Education Act.Template:Sfn

In 2023, the State of Texas launched the Texas University Fund (TUF), a $3.9 billion endowment providing $100 million annually to four designated research universities, including UNT. The fund supports their efforts to reach the highest ranks of national research institutions.Template:Sfn

Colleges, schools, and academy

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Template:Smallcaps
Template:Smallcaps
ForbesTemplate:Sfn	2025	209
WSJ (College Pulse)Template:Sfn Template:Sfn	2025	272
US NewsTemplate:Sfn	2025	(tie) 220
Washington MonthlyTemplate:Sfn	2024	126
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ARWUTemplate:Sfn	2025	501–600
QSTemplate:Sfn	2025	1001–1200
US NewsTemplate:Sfn	2025	698

U.S. News & World Report Template:Smallcaps 2025
Best Business Schools	122
Part-time MBA	88
Best Education Schools	114
Best Engineering Schools	136
Audiology	66
Biological Sciences	267
Chemistry	150
Clinical Psychology	91
Computer Science	120
English	137
Fine Arts	42
History	120
Library and Information Studies	21
Mathematics	144
Pharmacy	80
Physics	152
Political Science	69
Psychology	153
Public Affairs	72
Homeland Security	5
Local Government Management	8
Rehabilitation Counseling	12
Sociology	110
Speech-Language Pathology	120
Based on 2023 data.Template:Sfn

U.S. News & World Report Template:Smallcaps 2025
Masters in Education	3
Master's in Curriculum and Instruction	17
Master's in Criminal Justice	24
Bachelor's Programs	25
Bachelor's in Business	21
MBA	75
MBA for Veterans	44
Based on 2023 data.Template:Sfn

UNT offers 114 bachelor's, 97 master's, and 39 doctoral degree programs as of 2024. These are organized into 14 colleges and schools. UNT has been accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools since 1925.Template:Sfn Template:Asof the university was home to 37 research centers and institutes.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn

Twelve discipline-based academic units comprise the university's academic structure — including eleven colleges and the Mayborn School of Journalism — along with the Honors College, the Toulouse Graduate School, and the Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science for academically exceptional high school students from across Texas.

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

The College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences houses 22 academic departments and programs and five public services (including a psychology clinic and a speech and hearing clinic), and eight student services (of which seven are labs).Template:Sfn

College of Science

UNT has been offering Bachelor of Science degrees for Template:Age years, Master of Science degrees (in biology, mathematics, chemistry, and economics) for Template:Age years, and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in several scientific disciplines—including chemistry, biology, and physics—for Template:Age years. UNT is a sponsoring institution member (Ph.D.-granting) of Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU), a consortium of 105 major research universities that leverage scientific research through partnerships with national laboratories, government agencies, and private industry. It has been a member of the consortium since 1954.Template:Sfn

Department of Physics

The College of Science's Department of Physics houses a distinctive research facility, the Ion Beam Laboratory (IBL), which conducts multidisciplinary research using medium-energy ion accelerators (10 k eV–15 M eV). IBL supports analytical and materials science research through techniques such as particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE), Rutherford backscattering (RBS), elastic recoil detection (ERD), nuclear reaction analysis (NRA), ion microlithography, and ion beam-induced charge collection (IBICC).

The facility includes four accelerators: a 3 MV tandem Pelletron, a 3 MV single-ended Pelletron, a 2.5 MV Van de Graaff accelerator, and a 200 k eV Cockcroft–Walton accelerator. These systems enable beamline setups for ion implantation, scanning transmission ion microscopy (STIM), and high-energy focused ion beam (HEFIB) microprobe analysis. The IBL occupies approximately Template:Convert in the Physics Building (main Denton campus) and supports graduate research, external collaborations, and experimental development across multiple disciplines. UNT has hosted the Conference on the Application of Accelerators in Research and Industry (CAARI) in even-numbered years since 1976.Template:Sfn

