Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Texas A&M/academics beta
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--Oldag07 06:03, 20 June 2007 (UTC)Academics This article needs lots of clean up, but i think we can get a solid article out of most of this information. could mention "the other education"
[edit] Profile
Texas A&M, the eighth largest American university, has an enrollment of 45,380 students pursuing degrees in 10 academic colleges. The student body represents all 254 Texas counties, all 50 U.S. states, and 132 foreign countries. Texas residents account for 86.56% of the student population while 26% are either of international origin or members of ethnic minority groups. The student body consists of 47.3% women and 52.7% men.[1]
The university consistently ranks among the top ten public universities each year in enrollment of National Merit scholars.[2] According to the College Board, the fall 2006 entering freshman class consisted of 46% students in the top 10% of their high school graduating class, 77% in the top quarter, and 90% in the top half.[3] The middle 50% of the freshmen had an average SAT score between 1580 and 1900 (out of 2400) and an ACT score between 23 and 28.[4]
The Dwight Look College of Engineering has the largest enrollment of 20.5%. The College of Liberal Arts and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences follow, enrolling 15% and 14% of the student body, respectively. The College of Education and Human Development enrolls 12%, and Mays Business School enrolls about 11%. Colleges with less than 10% enrollment include the College of Architecture, the College of Science, the George Bush School of Government and Public Service, the College of Geosciences, and the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences. Approximately 8% of the student body has not declared a major.[1]
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===Rankings===
The 2007 U.S. News and World Report ranks Texas A&M 60th among all American universities and 21st among public universities.[5] The Washington Monthly ranks the school 5th nationally with criteria based on research, community service, and social mobility.[6] Newsweek International ranks Texas A&M as the 77th university globally based on "openness and diversity" as well as "distinction in research".[7] Shanghai Jiao Tong University ranks the university 50th nationally and 88th internationally based on educational quality, faculty quality, and research output.[8] The Times Higher Education Supplement ranks Texas A&M 60th among the world's top 100 technology universities, 24th among America's top biomedicine universities, and 50th among North America's top 50 universities.[9] Kiplinger's Personal Finance ranks the school as the 26th best value public university based on in-state tuition, and the 12th best value public university based on out-of-state tuition.[10] In addition, Hispanic Magazine ranks Texas A&M as 25th nationally for Latinos,[11] while New Mobility magazine ranks the university as one of the top ten "disability-friendly" colleges.[12] The John Templeton Foundation listed Texas A&M as one of the thirty-five American college programs that "communicate[s] the values of honesty, trust, respect, responsibility, integrity, and fairness in the classroom".[13]
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[edit] Endowment
The Texas A&M University System (TAMUS) receives revenue from two primary endowments which complement revenues received from both research and tuition. TAMUS holds a minority stake in the Permanent University Fund (PUF), a Texas public endowment fund contributing to eighteen institutions and six agencies in the University of Texas and Texas A&M University systems. As of 2006, the PUF ending net asset value stood at $10.3 billion, with $400.7 million, in FY 2007 transferred to the Available University Fund for distribution to both university systems.[14] The Texas A&M System receives a third of the accumulated interest from the PUF, while the University of Texas System receives the other two-thirds, due to a 1931 Texas Legislature decision.[15] Texas A&M also benefits from a private endowment, the Texas A&M Foundation, which totals more than $1.17 billion in assets. Combined, the total endowment for the TAMUS stands at 5.6 billion, as of 2006.[16]
[edit] Research
Texas A&M works with both state and university agencies on various local and international research projects to forge new innovations in science and technology. Two primary institutional bodies carry out this research, most notably, Research Valley, an alliance of both educational and business organizations with the goal to foster collaborative research endeavors with commercial prospects. When combined, Research Valley consists of 11,400 acres (50 km²) with 2,500,000 square feet ({{Convert}} no longer accepts sqm as code. Please use m2 instead. Please refer to {{convert}}'s talk page for the reasoning behind this. Sorry for any inconvenience.) of dedicated research space. A second institution involves Texas A&M's dedicated Research Park, established in 1982, consisting of 350 acres (1 km²), 10 buildings, dozens of corporations, and 500,000 square feet ({{Convert}} no longer accepts sqm as code. Please use m2 instead. Please refer to {{convert}}'s talk page for the reasoning behind this. Sorry for any inconvenience.) of space.[17] Research funding during the 2004 year totaled more than $520.9 million, ranking Texas A&M among the top 20 American research institutes, with funding increasing more than $100 million from 1994 to 2004. The school ranks 13th among all U.S. research universities in exchange agreements with institutions abroad.[18]
