University of Houston: University Profile (2024)

• Who We Are
• Bright Students
• Top-Notch Programs
• Groundbreaking Research
• World-Class Athletics
• Stellar Facilities

Who We Are

The University of Houston, founded in 1927, is Texas' premier public metropolitan research and teaching institution.Located in the fourth-largest city in the United States—Houston isranked third in the number of Fortune500 headquarters—we place ourstudents in the midst of a vibrant, entrepreneurial, and economicallydiverse environment.

The University of Houston is the doctoral degree-granting and largest university of the University of HoustonSystem, a public system of higher education that includes three other universities (UH-Clear Lake, UH-Downtown, and UH-Victoria). The system also offers six regional campuses (UHS at Cinco Ranch, UH System at Sugar Land, UHCL Pearland, UH Northwest, UHD Northwest, UHS Texas Medical Center).We stand at the forefront of education, research, and service. Ourstudents enjoy a combination of academic excellence in a mentoringenvironment, a vibrant community of stellar faculty and dynamicprograms, and real-world experience.

Bright Students

Weserve more than 40,600students in twelve academic colleges and in theinterdisciplinary Honors College. We offer 109majors and minors,105 master's, 41 doctoral, and three professional degree programs. Weaward nearly 8,000degrees annually.

Ourinnovative curricula, nationally ranked programs and dynamic learningenvironment bring students face-to-face withaward-winning faculty who have received honors including the Nobel PeacePrize, the Pulitzer Prize, the Tony Award, and the National Medal ofScience, among others.

Thequality of our students is reflected in the increasing average SATscores of entering freshmen and in the growing enrollment of our HonorsCollege. The average SAT score of current Honors College students is1250. The Honors College draws on the talents of the finest UH facultymembers to provide a wide range of special courses for some of thenation's most academically gifted students. (www.uh.edu/academics/hon)

Weare the second most ethnically diverse research university in theUnited States. Our student body is 33.1 percent white, 19.6 percentAsian/Pacific Islander, 23.5 percent Hispanic, 12.1 percent AfricanAmerican, 8.5 percent International, 0.3 percent Native American, and 2.9 percent unspecified. UHstudents represent more than 137 nations.We have a 21:1 student-faculty ratio.

Inan effort to make high-quality education available to all deservingstudents, we offer financial assistance programs that includescholarships, grants, and loans. (www.uh.edu/admissions/financial/)

Weare home to more than 300 student organizations, including the StudentGovernment Association, 26 national Greek fraternities and sororities,and 40 local and professional fraternities and sororities. Campusactivities include film series, concerts, theatrical productions, artexhibits, and Division 1A NCAA representation.

About 6,000students live on campus in traditional residence halls orapartment-style housing. Bayou Oaks offers townhomes and residence halls for students. Greek Park at BayouOaks also provides residential living for all students, including thosein Greek organizations. All residence halls include study lounges,computer labs, laundry facilities, mail services, and parking options.Each room is furnished and includes basic cable and Ethernet.

The entire UH System contributes $3.1 billion to the Houston-areaeconomy every year and generates about 24,000 local jobs. Our impact includesmore than 600 partnerships with community organizations and our studentscontribute nearly 1 million hours of volunteer and internship serviceto organizations in Houston every year.

Mostof our students secure career-level jobs either just before or shortly aftergraduation. Over the past 85 years, we have awarded more than268,000degrees, and approximately 80 percent of our alumni remain in theHouston area up to ten years after graduation.

Ourgraduates can be found in leadership positions from Capitol Hill tocommunity nonprofits. They are scientists, astronauts, researchers,professors, teachers, administrators, engineers, doctors,presidents/CEOs, entrepreneurs, legislators, attorneys, judges,authors, singers, songwriters, actors, actresses, Olympians,professional athletes—the career list is endless. Our alumni are makinga significant impact in all areas of life and are helping to bringabout a better tomorrow.

Top-Notch Programs

UHpublic service and community activities, such as cultural offerings,clinical services, policy studies, and small-business initiatives,serve a diverse metropolitan population. In turn, the resources of theGulf Coast Region complement and enrich our academic programs,providing students with professional expertise, practical experience,and career opportunities.

