Houston Colleges

From Rice University and the University of Houston to the convenience of an area community college system campus, there exists a wealth of opportunities for continuing and specialized education in the area. Forty Houston colleges, universities and institutes can be found within the Houston area.

Rice University was founded in 1912 and is the oldest university in Houston. Nationally known for science and engineering students, Rice has one of the largest endowments in the nation and was ranked 17th by U.S. New and World Report in its 1997 "America's Best Colleges" issue. In fact, two Rice University professors won the 1996 Nobel Prize in chemistry, along with a British colleague, for the discovery of a third form of carbon.

Rice is located in central Houston near the Texas Medical Center on a beautiful tree-lined campus on Main Street. The Rice faculty and students were awarded approximately $40.1 million in grant research for the financial year ending June 30, 1997.

The University of Houston System offers education opportunities for more than 33,000 students annually and is comprised of four separate universities - the University of Houston, UH-Clear Lake, UH-Downtown and UH-Victoria.

The University of Houston is the oldest and largest institution in the UH system and serves more than 30,000 students conferring bachelor's, masters', special professional and doctoral degrees in 291 programs in 14 colleges and schools. UH's Health Law Program has been rated best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.

The University of Houston - Clear Lake is one of the nation's most successful upper-level and graduate institutions. Its academic programs, at the junior, senior and master's level respond to the local needs of the aerospace, computer, petrochemical, medical, financial and foreign trade industries. Research efforts at the campus are increasing. A joint research and development agreement with the NASA Johnson Space Center focuses on advanced technology.

The University of Houston - Downtown is located in an historic building in the Allen's Landing area of downtown and is an open-admission undergraduate university. It offers broad-based academic programs in arts and science, business, and technology to prepare undergraduate students for immediate entry into Houston's business community.

The University of Houston - Victoria offers junior, senior and master's level instruction in the city of Victoria, which is approximately 120 miles from Houston.

Texas Southern University, Houston's third largest public university, was originally founded in 1947 as an African-American school. Today, TSU, located in central Houston, has an international student body and advanced studies in many areas, including law. TSU offers more than 80 undergraduate degree programs and some 40 master's degree programs. The university also offers a doctor of law, a doctor of pharmacy and a doctor of education.

Two of the university's newest graduate programs are the master's and doctoral degree programs in environmental toxicology. TSU operates the highly acclaimed Weekend College that provides programs which augment basic academic offerings. One of TSU's most famous graduate was the late U.S. Senator Barbara Jordan.

Houston Baptist University, a Texas Baptist institution founded in 1960, is a coeducational, independent university located on a 100-acre campus in southwest Houston. Approximately 2,050 students attend the school.

The university's College of Nursing confers associate and Bachelor of Science degrees in nursing. The College of Science and Mathematics offers pre-professional majors in dentistry, medicine, optometry, pharmacy and physical therapy.

The University of ST. Thomas was founded in 1947 and is located in the heart of Houston's Museum District, on a campus rich in historical award-winning architecture. UST's broad-based liberal arts education has proven to be an excellent foundation upon which to build highly specialized training.

The university's enrollment represents students from 23 states and 58 countries, making it the most multi-cultural student body in Texas and the Southwest. U.S. News & World Report list UST in the Top Tier for Western Colleges and Universities and ranks it as a top regional best buys in the West.

Sam Houston State University is the oldest teacher-training institution in the Southwest and has nationally recognized programs in arts and sciences, business and criminal justice. Established in 1879, the university also offers doctorates in education, criminal justice and forensic psychology.

Located about 70 miles north of Houston, SHSU has approximately 13,000 students. Almost half of the student body comes from Harris and surrounding counties. Sam Houston's contributions in education and especially criminal justice seek answers and provide solutions for some of the most pressing and troublesome issues within society.

Texas A & M University, in nearby College Station, is an internationally acclaimed university. Located about 90 miles northwest of Houston, Texas A & M ranks among the United States top 10 universities in several categories-research volume, endowment value, total enrollment and enrollment of high achieving students.

Texas A & M has special mandates to be a national and international leader in teaching, research and public service in areas that are vital to the nation's well-being and development. The school is a leading educator in the fields of engineering, agriculture, veterinary medicine and oceanography.

The University Center is an alliance of six universities; North Harris Montgomery Community College District and the private sector. Together they are able to offer unduplicated bachelor's degrees, master's degrees and continuing studies to more than one million individuals in the service area. Located in The Woodlands, the University Center opened in the fall of 1997 with several hundred students enrolled in its programs.

The Center's partners include the four NHMCCD colleges-North Harris, Kingwood, Tomball and Montgomery; Prairie View A & M University; Sam Houston State University; Texas Southern University; Texas A & M University; University of Houston; University of Houston Downtown and The Woodlands Corporation. An example of the programs presented at the University Center is an Executive MBA Program presented by the Lowry Mays College & Graduate School of Business at Texas A & M University.

The Texas Medical Center has drawn universities statewide to locate medical schools here where students can learn from the best doctors and researchers in Texas. Part of the Texas Medical Center's international reputation stems from its medical and nursing schools, including Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Woman's University School of Nursing, the University of Texas-Houston Health Science Center and the nursing schools of Houston Baptist University, Prairie View A & M University College of Nursing and the University of St. Thomas.