Department of Biology

The College of Science's Department of Biological Sciences supports interdisciplinary research in environmental science, ecology, and molecular biology through a range of specialized facilities. The Life Sciences Complex includes more than Template:Convert of LEED Gold-certified research space, including rooftop greenhouses and one of the nation's largest university aquatics labs. The department also operates the Water Research Field Station and Artificial Stream Facility, among the few in the U.S. designed to assess the ecological impact of agrichemicals under controlled field conditions. UNT researchers maintain global collaborations, including a freshwater research and environmental philosophy field station established in 2011 in the Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve in Chile. UNT's work in limnology dates back to the 1930s under pioneer Joseph Kean Gwynn Silvey (1907–1989), and continues today through its aquatic ecology labs and the Institute of Applied Science.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn

The Water Research Field Station and the Artificial Stream Facility are located in Ponder, about 10 miles west of UNT's main campus, near the university's Rafes Urban Astronomy Center and Soil Conservation Service Site Number 12 Reservoir.

G. Brint Ryan College of Business

Template:Main The College of Business is host to five academic departments: (i) Accounting, (ii) Finance, Insurance, Real Estate and Law, (iii) Information Technology and Decision Sciences, (iv) Marketing, Logistics, and Operations Management, and (v) Management. It offers seven undergraduate programs, fourteen M.B.A. and master of science programs, and six Ph.D. programs. In Fall 2011, the college moved into a new state-of-the-art Gold LEED certified $70 million facility named the Business Leadership Building. The college is accredited in both business and accounting by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business—accreditation for the former stretches back Template:Cardinal to word years (1961) and the latter, Template:Cardinal to word years (1987).Template:Sfn

In 2018, 5,093 students were enrolled as business majors at the undergraduate level.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Template:Gallery

College of Education

The College of Education is a legacy of the university's founding as a teachers college Template:Cardinal to word years ago. The college is organized as four departments and one center: (i) Counseling and Higher Education, (ii) Educational Psychology, (iii) Kinesiology, Health Promotion and Recreation, (iv) Teacher Education and Administration, and (v) The Kristin Farmer Autism Center. The college offers 12 bachelor's degrees, 19 master's degrees and 15 doctoral concentrations.Template:Sfn As of the 2010–2011 school year, the college certified over 1,147 teachers, the second largest number in the state by a university.Template:Sfn In 1979, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board approved renaming the "School of Education" to the "College of Education." At that time, the college was the largest in Texas and the Southwest, the largest doctoral program in the state, and the twenty-fifth largest producer of teacher certificates in the United States.Template:Sfn Its prior name, "School of Education," dates back to 1946, when the teachers college outgrew itself and reorganized as six schools and colleges.Template:Sfn

College of Engineering

See University of North Texas Discovery Park

The College of Engineering was established in 2003, building upon long-standing programs in computer science (since 1971) and aspects of mechanical engineering dating back to 1919, when related coursework was first offered at what was then a teachers college.Template:Sfn As of Fall 2025, the College offers 12 undergraduate majors, 7 minors, 6 undergraduate academic certificates, 10 master's programs, and 5 doctoral degrees across disciplines including biomedical engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, mechanical and energy engineering, cybersecurity, and materials science.Template:Sfn

In 2009, UNT launched the Net-Centric Software and Systems Center (NCSS),Template:Sfn a net-centric (in contrast to data-centric computing) research consortium and National Science Foundation Industry–University Cooperative Research Center (I/UCRC).Template:Sfn In addition to UNT, the consortium is composed of the University of Texas at Dallas, Southern Methodist University, and Arizona State University.Template:Sfn Its mission is to advance secure, resilient, and efficient software and hardware systems for networked and cloud computing environments.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Research areas include emerging processing architectures,<ref group=lower-alpha>Emerging processing architectures are novel or experimental computing designs that go beyond traditional CPUs. These include manycore systems, heterogeneous architectures, neuromorphic chips, domain-specific accelerators, and application-specific processors.</ref> service-oriented architectures, and dynamic service composition.<ref group=lower-alpha>Dynamic service composition refers to the automated assembly or reconfiguration of software services at runtime, enabling systems to adapt to changing requirements or environments.</ref> The center is primarily funded by industry members and has conducted projects on multicore optimization and adaptive software components.Template:Sfn

Three of the six academic certificates offered to undergraduate engineering majors include (i) Artificial Intelligence, (ii) Game Programming, and (iii) Security.Template:Sfn Template:Gallery

College of Information

The College of Information was created in October 2008 by consolidating two existing academic units: Learning Technologies (formerly within the College of Education) and the School of Library and Information Sciences. The School of Library and Information Services was created in 1970 as an outgrowth of its former structure as the Department of Library Services.Template:Sfn The college sponsors three research centers, one being The Texas Center for Digital Knowledge.

