University of Alabama in Huntsville The University of Alabama in Huntsville ( also known as UAHuntsville or UAH ) is a state - supported , public , coeducation al research university , located in Huntsville , Alabama , United States , is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award baccalaureate , master ' s and doctoral degrees , and is organized in five colleges : business , engineering , liberal arts , nursing and science . UAH is one of three members of the University of Alabama System , which includes the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa . All three institutions operate independently , with only the president of each university reporting to the Board of Trustees of the system . The university enrollment is approximately 7 , 500 , and has a distributed ratio of 49 : 51 , women to men . Incoming freshmen have an average score of 25 on the ACT , which is one of the best among Alabama ' s public universities . History . The genesis for a publicly funded institution of higher education in Huntsville was many years in the making . Begun in January 1950 as an extension of the University of Alabama and known as the University of Alabama Huntsville Center , classes were first taught at West Huntsville High School . UAH ' s first undergraduate degrees were awarded in May 1968 as part of the spring commencement ceremony at The University of Alabama , Tuscaloosa , ( although a " cap and gown " ceremony was held in Huntsville ) . One year later , the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees voted to make UAH an independent and autonomous campus . Dr . Benjamin Graves , a graduate of the University of Mississippi in 1942 , who was president of Millsaps College in Jackson , Mississippi was tapped as UAH ' s first president in 1970 . He returned to faculty status in 1979 and retired in 1989 . The first degree awarded for work completed entirely on the UAH campus was awarded to Julian Palmore in 1964 . Mr . Palmore was at the time a United States Navy ensign assigned to NASA ' s Research Projects Division . The first official on - campus graduation ceremony at UAH was in June 1970 . The first woman to earn a PhD from UAH was Virginia Kobler in 1979 , in Industrial Engineering . UAH ' s second president , Dr . John Wright was Vice Chancellor of the West Virginia University and began his service in 1979 . Wright ' s term ended in 1988 and Dr . Louis Padulo became UAH ' s third president . Huntsville leader Joseph Moquin took over the UAH presidency on an interim basis in 1990 . Dr . Frank Franz , who was then provost at West Virginia University , was chosen as UAH ' s fourth president . His wife , Dr . Judy Franz , accompanied him and was granted full professorship in the physics faculty . Her renown in the scientific community was reaffirmed when she was named executive officer of the American Physical Society in 1994 . At the beginning of the 2006 – 2007 academic year , Frank Franz announced his plan to step down as president after that year . . On July 1 , 2007 , Dr . David B . Williams , formerly a professor of materials science and engineering and the vice provost for research at Lehigh University , began serving as UAH ' s fifth president . He left in 2011 to join The Ohio State University as dean of engineering . . Robert Altenkirch was hired as the university ' s sixth president in September 2011 . Dr . Altenkirch served as president of the New Jersey Institute of Technology for nine years before joining UAH . February 2010 shooting . At 3 : 59 on Friday , February 12 , 2010 , a shooting at the university ' s Shelby Center for Science and Technology killed three people and wounded at least three others , one hospitalized for three months . Amy Bishop , a Harvard University - trained neuroscientist , was taken into custody . Bishop later pleaded guilty to capital murder and was sentenced to life in prison . Academics . UAH offers 71 degree - granting programs , including 33 bachelor ' s degree programs , 23 Masters ' degree programs , and 15 PhD programs through its five colleges : Business , Engineering , Liberal Arts , Nursing , and Science . Nursing is UAH ' s largest single major , although Engineering is the largest college . Not surprisingly given Huntsville ' s technology - based economy , UAH is known for engineering and science programs , including astrophysics , atmospheric science and aerospace engineering . UAH scientists managed the first " commercial , " non - government rocket programs ( Consort and Joust ) in the U . S . , the first " high - temperature " superconductor was discovered at UAH and the first U . S . experiment flown aboard the Soviet Mir space station was from UAH . UAH is a Space Grant university , and has a history of cooperation with NASA at the Marshall Space Flight Center , and the U . S . Army Aviation and Missile Command at Redstone Arsenal . In conjunction with helping NASA reach its goals , UAH makes NASA ' s research and technology available to all of Alabama ' s colleges and universities . The National Space Science and Technology Center is on the UAH campus . The UAH Propulsion Research Center ( [ PRC ] ) is a research center that promotes interdisciplinary research opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students . Popular Science cited the PRC as the third " most awesome " college lab in the United States . The PRC was founded by Dr . Clark W . Hawk in 1991 and has since provided support for NASA , the Department of Defense , and the Department of Energy . Research topics explored include air - breathing propulsion , solid , liquid & hybrid propellent combustion , magnetoinertial fusion , electric propulsion , high temperature materials , and space and terrestrial power systems . Research in nanotechnology and microfabrication is administered by the Nano and Micro Devices Center . At least eight departments or programs also hold accreditation from professional associations , including the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology , the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business , the American Chemical Society , the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education , the Computing Sciences Accreditation Board , and the National Association of Schools of Music . Rankings . U . S . News & World Report ranks UAHuntsville as a Tier I national university . U . S . News & World Reports , for 2013 , ranked UAHuntsville as 184th among National Universities . In 2011 , the Carnegie Foundation classified UAHuntsville as " very high " in the research category , making it one of an elite group of 73 U . S . public universities . UAH 2011 freshmen class ' s ACT score averaged 26 . 