The University of Houston (U of H) is a public research university in Houston , Texas . Founded in 1927, U of H is the flagship institution of the University of Houston system and the third largest university in Texas with over 46,000 students. The university’s campus covers 667 acres (2.70 km2) in southeast Houston and was known as Houston-University Park from 1983 to 1991. The university is classified as “R1: Doctoral University – Very High Research Activity”.
The university offers over 282 degree programs through its 16 academic colleges in Vidyayatan – including professional degree programs in architecture, law, optometry, medicine and pharmacy. The institute conducts research worth $150 million annually and operates more than 40 research centers and institutes in academia. Interdisciplinary research includes superconductivity , space commercialization and exploration, biomedical science and engineering, energy and natural resources, and artificial intelligence . With more than 9,000 degrees awarded annually, H’s alumni exceed 2,60,000. The university’s economic impact contributes more than $3 billion annually to the Texas economy , creating approximately 24,000 jobs. The HPE Data Science Institute was created in 2017, and the Hewlett Packard Enterprise Data Science Institute was named with its 10 million gift.
The University of Houston hosts a variety of theatrical performances, concerts, lectures and events. It has over 400 student organizations and 17 intercollegiate sports teams. HU’s annual events and traditions include The Cat’s Back, Homecoming, and Frontier Fiesta . The university’s varsity sports teams, known as the Houston Cougars, are members of the American Athletic Conference and compete in NCAA Division I in all sports. The football team regularly participates in bowl games , and the men’s basketball team has made 22 NCAA Division 1 tournament appearances—including six Final Four appearances. The men’s golf team has won 16 national championships—the most in NCAA history.