College of Merchandising, Hospitality and Tourism

The College of Merchandising, Hospitality and Tourism (CMHT) offers interdisciplinary programs focused on consumer experience, retail, events, hospitality, and tourism. Undergraduate degrees include majors in Digital Retailing, Event Design and Experience Management, Hospitality Management, Merchandising, and Consumer Experience Management. The Event Design and Experience Management degree is the only Bachelor of Science of its kind in Texas, emphasizing hands-on experience and event technology.Template:Sfn

Graduate programs include Master of Science degrees in Hospitality Management, International Sustainable Tourism, Merchandising and Digital Retailing, and Hospitality & Tourism Data Analytics. The M.S. in International Sustainable Tourism, jointly offered with the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza → CATIE) in Costa Rica, was the first of its kind in the U.S.Template:Sfn Students have access to minors and certificates across retail, hospitality, and merchandising, with career-focused events and industry partnerships supporting applied learning.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn

College of Music

Template:Main The College of Music dates back Template:Cardinal to word years, when North Texas was founded. The college has the largest enrollment of any music institution accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn It has been among the largest music institutions of higher learning in North America since the 1940s. The music library, founded in 1941, has one of the largest music collections in the United States, with over 300,000 volumes of books, periodicals, scores, and approximately 900,000 sound recordings.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn North Texas was first in the world to offer a degree in jazz studies.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn U.S. News & World Report ranked the jazz studies program as the best in the country every year from 1994, when it began ranking graduate jazz programs, to 1997, when it retired the category.<ref>U.S. News & World Report</ref> The university's jazz ensemble One O'Clock Lab Band has been nominated for seven Grammy Awards. Template:Gallery

College of Health and Public Service

Previously called the College of Public Affairs and Community Service (PACS) and before that the College of Community Service, the college adopted its current name in Fall 2017. The college is organized in seven departments: Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology; Behavior Analysis; Criminal Justice; Emergency Management and Disaster Science (UNT purports that it was the first American university to offer such a program, having done so in 1983Template:Sfn); Public Administration; Rehabilitation and Health Services; and Social Work.Template:Sfn

UNT and Texas Woman's University launched a joint Master of Social Work (M.S.W.) program in 2017.Template:Sfn In 2024, UNT replaced the joint program with its own independent M.S.W. degree to accommodate growing student demand.Template:Sfn The new program includes both a traditional 60-hour track and an advanced standing option, with practicum placements coordinated through nearly 100 partner agencies across the Dallas–Fort Worth area.Template:Sfn

College of Visual Arts and Design

The College of Visual Arts and Design has the 10th largest enrollment of any art and design school accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, and the second largest of any that awards doctorates.Template:Sfn The college name changes reflect the curricular expansion of programs. In 1992, what then had been the "Department of Art" within the College of Arts and Sciences, became "School of Visual Arts;" and in 2007, it became the "College of Visual Arts and Design." Art classes began at UNT in 1894, four years after its founding. Master's degrees were initiated in the 1930s and the first Master of Science degree in art was awarded in 1937.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn that was started by Stanley Marcus in 1938.