Texas A&M is a leading university in animal cloning. Spearheaded by the College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M scientists created the first cloned domestic animal, a cat named 'cc', on December 22, 2001, with funding from John Sperling.[19] Texas A&M was also the first academic institution to clone each of six different species: cattle, a Boer goat, pigs, a cat, a deer and a horse.[20]
In 2004, Texas A&M and its research agencies received nearly $400 million in new awards, an increase of more than $125 million over a 10-year period. The Texas A&M System faculty and research submitted 121 new inventions and established 78 new royalty-bearing licensing agreements during the year, receiving $8 million in income from the innovations. The Texas A&M Technology Licensing Office filed for 88 patents for protection of intellectual property in 2004.[21]
Also in 2004, Texas A&M joined a consortium of universities to build the Giant Magellan Telescope in Chile. Consisting of seven mirrors each with a diameter of 8.4 meters (9.2 yd), the optical telescope will have the equivalent of a 24.5 meters (26.8 yd) primary mirror. With construction slated to be complete in 2016, it will be the largest optical telescope ever constructed and ten times more powerful than the Hubble Space Telescope.[22]
With the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration, Texas A&M's nuclear research reactor became the first to convert uranium reactor fuel from a highly enriched form to a low-enriched safer form. Completed on October 13, 2006, the process of depleting the uranium from 70% enrichment to 20% enrichment finalized an 18-month, joint project. This accomplishment fulfilled a portion of U.S. President George W. Bush’s Global Nuclear Threat Reduction Initiative to produce safe low-enriched uranium for commercial use.[23]
Undergraduates have many research opportunities, including AggieSat, an organization funded and sponsored by the Aerospace Department to build modularized satellites in conjunction with NASA and the Air Force Research Lab. Approximately 80 undergraduate students representing 17 majors are involved, with oversight and assistance from graduates students in both engineering and business run AggieSat. Current projects include competing against several universities in Nanosat-5, an Air Force competition for constructing autonomous satellites, and a joint project with NASA and the University of Texas to develop two Cube Satellites for autonomous rendezvous and docking.[24]
The Texas A&M University Libraries support the school's teaching, research, and outreach missions with nationally and internationally recognized research collections in such fields as: Engineering & Technology, Entomology, Military History, Nautical Archaeology, Naval Science, Oceanography & Hydrology, Range Livestock, Science, and Transportation.[25] Other notable research entities include the Texas Institute for Genomic Medicine, the Texas Transportation Institute, the Cyclotron Institute, the Institute of Biosciences and Technology, and the Institute for Plant Genomics and Biotechnology.[26]
[edit] Worldwide
Texas A&M has participated in more than 500 research projects in over 80 countries and leads the Southwestern United States in annual research expenditures. The university conducts research on every continent and has formal research and exchange agreements with 100 institutions in 40 countries.[27] Texas A&M ranks 13th among all U.S. research universities in exchange agreements with institutions abroad and student participation in study abroad programs,[18] and has established a strong research collaboration with the National Natural Science Foundation of China as well as with many leading universities in China.[27]
Texas A&M also has two international facilities, a multipurpose center in Mexico City, Mexico and the Santa Chiara Study Abroad Center in Castiglion Fiorentino, Italy.[28] In 2003, over 1,200 Aggie students, primarily undergraduates, studied abroad.[29] Additionally, the university includes two branch campuses: Texas A&M at Qatar located in Education City in Doha, Qatar devoted to engineering disciplines[30] and Texas A&M University at Galveston in Galveston, Texas, devoted to marine research and host to the Texas Maritime Academy.[31]
Texas A&M's Center for International Business Studies is one of 28 supported by the U.S. Department of Education.[32] The university is also one of only two American universities in partnership with CONACyT, Mexico's equivalent of the National Science Foundation, to support research in areas including biotechnology, telecommunications, energy, and urban development.[33] In addition, the university is the home of "Las Americas Digital Research Network", an online architecture network for 26 universities in 12 nations, primarily in Central and South America.[34]
[edit] Vision 2020
\ To assist in improving Texas A&M's rank among other public universities, university officials introduced the strategic plan Vision 2020 in 1997, with the goal of having Texas A&M be recognized as a consensus top 10 public university by the year 2020. Texas A&M made much progress towards these goals in the first nine years of the plan. With full backing by both the university administration and the Board of Regents, it is hoped Vision 2020 will contribute to A&M’s academic prominence.[35] -
- Initiated in 1997 by university president Ray Bowen and co-chaired by Jon L. Hagler, Vision 2020 represents the cumulative work of a task force of more than 250 faculty, staff, students, former students, local residents, and various private- and public-sector representatives. This task force devoted more than two years to examining all aspects of the university and studying benchmark institutions before unveiling the new strategic plan in 1999.
