page_title: University of Houston
section_title: Academics
hierarchical_section_title: University of Houston / Academics
caption_attribution_description: English: Front of Melcher Hall on the campus of the University of Houston
context_page_description: The University of Houston is a public research university in Houston, Texas, and the main institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, UH is the third-largest university in Texas with over 46,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of Houston–University Park from 1983 to 1991. The university is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity".
  The university offers more than 282 degree programs through its 14 academic colleges on campus—including programs leading to professional degrees in architecture, law, optometry, and pharmacy. The institution conducts $150 million annually in research, and operates more than 40 research centers and institutes on campus. Interdisciplinary research includes superconductivity, space commercialization and exploration, biomedical sciences and engineering, energy and natural resources, and artificial intelligence. Awarding more than 9,000 degrees annually, UH's alumni base exceeds 260,000. The economic impact of the university contributes over $3 billion annually to the Texas economy, while generating about 24,000 jobs.
context_section_description: The university offers 282 degree programs. With final approval of a Ph.D. in Communication Sciences and Disorders, a Doctorate in Nursing Practice, and a Doctorate in Medicine, the University will offer 51 doctoral degrees including three professional doctorate degrees in law, optometry, and pharmacy. Awarding more than 9,000 degrees annually, UH's alumni base exceeds 260,000 and is the largest in the Houston area.
  UH is one of four public universities in Texas with a Phi Beta Kappa chapter. The University of Houston's faculty includes three-time Pulitzer Prize winner Edward Albee, National Medal of Science recipient Paul Chu from the Physics Department, and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Jody Williams.
  The College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences has the Creative Writing Program, which was founded by alumnus Donald Barthelme and offers degrees in poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. The Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture is one of only 36 schools to have an accreditation from the National Architectural Accrediting Board.
  The University of Houston's academic colleges are as follows:
  Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture
  Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts
  C.T. Bauer College of Business
  College of Education
  Cullen College of Engineering
  Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management
  University of Houston Law Center
  College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
  College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
  College of Nursing
  College of Optometry
  College of Pharmacy
  Graduate College of Social Work
  College of Technology
  College of Medicine
  Honors College
  In August 2016, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board approved the creation of the Hobby School of Public Affairs. The school, named in honor of former Texas Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby, builds on the existing educational and research programs of the Center for Public Policy, which was founded at UH in 1981. The designation officially moves the Master of Public Policy Degree from the UH College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences to the Hobby School of Public Affairs and approves the addition of a Master of Public Policy degree as a dual degree with the Graduate College of Social Work's Master of Social Work.
  In October 2018, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board approved the creation of the College of Medicine. A site has been selected for the College's new building, and the inaugural class is planned for 2020.
caption: Melcher Hall, one of three buildings of the Bauer College of Business
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