Frank W. and Sue Mayborn School of Journalism

Curricular journalism at North Texas dates back to 1945. As a department, Journalism eventually became part of the College of Arts and Sciences. The Graduate Division of Journalism began in the fall of 1970 under the direction of Reginald Conway Westmorland, PhD (1926–2021).Template:Sfn In 1999, twelve years after the death of Frank Willis Mayborn (1903–1987), its graduate program was renamed the Frank W. Mayborn Graduate Institute of Journalism. On September 1, 2009, the entire program was elevated as its own collegiate unit and named the Frank W. and Sue Mayborn School of Journalism. Eight Pulitzer Prizes have been won by five of its alumni, among whom are Bill Moyers and Howard Swindle. Other notable alumni include Samir Husni and Cragg Hines. Since 1969, the news-editorial sequence has been accredited by the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC); and since 1986, the entire program has been accredited. In the fall of {{#expr: 2025 - (09 < 10)}}, the School hosted its Template:Ordinal to word annual Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference.Template:Sfn

Honors College

The Honors College offers academic enrichments, including honors seminars and exclusive classes for high-achieving undergraduates. Its objective is to challenge exceptional students at higher levels and to promote leadership. The college is an autonomous collegiate unit on equal footing with the other collegiate units. Academically, it offers no degrees, but its courses are integrated with the baccalaureate programs of the other ten constituent colleges and the journalism school. Graduates are awarded a special medallion.Template:Sfn

Toulouse Graduate School

The Toulouse Graduate School, founded in 1946,Template:Sfn is the academic custodian and administrator of all graduate programs offered by ten colleges and one school. It maintains records, administers admissions, and serves various roles in recruiting. It was renamed in 1990 in honor of Robert Bartell Toulouse, EdD (1918–2017), who joined in 1948 as a professor in the College of Education, then served dean of the Graduate School from 1954 to 1982. Toulouse, before retiring as professor emeritus, had served other roles at the university, including provost and vice president of academic affairs from 1982 to 1985.Template:Sfn

Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science

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TAMS is a two-year residential early college entrance program that has, since 1987, served exceptionally qualified Texas students who otherwise would be attending high school as juniors and seniors. It was the first of its kind in the nation and, Template:As of, the only in the state and one of five in the nation.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn

Libraries

Template:Main UNT Libraries are made up of four public service points and two remote storage facilities. Willis Library is the main library on campus, housing the business, economics, education, humanities and social sciences collections along with microforms and special areas such as the Music Library, Government Documents, the Digital Library Division, Archives, and the Rare Book and Texana collections. The Media Library in Chilton Hall houses a large collection of audiovisual materials, including films, audiobooks, and video games (see Game Design, above). Video recording equipment and gaming consoles are available for checkout. The Sycamore Library houses the government documents, law, political science, geography and business collections. It also houses the Collaboration and Learning Commons, a place to study in groups, create multi-media projects, and record presentations. The Discovery Park Library supports the College of Engineering and the College of Information, Library Science, and Technologies. It covers multiple areas of engineering, library and information science, and learning technology. Template:Gallery

The Intensive English Language Institute (IELI)

Established in 1977, IELI serves international students who wish to learn academic English in preparation for university studies in the United States. IELI is a constituent of UNT International Affairs, an interdisciplinary unit and exponent of globalization in higher education that provides leadership and support of international teaching, research, and study-abroad initiatives. Template:As of, IELI has been located in Marquis Hall on the UNT Denton campus.Template:Sfn

Enrollment

UNT reached a record enrollment of 46,940 in the fall of 2023. It is the largest university in Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex and third largest public university in the state of Texas. For the 2022 academic year, the university awarded 12,352Template:Sfn degrees. UNT awarded 315 Ph.D. degrees in fiscal year 2022.Template:Sfn

As of 2024, student-faculty ratio at UNT is 26:1 and 29.5 percent of its classes consist of fewer than 20 students. The most popular degrees for 2022 graduates are multi/interdisciplinary studies, psychology, general studies, biological sciences, exercise science, marketing, criminal justice, accounting, education, and finance.Template:Sfn As of 2024, UNT has a student graduation rateTemplate:Efn of 60%, compared to the national median 4-year university student graduation rate of 58%.Template:Sfn

Student life


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Hispanic	Template:Bartable
Black	Template:Bartable
Asian	Template:Bartable
Non-resident alien	Template:Bartable
Two or more races	Template:Bartable
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Students receiving Pell Grants	Template:Bartable
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National Center for Education Statistics Template:Sfn