A sampling of our academic and research distinctions further demonstrates our commitment to excellence.

• The UH Law Center's Health Law and Policy Institute and the Institute for Intellectual Property and Information are among the best in the nation—both ranking in the top 10, according to U.S.News & World Report.Our faculty includes nationally recognized experts who help studentsmesh legal theory with practical applications of the law. (www.law.uh.edu/)
• Our Creative Writing Program is one of the most competitive programs in the country as well as oneof only two offering a Ph.D. Only 20 new students are admitted to theprogram each year.
  (www.uh.edu/cwp)
• The Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management is one of the top hospitality programs in the world. Because of connections 40 years in the making, Hilton college graduates are sought after by industry locally, nationally and throughout the world. (www.hrm.uh.edu/)
• Students in the Moores School of Musicconsistently place first in regional and national competitions. Withsome 80percent of its graduates remaining in the Houston area, theMoores School is infusing churches, schools, and professionalperformance organizations with superbly trained musicians and teachers.(www.class.uh.edu/)
• The College of Educationuses pioneering technologies for teaching and learning and isrecognized as one of the most innovative colleges in the country. Manyeducation students who graduate with teaching certificates remain inthe Houston/Galveston area, helping to ensure well-trained educatorsfor local schools. (www.coe.uh.edu/)
• Students at the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture frequently earn top honors in regional, national, and international competitions. (www.arch.uh.edu/)
• The Cullen College of Engineering'schemical engineering, mechanical engineering, and civil engineeringprograms are ranked among the top programs in the nation. With ourundergraduate program in biomedical engineering, combined with recentstrides in nanoengineering, we are poised to become one of the premierplayers in bionano research. Additionally, the Engineering Leadershipand Entrepreneurship Program is one of the many ways we are preparingstudents to gain a competitive edge in the market place. (www.egr.uh.edu/)
• The C.T. Bauer College of Business isranked nationally by U.S. News & World Report in the following programs: the Entrepreneurship program is 21st among entrepreneurship programs; the full-time MBA program is among the top 50. The Princeton Review/Entrepreneur magazine ranks our Center for Entrepreneurship as the #1 undergraduate program in the nation. Bauer College isone of only five U.S. schools with multiple members in the Academy ofManagement Hall of Fame and our marketing faculty is ranked number onein Houston and is in the top 5percent worldwide. Our students alsoreceive a world class education with real-world experience through the C.T. Bauer College of Business AIM Center for Investment Management. (www.bauer.uh.edu/)
• The College of Optometry's University Eye Institute is among the largest clinics in Houston— a city that is home to the world's largest medicalcenter. We also are one of only 17 optometry colleges inthe United States and the only one in the Southwest. We serve more than 40,000 patients annually through our community-based clinics. Our College of Optometry—equippedwith the latest ophthalmic instruments and diagnostic systems—haseducation and training affiliations with more than 100community healthcenters, outpatient surgical centers, Veterans Affairs hospitals, AirForce, Army and Navy hospitals, and public health/Indian healthhospitals. (www.opt.uh.edu/)
• Our College of Pharmacyhas partnered with the U.S.Food and Drug Administration. Unlike anyother partnership in the nation, we will develop and exchangescientific resources and educational opportunities. Our faculty andstudents will be trained in various departments within the FDA and FDArepresentatives will conduct research at the university. Our facilitiesin the Texas Medical Center allow our students to train withphysicians, medical students, and members of our clinical faculty.Faculty research and program initiatives include cardiovascularstudies, transdermal drug delivery, neuropharmacology, signaltransduction mechanisms, aging and exercise, infectious diseaseprotocols, and patient counseling and compliance. Projects addressingasthma management, community wellness, high school outreach, andmedication labeling earned our students top honors in a Texas PharmacyAssociation competition. (www.uh.edu/pharmacy/)
• The Anthropology Program offers more field-based research opportunities for undergraduate students than any similar program in the state. (www.anthropology.uh.edu/)
• Our Graduate College of Social Workis the only school of social work in Houston. With more than2,000nonprofit organizations in the Greater Houston/Harris Countyarea, our award-winning NonProfit Leadership Alliance Programprepares our students to meet the growing need for qualifiedprofessionals in nonprofits. Our advanced concentrations ingerontology, children and families, mental health, political socialwork, and healthcare are nationally recognized for preparing ourstudents for real-world social work practice. We offer our studentsoutstanding faculty, diversity of field practice education sites, andnumerous community projects and cutting-edge research centers. (www.sw.uh.edu/)
• Our College of Technology's emphasison practical technology and merchandising is partnered with training inpractical business and leadership skills. We help our students make asmooth transition from the classroom to the workplace by giving themthe skills that are valuable in an immediate way to the companies andinstitutions that hire them. This is one of the reasons why two thirdsof our students are employed in their chosen field before graduation. (www.tech.uh.edu/)

