University of Houston
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The University of Houston, Texas' premier public metropolitan research and teaching institution, is home to over forty research centers and institutes and sponsors more than 300 partnerships with corporate, civic, and governmental entities. UH stands at the forefront of education, research, and service. The largest and most comprehensive component of the University of Houston System, a public system of higher education that includes three other universities: UH-Clear Lake, UH-Downtown and UH-Victoria, as well as two teaching centers: UH System at Sugar Land and UH System at Cinco Ranch, UH offers a full range of undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, and special professional degrees.

History
The University of Houston was founded in 1927. Acreage was acquired for a permanent campus in 1936, and the first building, the Roy Gustav Cullen Memorial Building, opened in 1939.

In 1945, UH was separated from the Houston Independent School District and operated as a private university with a Board of Regents headed by Hugh Roy Cullen, the university's first benefactor. In 1963, the University of Houston became a state-supported institution. In 1977, state law officially established the UH System, which now includes UH, UH-Clear Lake, UH-Downtown, UH-Victoria, and two multi-institution teaching centers: the UH System at Sugar Land and the UH System at Cinco Ranch. Over the years, the University of Houston has grown into a major public research institution.

Community
UH public service and community activities, such as cultural offerings, clinical services, policy studies, and small-business initiatives, serve a diverse metropolitan population. Likewise, the resources of the Gulf Coast region complement and enrich the university's academic programs, providing students with professional expertise, practical experience, and career opportunities. In fact, more than 84 percent of our students secure career-level jobs within three months of graduation. UH has awarded more than 200,000 degrees, and approximately 75 percent of our alumni remain in the Houston area.

Leadership
In September 2003, the University of Houston community welcomed Jay Gogue as UH's twelfth president and the UH System's seventh chancellor. Gogue is only the second person to hold the dual position. As chancellor, he is responsible for the four UH System universities and two teaching centers. In conjunction with system duties, he serves as chief executive officer of the University of Houston.

Accreditations
UH is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools as a Level VI general postsecondary institution. In addition, the university is a member of the Council of Graduate Schools in the United States, the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools, the National Commission on Accrediting, the Association of Texas Colleges and Universities, the American Council on Education, the Association of American State Colleges and Universities, the Association of American Colleges, the Association of Urban Universities, and the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges. UH colleges, programs, and professional associations also hold memberships and accreditations by additional agencies.

Degrees
UH offers 109 bachelor's, 131 master's, 51 doctoral, and three special professional degree programs through the university's 12 colleges. The university awards more than 6,500 degrees annually.

Student Body
UH is the most ethnically diverse research university in the nation. The 35,180 students enrolled in fall 2004 were 39.5 percent white, 18.7 percent Asian/Pacific Islander, 18.1 percent Hispanic, 13.0 percent African American, 8.1 percent International, 0.4 percent Native American, and 2.2 percent unknown; 75 percent undergraduate and 25 percent postbaccalaureate, graduate, and professional; 48 percent male and 52 percent female; 89 percent Texas residents.

Admission
Applicants may be considered for admission to an undergraduate program on the basis of graduation from an accredited high school, as college transfer students, by entrance examination, or through a combination of these criteria. Graduate applicants must have earned a bachelor's degree from an institution accredited by one of the six regional accrediting associations. Please refer to the university catalogs (www.uh.edu/catalogs/) for specific degree program admission requirements and deadlines (www.uh.edu/enroll/admis/).

Campus
Our 560-acre campus includes lush greenery, fountains, sculptures, and recreational fields surrounding modern classrooms, high-tech laboratories, and study facilities, and affords students a well-equipped setting for academic pursuits and proximity to the heart of the nation's fourth largest city. Campus landmarks include the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center, the Athletics/Alumni Center, the Moores School of Music, and the LeRoy and Lucile Melcher Center for Public Broadcasting, which houses KUHT-TV/HoustonPBS (the nation's first educational television station), KUHF-FM, the Center for Public Policy polling center, and television studio labs. The 191,730-square-foot Science and Engineering Research and Classroom Complex is set for completion in 2006 and promises unprecedented interdisciplinary cooperation within the sciences, with cutting-edge facilities for research and teaching.

Libraries
Libraries at UH provide abundant resources for research, with total collective holdings of more than 2 million volumes, 4 million microform units, 20,000 research journal subscriptions, and various other research materials. The M.D. Anderson Library is technologically sophisticated, with more than 170 networked workstations accessing about 200 electronic databases, over 26,000 electronic journals, approximately 60,000 electronic books, and Internet access to a wide range of Web-based resources for research. The library also has its own growing Web site that supports research and provides information about services and collections (info.lib.uh.edu). The online computer library catalog provides information about the holdings of the UH libraries (M.D. Anderson, architecture/art, music, optometry, pharmacy, and law) as well as those of the UH-Downtown and UH-Clear Lake libraries. A project to expand and renovate the M.D. Anderson Library will result in more space for both library users and books, a cafe and 24-hour study area, consolidated service areas, better-designed user spaces, and a new home for The Honors College. The project is scheduled for completion by fall 2005.

Computing
UH's computer-intensive environment enhances learning, teaching, and research. The university's computer network links more than 10,000 workstations across campus. Through the Internet and Internet 2, UH is connected to universities, research institutions, and corporations around the globe, giving our students, faculty, and staff access to a world of information and ideas.

Distance Learning
Off-campus learning centers—UH System at Cinco Ranch and UH System at Sugar Land—bring educational opportunities to students in outlying parts of the Houston area and offer credit and continuing education programs to meet almost any need. We have the highest distance education enrollment and the most upper-division resident courses and degree programs in Texas. Also, our instructional television and online programs provide degree opportunities for students at home, at work, or in their neighborhood.

Student Life
UH campus activities include more than 300 registered student organizations, a film series, concerts, theatrical productions, art exhibits, and Division 1 NCAA athletics. The Campus Recreation and Wellness Center offers students, faculty, and staff access to world-class exercise equipment and facilities. Choices in student housing expanded with the opening of the Bayou Oaks Complex, providing townhouses and apartments, including a fraternity and sorority section. Moreover, the city of Houston offers an excellent blend of cultural and entertainment activities, including acclaimed museums, concert halls, theaters, restaurants, music venues, rodeos, and professional sports.

Athletics
UH's sixteen-sport intercollegiate program is a member of Conference USA. Since the conference was formed ten years ago, the Cougars have won thirty-three C-USA titles, continuing a fifty-nine-year history of success that includes sixteen national titles in men's golf, five NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four appearances, and three trips to the Baseball Super Regionals. More than fifty Olympic athletes have attended UH, bringing home thirty-three medals, including nineteen gold. Former Olympian and UH alumnus Leroy Burrell returned as the men's track and field head coach in 1998, while former Cougar standout Art Briles was named the tenth head football coach in December 2002. In March 2004, Tom Penders was named the seventh men's basketball head coach.