Residential life

All freshmen are required to live on campus to satisfy a residency requirement. As of the Fall of 2022, 6,292 (14.9%) students live in campus residence halls; 8,068 (19.1%) live in the city of Denton; 4,810 (11.4%) live outside of the city of Denton but within Denton County; and 22,998 (54.5%) live outside of Denton County.Template:Sfn

Student residence halls

There are 14 residence halls on the Denton campus. UNT also offers the Residents Engaged in Academic Living (REAL) Communities program. The REAL communities offer students the ability to live with other residents in their major, and allow them to interact with each other and participate in programs that are geared toward their major or discipline.Template:Sfn On Aug. 22, 2011, Template:Cardinal to word-year-old Maple Street Hall became the first all-vegan ("Mean Greens") college cafeteria in the country.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn The given 14 residence hall at the University of North Texas are : Bruce Hall, Clark Hall, Crumley Hall, Joe Greene Hall, Honors Hall, Kerr Hall, Legends Hall, Maple Hall, Mozart Square, Rawlins Hall, Santa Fe Square, Traditions Hall, Victory Hall, West Hall.

The Pohl Recreation Center is the student recreation center located on the campus of the University of North Texas.Template:Sfn

Social Greek organizations

The social Greek community is made-up of four councils that oversee 42 fraternities and sororities.Template:Sfn In 2015, approximately 4% of students were members of fraternities and 5% were members of sororities.Template:Sfn Fraternities and sororities at North Texas offer students an opportunity to engage in community service, build strong friendships, and develop leadership skills.

Traditions

Primary colors

North Texas adopted green and white as its official colors during the 1902–1903 school year.Template:Sfn The university also uses black as a tertiary color,Template:Sfn but it is not a "school color".

Mascot

File:UNT Eagle statue.jpg

Template:Center

UNT's mascot, the American eagle, was adopted on February 1, 1922, as a result of a student-faculty council debate and ensuing student election.Template:Sfn

The eagle has had two nicknames, beginning with "Scrappy" in 1950.Template:Sfn The green and white human costumed eagle character, launched in 1963, carried the name "Scrappy" until 1974—during the throes of the Vietnam War—when students adopted the name "Eppy" because it sounded less warlike. Since then, the name has switched back from Eppy to Scrappy; and for the last Template:Cardinal to word years, the name "Scrappy" has endured.Template:Sfn

Nickname for intercollegiate athletics

The name "Mean Green," now in its Template:Ordinal to word year, was adopted by fans and media in 1966 for a North Texas football defensive squad that finished the season second in the nation against the rush.Template:Sfn That season, Joe Greene,Template:Sfn Template:Sfn then a sophomore at North Texas, played left defensive tackle on the football team and competed in track and field (shot put). The nickname "Mean Joe Greene" caught-on during his first year with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1969 when Pittsburgh fans wrongly assumed that "Mean Green" was derived from a nickname Joe Greene had inherited while at North Texas. The North Texas athletic department, media, and fans loved the novelty of the national use of its nickname, and its association with Joe Greene's surname and university's official school color. By 1968, "Mean Green" was branded on the backs of shirts, buttons, bumper stickers, and the cover of the North Texas football brochure.Template:Sfn

Fight song

Francis Edwin Stroup, EdD (1909–2010),Template:Sfn Template:Sfn emerged in 1939—ten years after graduating from North Texas—as the winning composer (lyrics and music) of a university sponsored fight song competition organized by Floyd Graham.Template:Sfn He taught summers at North Texas from 1939 to 1942. The song, "Fight, North Texas," has endured for Template:Cardinal to word years and the lyrics have changed minimally to reflect the name changes of the university. While serving as an associate professor at the University of Wyoming from 1946 to 1950, Stroup rewrote the lyrics for the chorus to "Ragtime Cowboy Joe," which was adopted in 1961 as the university's fight song. After serving as head of the Physical Education Department at Southern Arkansas University from 1950 to 1959, Stroup became Professor of Physical Education at Northern Illinois University. While there, Stroup rewrote the lyrics to the chorus of Alonzo Neil Annas' (1882–1966) NIU "Loyalty Song" (1942), which was informally adopted in 1961 and officially 1963 as the "Huskie Fight Song."Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Stroup also composed songs for Drake University and the University of Chicago. A collegiate academician who played piano mostly by ear and neither majored nor worked in music, Stroup lived to be 101, a number exceeding the songs he composed by one digit. Stroup was inducted in the Halls of Fame of Northern Illinois University and the University of North Texas (1987).

