The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) is a co-educational, state-supported research university within The University of Alabama System. UAH was founded as part of the University of Alabama in 1950 and became an autonomous campus within the System in 1969.

The university is governed by The University of Alabama System Board of Trustees that vests authority in the campus president to lead the university. The president is assisted by the provost and vice president for academic affairs; the vice president for research; the vice president for finance and administration; the vice president for university advancement and the vice president for student affairs. The vice presidents, together with the president, the executive assistant to the president and the university counsel function as the university's executive committee.

Total enrollment is about 7100, including about 1400 graduate students; 47 percent women, 53 percent men. About 550 UAH students are international students.

UAH offers 59 degree-granting programs that meet the highest standards of excellence, including 29 bachelor's degree programs, 18 Masters' degree programs, and 12 Ph.D. programs through its five colleges: Administrative Science (Business), Liberal Arts, Engineering, Nursing, and Science.

The university received about $50 million in externalfunding for active research projects during 2005. Research sponsors include federal and state agencies; academic institutions; industry and private foundations. Research is conducted within the individual colleges or through UAH's 17 independent research centers, laboratories and institutes. Major interdisciplinary research thrusts include: applied optics; propulsion; space plasma and aeronomics; space physics and astrophysics; earth system science; information technology; management of science and technology; microgravity and materials and automation and robotics. Pictured is UAH's "Concrete Canoe" team.

UAH is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) to award bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees. Several UAH programs are also accredited by their respective accrediting agencies, including the American Chemical Society, ABET, Inc., the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), the Computer Sciences Accrediting Board (CSAB) and the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM).

UAH has more than 300 full-time faculty members; 91 percent have terminal degrees in their fields. The FTE student/faculty ratio is 12:1.

The M. Louis Salmon Library has more than 412,000 books, along with collections of U.S. government documents, sound recordings, microform and microfiche. There are also subscriptions to 2,766 periodicals.

U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT ranks UAH among the 150 best national doctoral universities – a distinction shared by only seven percent of the more than 2,000 four-year colleges in America. UAH's academic reputation has been consistently recognized by other respected national publications. BARRON'S PROFILES OF AMERICAN COLLEGES lists UAH as "very competitive," the only public university in Alabama to achieve this ranking. UAH also was highlighted as being among "Top Colleges for Top Students" by PETERSON'S COMPETITIVE COLLEGES. The university has been recognized by America's 100 Best College Buys for ten consecutive years for providing students a high quality education at a competitively low cost.

DEGREED ALUMNI: 26, 919 (2005)

UAH is on the semester system, offering a full program of undergraduate and graduate day and night classes throughout the year, including the summer.