Groundbreaking Research

Weconduct research in every academic department and operate more than 40research centers and institutes. Through these facilities, we maintainmore than 300creative partnerships with corporate, civic, andgovernmental entities. Our interdisciplinary research breaks new groundin vital and innovative areas including bionanotechnology,superconductivity, space commercialization, biomedical engineering,economics, education, petroleum exploration, and virtual technology.

With$113.7 million in research expenditures in 2011, UH is a leading research institution. As areflection of our commitment to excellence in education, research andservice, the university anticipates continued support and growth in every major research arena.

A$5.5 million grant was awarded to UH through the Texas Emerging Technology Fund (ETF). As a result of the ETF grant, UH has recruited top hormones researcher Jan-Åke Gustafsson and his team to carry out laboratory research and to create next-generation pharmaceuticals and medical technologies at a world-class center to be established by UH and The Methodist Hospital Research Institute (TMHRI).

World-Class Athletics

The University of Houston has a proud tradition of athletics as it continues to inspire excellence today while preparing leaders for life by fostering a culture which challenges student-athletes to achieve their highest academic, athletics and personal aspirations.

Its past speaks to the culture: 107 conference championships, 21 football bowl games, five men's basketball NCAA Final Four appearances, 18 NCAA tournament appearances, 16 NCAA golf championships, two trips to the NCAA College World Series and the only women's basketball team in Conference USA history to finish 16-0 in league play.

401 student-athletes earned 861 All-Amercan honors in 14 sports.

In 2012, the Houston football team set a school record for wins with a final record of 13-1 and claimed the program's ninth bowl win in its 21st appearance including its sixth in the last seven years. The Houston Men's Trackand Field program won its fourth straight Conference USA Outdoor Track and Field Championship while a record 164 student-athletes were named to the Conference USA Commissioner's Honor Roll for posting a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher, a 64-percent increase from 2008 and the third straight year for the department to set a record in the category.

On the international scene, 64 University of Houston student-athletes, coaches and administrators have competed in 14 Olympiads including three in the 2012 London Games. Jamaican Errol Nolan (Track & Field), Nigerian Seun Adigun (Track and Field) and Russian Anastasia Pozdniakova (Diving) all competed with Houston coaches Jane Figueiredo and Leroy Burrell both traveling across the Atlantic Ocean in coaching capacities.

Twenty-two competitors have won 39 medals (20 golf, 13 silver, 6 bronze) highlighted by Carl Lewis, who is the most decorated male Olympian in history with 10 medals including nine gold medals. Diver Yulia Pakhalina is the most decorated female Houston Olympian with five toal medals; one gold, three silver and one bronze.

Renownedathletes Carl Lewis, Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, Elvin Hayes, FredCouples, Andre Ware, and Leroy Burrell competed for UH under legendarycoaches Guy V. Lewis, Bill Yeoman, Dave Williams, and Tom Tellez. Lewisis an inductee of the College Basketball Hall of Fame. Burrell,U.S.Olympian and alumnus, is the current men's and women's track and field headcoach.

Stellar Facilities

Our 667-acre campus includes lush greenery, fountains, and sculptures. Ourworld-class facilities include high-tech laboratories, modernclassrooms, and nationally renowned centers such as the Moores School of Music, the Athletics/Alumni Center; and the LeRoy and Lucille Melcher Center for Public Broadcasting, which houses the Houston Public Media Group of KUHT, the nation's first educational television station; KUHF, Houston's NPR station and KUHA, the classical music station. The Center for Public Policy Polling and television studio labs are also based in the Melcher Center.