Alma mater

In 1919, Julia Smith (1905–1989), while a music student, and Charles Kirby Langford (1903–1931), then a third-year letterman on the football team and an outstanding overall athlete, composed "Glory to the Green and White" which was adopted as the school's alma mater in 1922. Smith wrote the music and Langford wrote the lyrics.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn

Other traditions

The Spirit Bell—a Template:Convert bell brought from Michigan in 1891—was a curfew bell from 1892 to 1928. The Talons, a spirit and service organization formed in 1960, acquired it in the 1964, mounted it on a wagon, and began the tradition of running it around the football field to rally fans.Template:Sfn It was retired to the University Union in 1982 after it developed a crack. A similar Template:Convert Spirit Bell is currently in use at games.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn A different organization by the name "Talons" was founded in 1926 as the first social fraternity at North Texas.Template:Sfn On Homecoming Fridays, the Talons light a bonfire built from wooden pallets, typically in a 40-by-40-by-25-foot-height structure. The tradition has endured since the 1930s.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn

"Boomer" is a cannon fired by the Talons at football games since the 1970s. It is a 7/8th scale M1841 6 pound, smooth bore muzzleloader, resting on hand-crafted solid oak from the campus. Talon alumni have restored it three times, the most recent being in the fall of 2007, adding a custom Template:Linktext for transport and equipment.Template:Sfn

The Mean Green Machine, a green and black 1931 Ford Model A Tudor Sedan, is driven by the Talons Motorpool Committee at football games and special events. It was donated by alumnus Rex Cauble in 1974.Template:Sfn In 2012, a team of engineering students installed a NetGain WarP 9 electric engine. Template:As of, the Mean Green Machine has been re-equipped with a modified Model A engine after complications with the electric engine.Template:Sfn

McConnell Tower, the clock tower atop the Hurley Administration Building at the center of campus, is bathed in green light for victories. The clock is depicted on the official class ring with two different times on its faces: 1:00 (for the One O'Clock Lab Band) and 7:00—the curfew initiated in 1892.Template:Sfn

The eagle talon hand signal is formed by curling the thumb and index and middle fingers forward—the ring and pinkie fingers stay closed against the palm.Template:Sfn

"In High Places" In High Places is a Template:Convert tall bronze statue of a flying eagle created by Gerald Balciar and dedicated during the university's centennial in 1990.Template:Sfn

Broadcast, print, and digital media

Broadcast

KNTU (88.1 FM), licensed and owned by the university and operated by students, has, for Template:Cardinal to word years,Template:Sfn broadcast to the North Texas region. Jazz has always been a feature of the station; but in 1981, it became the predominant format. KNTU began broadcasting in stereo in 1986 and, on March 22, 1988, increased its broadcasting power from 6,700 watts to 100,000, extending its reach to about a 60-mile radius from its tower located on the Denton campus. KNTU is part of the Mean Green Radio Network, which reaches 10 million listeners. Under the guidance of now-retired faculty member Bill Mercer (1926–1925), several sports broadcasters and radio personalities have emerged from North Texas, including Dave Barnett formerly of ESPN; George Dunham; Craig Miller; Mark Followill, TV play-by-play voice for the Dallas Mavericks since 2005; Craig Way, current play-by-play announcer for the Longhorn Network; and Emma Tiedemann (not a UNT alumna, but Mercer's granddaughter and current play-by-play voice of the Portland Sea Dogs in Maine).Template:Sfn

NTTV, UNT's 24-hour cable television station, features student-produced and student-centric programming.Template:Sfn

Student publications

North Texas Review is an annual publication of the English Department. It is produced by UNT students and exclusively features works—art, poetry, fiction, non-fiction—by UNT students.Template:Sfn