UT-Houston's Health Science Center is a unique umbrella organization that includes a medical and dental school, a graduate school of public health, a school of nursing, and a school of allied health sciences.

Baylor College of Medicine is one of the cornerstones of the Texas Medical Center. It is widely regarded as one of the nation's finest academic medical institutions, as well as a national leader in biomedical research funding, with research support in excess of $185 million. Baylor has more than 70 specialty research centers.

Baylor is one of the six institutions designated by the National Institutes of Health as a Vaccine Evaluation Unit and is a site of the Human Genome Project. The college's ability to perform high-level research has been recognized through its unique national research centers, including the Children's Nutrition Research Center, the DeBakey Heart Center, the Influenza Research Center and the Center for Cell-Gene Therapy.

Patient care services of Baylor College of Medicine extend to 17 institutions in Houston, reaching more than 131,000 inpatients and 1.9 million outpatients annually. Baylor attracts students from around the world, not only for medical school, but also for graduate, post-doctoral and allied health studies.

Baylor's Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences has 13 programs of study-audiology and bioacoustics, biochemistry, cardiovascular sciences, cell biology, cell and molecular biology, developmental biology, microbiology and immunology, molecular human genetics, molecular physiology and biophysics, molecular physiology and biophysics, molecular virology, neuroscience, pharmacology, and structural and computational biology and molecular biophysics. The Medical Scientist training program, which leads to an M.D./Ph.D. degree, is designed for students who have a strong interest in research and plan to pursue a career in academic medicine.

The University of Texas-Houston Health Science Center was established by the Texas Legislature in 1972 to become "one of the nation's outstanding university biomedical centers" with an annual operating budget of more than $406 million. UT-Houston includes six schools and the Institute for Molecular Medicine for Prevention of Human Diseases. The university operates the Harris County Psychiatric Center, the only public psychiatric hospital of its type in Texas.

The University of Texas-Houston Dental Branch is the oldest dental school in the state, founded in 1905. The school offers professional degrees or graduate certificates in 12 educational programs and is ranked 15th out of 54 dental schools in federal research funding.

The University of Texas-Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences ranks in the top quarter of graduate biology programs in America, according to the National Research Council's Survey of Research Doctorate Programs in the U.S. GSBS prepares students for careers in research in the biomedical sciences through programs leading to the master of science and doctor of philosophy degrees. Established in 1963, GSBS draws its graduate faculty of approximately 400 members from the schools of UT-Houston, the UT M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and the Texas A & M Institute of Biosciences and Technology.

The University of Texas-Houston Medical School has consistently rated among the top 20 U.S. medical schools in the number of graduates entering the primary care areas of family practice, general pediatrics and general internal medicine. Started by an act of the Texas Legislature in 1969, UT-Houston Medical School today is one of the leading medical schools in the Southwest. It has trained more than 3,000 physicians, approximately 60 percent of whom have remained in Texas. Expenditures from research awards were more than $58 million, with more than $40 million in federal funds.

The University of Texas-Houston School of Allied Health Sciences has a mission of interdisciplinary graduate education, including collaborative interdisciplinary research. The school has the first Department of Health Informatics in Texas, where students from diverse health and computer backgrounds study concepts and methods for the electronic collection, transmission, storage, interpretation and analysis of health data.

The University of Texas-Houston School of Nursing offers the region's largest nursing program. It ranks in the top quarter of graduate nursing programs in America, according to a U.S. News and World Report survey. Established in 1972, the school offer bachelor's and master's degrees in nursing in 10 clinical specialties and has produced more than 4,200 graduates. The school offers the first clinical doctorate in Texas, the Doctor of Science in Nursing degree program.

The University of Texas-Houston School of Public Health is the only school of public health in Texas and one of only 28 in the United States. Since the first students were admitted to the school in 1969, more than 3,100 professionals have been trained to tackle such public health issues as infant mortality and the lack of access to health care. The school offers M.D./M.P.H. programs in cooperation with UT-Houston Medical School, a Doctor of Laws/M.P.H. program with the University of Houston Law Center, and an M.S.N./M.P.H. program with the UT-Houston School of Nursing.

The UTMB teaching hospital opened in 1890 and the original medical school building-which is still in use today-was opened the following year. Today, UTMB encompasses four schools, two institutes and 74 buildings. As it continues its second century of service, the university is a world leader in health science education, patient care and research. UTMB is committed to educating a diverse team of health care professionals through its School of Medicine, Health Sciences, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and the Institute for the Medical Humanities and the Marine Biomedical Institute.

Texas A & M University's Institute of Biosciences and Technology, located in the Texas Medical Center, studies molecular aspects of agriculture and medicine and encourages the technology transfer of research discoveries to the marketplace. In the United States, the institute is unique in its research mission combining agriculture and medicine. Major research breakthroughs are under way that will help treat or prevent many Hunan diseases, including prostate cancer, osteoporosis, Lyme disease, myotonic dystrophy, fragile X syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, pediatric AIDS and many others. Graduate and post-doctoral education is conducted an institute in cooperation with existing programs at Texas A & M University in College Station.