2 , highest among Alabama ' s public universities . USA Today and Princeton Review ranked UAH as one of the top 50 educational values in the U . S . Compared with similar - sized public universities ( ~ 7500 students ) , UAH ranks # 1 in research expenditure in the nation ( > $ 65million ) . UAH usually partners with surrounding government agencies , like NASA , the U . S . Army , other Department of Defense agencies and their associated contractors . In 2009 National Science Foundation federal research fundings rankings , UAH had four programs ranked in the top 10 in the nation , and 14 programs ranked in the top 20 . The top 10 programs include : # 2 — NASA - funded R & D in computer sciences ; # 4 — DOD - funded R & D in social sciences ; # 8 — DOD - funded R & D in computer sciences and # 9 — federally - funded R & D in aeronautical / astronautical engineering . Athletics . UAH sponsors seven men ' s and seven women ' s varsity athletics programs . UAH is a member of the National Collegiate Athletics Association ( NCAA ) , competing in Division II in 13 sports and Division I in men ' s ice hockey . UAH is a member of the Gulf South Conference in all sports except hockey , which will join the Western Collegiate Hockey Association in the fall of 2013 . Student life and activities . Student government . The UAH Student Government Association is the primary recipient of student activity funding . With the exceptions of ACE and the campus newspaper " The Charger Times " , all student organizations must be chartered with the SGA . The SGA hosts a number of events including Frosh Mosh , an annual event that welcomes incoming freshman the weekend they arrive on campus . Events have included a hypnotist , live music , and the highly anticipated foam party . The SGA also charters two buses to allow approximately 80 UAH students to make an annual trip to Niagara , New York to cheer for the UAH Ice Hockey team as they compete against Niagara University . Residence halls . UAH has five residence halls : Central Campus Residence Hall ( CCRH ) , Frank Franz Hall , North Campus Residence Hall , Southeast Campus Housing , and Charger Village . CCRH is reserved for first - time freshman students . Frank Franz Hall is reserved for first time students as well as Honor Program students whereas upper class students have option of living at the other residence halls . Campus Housing originated with the construction of South East Housing . These suites were originally built by the late Dr . Benjamin Graves , the first President of UAH , with the assistance of the late Alabama Senator John Sparkman . Greek life . UAH is home to the following fraternities and sororities . Each Greek organization rents a fraternity or sorority house from the University . Each of these houses were constructed in 2006 , made possible by donations from Mark and Linda Smith and Jim and Susie Hudson . ACE . The Association for Campus Entertainment ( ACE ) is a student run and operated organization that plans weekly events throughout the school year . Events include , but not limited to , comedians , musicians , movie nights . Seasonal events include a trip to The MAiZE on Halloween and Springfest , when nightly events are scheduled during the first week of spring . Notable guests include Daniel Tosh and Recycled Percussion . Clubs and organizations . Team UAH is internationally renowned for its award - winning concrete canoe construction competition team , and is the current record holder with five national titles in 1993 , 1994 , 1996 , 1998 , and 2001 . The National Concrete Canoe Competition is sponsored annually by the American Society of Civil Engineers . The UAH ASME ( American Society of Mechanical Engineers ) also competes in the annual NASA Great Moonbuggy Race . The UAH ASME chapter currently holds two championship titles . Student Success Center . The Student Success Center ( SSC ) ( formerly known as the Academic Resource Center ( ARC ) ) offers tutoring for nearly all freshman and sophomore level courses offered at UAH . Additional tutoring is available for math courses online and in person . The SSC recruits university students for its PASS ( Peer Assisted Study Sessions ) program , in which students sit in on courses that they have already succeeded in , and offer class - specific study sessions outside of class , usually 3 hours per week . Historically difficult freshman courses are targeted for PASS , including Calculus , Chemistry and Economics . Recently , the SSC has absorbed the Cooperative Education program . Cooperative education . UAH offers numerous cooperative education opportunities for its students , many of which lead to post - graduation employment . " The Charger Times " . " The Charger Times " is the name of UAH ' s newspaper , which is printed weekly and is available at locations around campus free of charge . Notable alumni and Faculty . The current Prime Minister of Libya Dr . Mustafa Abushagur is a former professor at UAHuntsville .