Student yearbooks through the years have included Cotton-tail (1906), Yucca (1907–1974), Wings (1977–1980), and Aerie (1982–2007). Aerie ceased publication after the 2007 edition, following a trend of the digital age cited by The Economist in 2008.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Template:Sfn

North Texas is the home of American Political Science Review Template:As of. The journal moves among national universities every four to six years. UNT will be the first university in the South or Southwest to house the publication.Template:Sfn

The North Texas Daily is the official university daily newspaper, staffed by students. Print issues are published Tuesday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters, and weekly during the summer.Template:Sfn The paper was founded in 1916 as The Campus Chat and adopted its current name in 1971.Template:Sfn

Athletics

Template:Main Template:Main Template:Main Template:As of, North Texas sponsored fifteen athletic teams that compete at the intercollegiate level of NCAA Division I—for men: football; for men and women: basketball, track & field, cross country, and golf; for women only: diving, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, and volleyball. North Texas was a member of Conference USA until it moved to the American Athletic Conference in 2023.Template:Sfn

As of April 2021, the Mean Green have won 142 conference championships, including 50 since 2000.Template:Sfn

Football

In its Template:Age–year history of intercollegiate athletics, the North Texas football team has won 24 conference championships, with the last four occurring from 2001 to 2004 in the Sun Belt Conference.Template:Sfn Template:As of, the team has appeared in thirteen bowl games, winning three including the 1946 Optimist Bowl, the 2002 New Orleans Bowl and the 2014 Heart of Dallas Bowl. From 1952 to 2010, home football games were played at Fouts Field. In 2011, UNT began playing in newly constructed DATCU Stadium. Template:Gallery

Men's basketball

The North Texas men's basketball team won the NIT in 2023,Template:Sfn following Conference USA titles in 2022 (West Division), 2021 (tournament), and 2020 (regular season). Earlier, the team won the Sun Belt Conference Tournament in 2010 and 2007, earning NCAA Tournament bids in both seasons. The 2006–07 campaign began a four-year run of 20-plus wins. The Template:Age–Template:Age season marks the Template:Ordinal to word season that the UNT Coliseum has served as the home for men's basketball.Template:Sfn

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Sustainability

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In 2008, the university became the first large public university in Texas to sign the "American College and University President's Climate Commitment" (ACUPCC). Template:As of, twenty-four of the 658 signatory institutions of higher learning were from Texas. Of those twenty-four, five were full undergraduate-graduate institutions (2 private, 3 public). Of those five, UNT was the largest. The objectives include achieving carbon neutrality by 2040 and ensuring that all new university buildings and facilities meet a minimum Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver rating by the U.S. Green Building Council Template:Sfn The university continued to promote sustainability in 2017 when it purchased a year worth of renewable energy credits, to allow the University of North Texas to be powered by renewable energy.Template:Sfn

The Life Science Complex, built in 2011, became UNT's first LEED certified structure, earning a Gold rating. The Complex is a state-of-the-art research facility that houses the university's biochemistry, molecular biology, developmental physiology, genetics and plant sciences programs. The building features four climate-controlled rooftop greenhouses and one of the country's most sophisticated aquatics laboratories with more than 2,500 tanks. Also in 2011, DATCU Stadium, the Template:Cardinal to word-year-old football stadium, became the first newly built sports stadium in the nation to earn a Platinum LEED certification, the highest of four certifications.Template:Sfn The facility features wind turbines, eco-friendly building materials, and native landscape architecture.

The following year, The Princeton Review's Guide to 322 Green Colleges, 2012 Edition, listed UNT for the second consecutive year, citing its top 17-percent ranking among green-compliant universities nationwide under ACUPCC. The article stated that forty percent of the energy on campus is derived from renewable sources, and 43 percent of the buildings have undergone energy retrofits. The campus has posted strong numbers in recycling: since 2009, the university has recycled nearly 1,000 tons of waste materials. UNT offers graduate degrees in Environmental Science and Public Administration and Management.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn

Notable people

Alumni

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As of 2020, the University of North Texas had approximately 448,000 living alumni. More than 304,000 reside in the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex.Template:Sfn