- Vision 2020’s goal is to make Texas A&M University recognized as a consensus "top 10" public university by the year 2020. The plan identifies 12 areas in which the university should focus on improving.[36] Dr. Robert M. Gates succeeded Bowen in 2002, and during his four year tenure as president, Vision 2020's short-term focus narrowed to four key steps:[37]
- Increasing the size of the faculty by 447 positions within five years.
- Improving student diversity among minority groups.
- Building new academic facilities totaling roughly $272 million.
- Enriching the undergraduate and graduate education experience.
[edit] Colleges
[edit] College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
About the College
- Offers 26 undergraduate major fields of study through 15 departments. (Master's and doctoral degrees are offered in each department)
- Programs include entomology, rangeland ecology, horticulture, floriculture, poultry science, forestry, soil and crop sciences, and agricultural journalism.
- Has one of the largest enrollments of any college of agriculture in the nation.
- Consistently ranks as one of the top colleges of agriculture and life sciences in the nation:
- #2 in total minority baccalaureate degrees awarded in agricultural business/production
- #3 in African American baccalaureate degrees awarded in agricultural business/production
- #1 in Hispanic baccalaureate degrees awarded in agricultural business/production
- #3 in Hispanic baccalaureate degrees awarded in agricultural sciences
- #1 in total minority doctorates in agricultural sciences
- #1 in Hispanic doctorates in agricultural sciences
[edit] Texas A&M College of Architecture
With 1,800 students, the college is one of the largest architectural colleges in the nation. Established in 1905, Texas A&M's architecture program is the oldest in Texas. The program became a formal college at Texas A&M in 1969.
Departments
External links
[edit] Mays Business School
The School educates over 4,800 students in undergraduate, master's and doctoral programs and consistently ranks among the top public business schools.
The Mays Business School was one of the first five schools in the United States to offer a trading center, the Reliant Energy Securities & Commodities Trading Center, which provides students with hands-on training to the tools used by commodities and currency traders.[38] Students also use the center to manage the Tanner Fund, a $250,000 portfolio created using donated funds.[39] The School also houses the nation's largest publicly funded real estate research organization, the Real Estate Center,[40] and the Center for Retailing Studies, which was the first retailing center partnered with a business school.[41]
[edit] The College of Education and Human Development
The college has five academic departments: Distance Learning, Educational Administration and Human Resource Development, Educational Psychology, Health & Kinesiology, and Teaching, Learning and Culture.
The college focuses on field-based training. It conducts research in areas such as the prevention of heart disease, women’s health issues, minorities and underserved populations.
[edit] Dwight Look College of Engineering
is the engineering school of Texas A&M University in College Station and is home to nearly 9,500 engineering majors in 12 departments. According to a Fall 2005 survey by the Engineering Workforce Commission, the college is 7th in the nation in terms of the number of engineering degrees granted, 8th for the number of Hispanics and 6th for the number of women granted degrees. The college is 12th nationally for the number of doctoral degrees granted.[42] A Fall 2004 survey showed the college 4th nationally for women enrollment and 7th for Hispanic enrollment. It is recognized among the top public engineering colleges for its undergraduate and graduate programs.