One of the region's oldest and most respected nursing programs was established at Prairie View A & M University in 1918. The first "off campus" program was begun at Jefferson Davis Hospital in Houston in 1940 and moved to its current location in the Texas Medical Center in 1982.

Texas Woman's University's main campus is in Denton, and the TWU Houston Center is located in the Texas Medical Center. The university offers exceptional clinical and educational opportunities for students in nursing, occupational and physical therapy, health care administration, and nutrition and food sciences. Opened in 1960, it provides cooperative arrangements with more than 30 of the Medical Center's institutions.

The TWU School of Physical Therapy was ranked eight among the top 10 physical therapy programs in the nation by U.S. News and World Report in 1995. TWU's School of Occupational Therapy is the largest program in the United States and has the4 only graduate program in Texas.

Community colleges and junior colleges in Houston provide a necessary link between high school and senior colleges for many Texas students. These schools provide quality transfer education for students seeking four-year degrees as well as in-dept training for one- and two-year applied programs in specific technical fields. Regional community colleges partner with area businesses to provide job training, retraining and special interest study assistance. They also provide quality non-credit continuing education for a broad range of interests.

Houston Community college System stands as a model for urban community colleges across the nation. HCCS meets the educational needs of its widely diverse population, offering workforce training programs, academic transfer courses and contract and continuing education. Through partnerships with the business community, other educational institutions and numerous public agencies, the college system has touched the lives of more than million individuals in the greater Houston area, which boasts a population of 3.8 million. The college system is dedicated to the delivery of quality education to more than 55,000 students.

HCCS serves a diverse group of students at five regional colleges, each with its own vibrant culture and a commitment to intellectual growth, economic expansion and community development. HCCS looks to the future as a time of changing needs of an expanding technology base and a growing international society. As the third largest community college in Texas and the largest on the Texas Gulf Coast, HCCS deals continuously with one of the largest and most diverse student bodies in the country. The business community also represents the diverse economic base of the fourth largest city in the nation.

As the state-mandated workforce trainer for the city of Houston, and with a mission that commits HCCS to provide education and training to all members of the community, the college system has developed a broad range of programs and services to ensure that no group of individuals is without resources to reach its goals. This comprehensive approach to education is the key to the economic success of Houston in the coming century.

North Harris Montgomery Community College District is recognized as one of the finest community college districts in the country, offering a wide range of academic and occupational courses for recent high school graduates and community residents of all ages. Since 1973, when North Harris College opened its doors to 613 students, the college district service area has grown to 1,000 square miles. Now the sixth largest community college district in Texas, NHMCCD has four colleges, five off-campus sites, more than 21,500 credit students each semester, and an additional 13,000 non-credit students. Also, NHMCCD operates the University Center, where citizens may work to obtain their bachelor's and master's degrees from any of six partner universities.

North Harris College is the original college campus in NHMCCD and is the largest campus. The College will celebrate its silver anniversary this year. With more than 60 programs of study, NHC focuses on leading-edge technology in the emerging technical job fields. Two neighborhood centers-Parkway Center and Carver Center-provide resident's neighborhood access to educational opportunities.

Kingwood College boasts an average of only 20 students per class, allowing for excellent student/professor iteraction and individual attention. Offering the only Institute for Certified Travel Agents in the area, Kingwood College also has thousands of volumes of books as well as Internet access in the Learning Resource Center. The Humble Center is designed to be the college's outreach center, offering credit and non-credit courses to students in the Humble, Atascocita and Beltway areas.

Tomball College has many programs of note, including one of the best veterinary technology programs in the state and the nation. Human services, nursing and accounting are some of the other specialty areas. The Windfern Center in the Cy-Fair Independent School District offers students an alternative to high school. The college provides transfer courses for graduates and advanced students as well as workforce preparation for adults in the region.

Montgomery College is the newest campus in the distr4ict, offering a state-of-the-art Learning Resource Center, which helps promote advanced, computerized learning for the growing student population. Biotechnology, nursing, criminal justice, business and journalism attract many students to the campus. The off-site campus for this area is provided in the 16-classroom storefront facility known as the Conroe Center.

For more than 30 years, residents of East Harris County have looked to the San Jacinto College District to meet their educational and training needs. As those needs have grown, so has the mission of this two-year community college. The core of the college district is its three campuses, each of which addresses needs unique to its community. the campuses are the North Campus, 5800 Uvalde Road in the North Shore area; the Central Campus, 8060 Spencer Highway in Pasadena; and the South Campus, 13735 Beamer Road in the South Belt area.

The district also operates extension centers in Clear Lake, Channelview, Galena Park and Sheldon. In addition, the college's Clear Lake Training Center provides contract courses for area business and industry and continuing education courses. The district serves some 19,000 credit-seeking students each fall and spring semester. These students choose from some 100 fields of study, about 60 of which are technical in nature.

The college also provides its community with hundreds of non-credit continuing education courses each year and continues to foster workforce development through training programs with area business and industry.