Since 2008, we have completed $219 million worth of construction projects and another $219 million is funding current projects, including a new athletic complex to replace Jeppesen/Robertson Stadium. The new Health and Biomedical Sciences Center features an ambulatory surgical center, laser center, research laboratories, classrooms and seminar spaces. The new Cougar Woods Dining Hall seats 600, and includes a Cougar Xpress Mini Market for those who are on the go. Residential construction includes the new Cougar Place. Discover more at www.uh.edu/plantops/departments/fpc/.

Libraries at UHprovide abundant resources for research with collection holdings of more than 4 million microform units and 20,000 research journal subscriptions. The M.D. Anderson Library offers more than 140 networked workstations accessing 180 electronic databases as well as Internet access to Web-based research resources. The Honors College is located on the second floor.

Our 264,000-square-foot Campus Recreation and Wellness Center offers:

• three gyms;
• fitness equipment;
• a 53-foot-high climbing wall;
• racquetball and squash courts;
• a 70-meter indoor competition pool with diving facilities;
• a dry sauna and hot tub;
• an outdoor leisure pool with hot tub;
• a sand volleyball court;
• an outdoor equipment rental shop;
• six multipurpose rooms;
• class/meeting rooms;
• office space;
• showers and dressing areas with lockers;
• and much more.

Thecenter is recognized by the National Intramural-Sports Association asone of the most outstanding sports centers in the nation.

The 191,730-square-foot Science and Engineering Research and Classroom Complexpromises unprecedented interdisciplinary cooperation within thesciences in cutting-edge facilities for research and teaching. Thethree-building complex includes a five-story research building, atwo-story classroom building, and a two-story auditorium. This newfacility—designed by internationally renowned architectCesarPelli—addresses the evolution and future direction ofcollaborative research and will facilitate cross-disciplinaryinteraction among UH scientists and engineers, the Texas MedicalCenter, and other universities and research centers. The $81millioncomplex is the only academic facility of its kind in Houston.

The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Artsat the University of Houston hosts world-class artists, writers,performers, and scholars. We teach and inspire the next generation ofcreative visionaries through collaborative academic courses along withinnovative public performances, exhibitions, and informative lectures.Funded by a $20 million grant from George and Cynthia Woods Mitchell,the center—housed in the School of Theatre and Dance—is an alliance among the five arts units within our College of LiberalArts and Social Sciences—the School of Art; the Creative WritingProgram; the Moores School of Music; the School of Theatre and Dance;and Blaffer Gallery, the Art Museum of the University of Houston. Alongwith classes, educational outreach programs, exhibitions, and publicperformances, the center offers residencies to emerging artists,writers, and curators to expand their work through postgraduate studiesin the arts.

The Welcome Centerand parking garage offers convenient parking and easy access to studentservices including admissions and financial aid service centers and avisitor's center.

The Burdette Keeland Jr. Design Exploration Center at the Gerald D. Hines College of Architectureis rising from the skeleton of the World War II-era Band Annex, thelast of its kind on campus, and provides a large, open space forstudent architects to test prototypes, gauge environmental effects onmaterials, and build full-scale models.

Our six regional campuses —UHS at Cinco Ranch, UH at Sugar Land UHCL Pearland, UH Northwest, UHD Northwest, The Texas Medical Center —bringeducational opportunities to students across Houston and the Gulf Coast, offering credit and continuing education programs to meet almostany need. Also, our instructional television and online programs provide degreeopportunities for students at home, at work, or in their neighborhoods.(www.distance.uh.edu/)

Finally,we commissioned the development of a Master Plan to serve as ourblueprint for growth for the next 20 years. The plan includes fivedistinct areas: Art District, Professional District, UndergraduateDistrict, Core Academic District, and Stadium District. The frameworkis under way and new residential housing in the Professional Districthas been approved by the UH System Board of Regents. By 2020, UH willbe a more pedestrian-focused campus. We will have more housing in allareas, improved academic buildings, and new "lifestyle" features suchas stores, restaurants, and gathering areas—and this is just thebeginning.

Catalog Publish Date: August 22, 2012
This Page Last Updated: May 31, 2013