[edit] Texas A&M College of Geosciences
The college has four academic departments, including atmospheric sciences, geography, geology, and geophysics and oceanography.
The college offers undergraduate majors in the following areas:
- Earth Sciences
- Environmental Geosciences
- Environmental Studies
- Geography
- Geoinformatics
- Geology
- Geophysics
- Meteorology
- Oceanography
The college offers undergraduate minors in the following areas:
- Earth Sciences
- Geology
- Environmental Geosciences
- Geophysics
- Environmental Studies
- Meteorology
- Geography
- Spatial Sciences
- The College of Geosciences is the home of several major research institutes and centers, including: Center for Tectonophysics, the Geochemical and Environmental Research Group, and Texas Center for Climate Studies.
- The College of Geosciences is one of the largest College research programs in the Texas A&M University System.
- The College of Geosciences is the science operator for the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program.
- The College of Geosciences is a service to marine economy of Texas and the Gulf Coast through the Sea Grant Program.
- The College of Geosciences is a major partner with Texas A&M University at Galveston.
- The College of Geosciences is a key element of Texas A&M University's Land Grant, Sea Grant, and Space Grant missions.
- The College of Geosciences has 91 tenured and tenure-track faculty, 26 research scientists, and approximately 10 lecturers and visiting faculty.
- There are 457 undergraduate and 294 graduate students enrolled in the College of Geosciences.
- College of Geosciences Home Page
- Texas A&M University Home Page
- Texas A&M University Map
[edit] George Bush School of Government and Public Service
is a graduate public policy school at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. It is named for former President George H.W. Bush. The Bush School is part of the George Bush Presidential Library complex. The graduate school offers four programs: two master's degree programs (Public Service Administration and International Affairs) and two certificate programs (Advanced International Affairs and Homeland Security). The Masters Program in International Affairs (MPIA) program offers a choice of concentration on either National Security Affairs or International Economics and Development. The MPIA program requires the graduate students to pass a foreign language exam in order to graduate. In addition, the school offers both certificate programs online. Texas A&M has begun planning and faculty collaboration that would expand the current Certificate in Homeland Security Program into a Master of Science in Homeland Security Program[43], coordinated by the Integrative Center for Homeland Security, recognized as a national leader in the emerging field of homeland security strategy and policy.
The school is relatively small, accepting approximately 30 students each year per master's program, for a total of about 120 students. The school's endowment allows a generous scholarship for most students, including a grant of up to $1,300 to purchase a laptop before the first year.
The Bush School encourages public service through student led organizations. The Public Service Organization, or PSO, participates in many community service and charitable projects, including mentoring young students at area elementary schools, volunteering at the Brazos County Food Bank, and supplying schools in Afghanistan with school supplies. The Bush School Student Government Association comprises student representatives from each program, responsible for creating student policies and providing the faculty and administration with feedback on student needs. The school newspaper, The Public Servant, is a student-composed publication and consists of articles highlighting school progress as well as current events.
Dr. Robert M. Gates, Secretary of Defense and former Director of Central Intelligence, was the school's first dean before becoming president of the university. Dick Chilcoat, Lt. General US Army Retired, is the current dean. Prior to joining the Bush School, he served as Commandant of the United States Army War College, 1994-1997, and President of the National Defense University, 1997-2000.
The school enjoys plentiful privileges and opportunities that come from being associated with a living former president, George H. W. Bush. Among these are exceptional and prestigious professors, counsel from the former president, and frequent visits from past and present public service professionals. Past visitors include Mikhail Gorbachev, Dick Cheney, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Donna Brazile, Carlos M. Gutierrez, Mike Krzyzewski, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, Alexis Herman, Antonin Scalia, Jim McIngvale, General Charles C. Krulak, Helmut Kohl, Ted Kennedy, Jiang Zemin, and Teri Hatcher.
[edit] Texas A&M College of Liberal Arts
The college offers courses in social and behavioral sciences, humanities, and the performing arts, and is a major source of international education.
The College of Liberal Arts has the largest collegiate faculty on campus with 306 faculty members and, with 6,883 students, has the second largest enrollment at Texas A&M, behind the Dwight Look College of Engineering. The college houses 12 departments and offers both discipline-specific and interdisciplinary degrees in 44 degree programs, including 23 bachelors, 11 masters, and 10 Ph.D. degrees. The college has a living alumni base of 33,000 graduates, 61% of whom have graduated since 1990.
The college has a $39 million budget, augmented by $5.5 million in competitively awarded extramural funding. More than $1.2 million of income is received from permanent endowments that total more than $24 million, benefiting 11 chairs, 23 professorships, and 9 faculty and graduate fellowships.
Since 1975, 56 faculty members have been recipients of the Former Students Distinguished Achievement Award. The college has presented 41 teaching awards, 14 research awards, and one administration award. In addition, the faculty has been awarded five Regents Professor Service Awards and two Texas A&M University Presidential Professors for Teaching Excellence, and includes seven distinguished professors and 15 recipients of individual recognition
[edit] Texas A&M College of Science
is the science college of Texas A&M University in College Station. The faculty includes a Nobel laureate and four National Academy of Sciences members. In 2004, the faculty collected a combined $32.5 million in peer-reviewed federal funding, and annually generates over $5 million in indirect cost return for Texas A&M.[44]
The Chemistry Department ranks 15th nationally in the National Research Council rankings, the highest ranking of any Texas A&M department, and ranks as the seventh-largest chemistry department in research and development expenditures among all American universities. The Department of Mathematics ranks 13th nationally among other public university Mathematics departments in research funding, and is one of only five nationwide that has both Vertical Integration of Research and Education in the Mathematical SCiences (VIGRE) and Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) National Science Foundation grants. The Mathematics Departments also offers one of the nation's only fully-online master's degrees in mathematics. The Physics Department is one of eight partners in the $500 million Giant Magellan Telescope.[45]
[edit] Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
The college consists of five departments: Biomedical Science, Large Animal Medicine & Surgery, Veterinary Anatomy and Public Health, Veterinary Pathobiology, and Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology.
Founded in 1916, the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences is one of only 31 colleges of veterinary medicine in the United States and Canada. It is consistently ranked in the top 5 vet schools in the country.[1]
The college offers undergraduate majors in Biomedical Sciences.
The college offers graduate programs in the following areas:
- Epidemiology
- Veterinary Anatomy
- Veterinary Public Health
- Veterinary Medicine and Surgery
- Veterinary Microbiology
- Veterinary Parasitology
- Veterinary Pathology
- Veterinary Physiology
- U.S. News and World Report consistently ranks the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine among the top five vet schools in the country.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Texas A&M University Fall 2006 Enrollment (PDF). Texas A&M University. Retrieved on 2007-02-25.
- ^ National Freshmen Merit Scholars (PDF). University of Florida. Retrieved on 2007-03-12.
- ^ Student Body. College Board. Retrieved on 2007-03-12.
- ^ SAT & ACT Policies. College Board. Retrieved on 2007-03-12.
- ^ a b "America's Best Colleges 2007", U.S. News & World Report, 2006-09-15. Retrieved on 2007-01-03.
- ^ "The Washington Monthly's Annual College Guide", The Washington Monthly, 2006-09-06. Retrieved on 2007-01-03.
- ^ "The Top 100 Global Universities", MSNBC, 2006-08-13. Retrieved on 2007-02-19.
- ^ "Academic Ranking of World Universities 2006", Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Retrieved on 2007-01-05.
- ^ "North America's top 50 universities", THES, 2006-10-06. Retrieved on 2007-02-19.
- ^ "Kiplinger's 100 Best Values in Public Colleges", Kiplinger, 2007-02-01. Retrieved on 2007-02-04.
- ^ "The Top 25 Colleges for Latinos", Hispanic Magazine, 2006-03-01. Retrieved on 2007-02-04.
- ^ Wilburn, Misty. "Texas A&M Rated Among "Best Disability-Friendly Colleges"", Texas A&M University, 2005-08-05. Retrieved on 2007-02-07.
- ^ The Templeton Guide: Academic Honesty Programs. John Templeton Foundation. Retrieved on 2007-05-17.
- ^ Permanent University Fund. The University of Texas Investment Management Company. Retrieved on 2007-05-15.
- ^ Permanent University Fund. The University of Texas. Retrieved on 2007-05-16.
- ^ 2006 NACUBO Endowment Study (PDF). National Association of College and University Business Officers. Retrieved on 2007-01-03.
- ^ Frequently Asked Questions. Research Park. Retrieved on 2007-01-01.
- ^ a b Texas A&M University Facts. Texas A&M University. Retrieved on 2007-01-01.
- ^ Texas A&M University (2002-02-14). "Texas A&M Clones First Cat". Press release. Retrieved on 2007-01-01.
- ^ Lozano, Juan A. (June 27, 2005), “Texas A&M Cloning project raises questions still”, Bryan-College Station Eagle, <http://www.theeagle.com/stories/062705/am_20050627004.php>. Retrieved on 30 April 2007
- ^ Texas A&M University (2005). "Profile on Research and Graduate Studies" (PDF). Press release. Retrieved on 2007-01-01.
- ^ Giant Magellan Telescope Giant Magellan Telescope. Giant Magellan Telescope. Retrieved on 2007-01-01.
- ^ “A&M reactor gets safer uranium”, The Battalion, 2006-10-18, <http://www.thebatt.com/media/storage/paper657/news/2006/10/18/News/Am.Reactor.Gets.Safer.Uranium-2373962.shtml?norewrite200612140021&sourcedomain=www.thebatt.com>. Retrieved on 1 January 2007
- ^ Student Satellite Program. AggieSat Lab. Retrieved on 2007-01-01.
- ^ Texas A&M University Libraries. Texas A&M University. Retrieved on 2007-04-30.
- ^ Texas A&M University Centers and Institutes. Texas A&M University. Retrieved on 2007-04-30.
- ^ a b Ewing, Richard (2006-08-17). Brief Guide to Research. Texas A&M University Research. Retrieved on 2007-01-01.
- ^ International Programs Office. International Programs Office. Texas A&M University. Retrieved on 2007-05-22.
- ^ Welcome from the Associate Vice President for International Programs. International Programs Texas A&M University. Retrieved on 2007-01-01.
- ^ Texas A&M University at Qatar. Texas A&M University. Retrieved on 2007-04-30.
- ^ Texas A&M University at Galveston. The Handbook of Texas. Retrieved on 2007-05-22.
- ^ CENTERS FOR INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS EDUCATION. U.S. Department of Education (2005-02-16). Retrieved on 2007-01-01.
- ^ Collaborative Research Grant Program. Texas A&M University-CONACYT. Retrieved on 2007-01-01.
- ^ Introduction. "Las Americas" Digital Research Network. Retrieved on 2007-01-01.
- ^ Introduction (HTML) (English). Vision 2020. Retrieved on 2007-01-02.
- ^ Introduction (HTML) (English). Vision 2020. Retrieved on 2007-01-02.
- ^ The State of the University (HTML) (English). Texas A&M University (2005-09-09). Retrieved on 2007-01-02.
- ^ Zuehlke, Lara (February 2001). Bridging the Gap: Trading center puts students in touch with the business world. Mays Business Online. Retrieved on 2007-04-02.
- ^ The Reliant Energy Trading Center. Texas A&M University. Retrieved on 2007-04-02.
- ^ About RECenter. Texas A&M University. Retrieved on 2007-04-02.
- ^ Center for Retailing Studies. Texas A&M University. Retrieved on 2007-04-02.
- ^
- ^ http://homelandsecurity.tamu.edu/education/master-of-science-in-homeland-security-1
- ^ First-Rate Faculty. Texas A&M University (May 2006). Retrieved on 2007-04-03.
- ^ Departments of Distinction. Texas A&M University (May 2006). Retrieved on 2007-04-03.
