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Sam Houston State University

Sam Houston State University

Sam Houston State University, also known as SHSU or Sam, is a public university located in Huntsville, Texas. It was founded year 1879 and is named after one of Texas' founding fathers, Sam Houston. SHSU is a part of the Texas State University System and it enrolls more than 15,000 students annually. The campus covers 272 acres.

SHSU offers more than 75 undergraduate degree programs, over 45 master’s program and several doctoral programs. The academic departments and programs are organized into five colleges, which are:

  • College of Arts and Sciences
  • College of Business Administration
  • College of Business Administration
  • College of Criminal Justice
  • College of Education
  • College of Humanities and Social Sciences

The athletics teams of SHSU are known as the BearKats.

Overview of Sam Houston State University

The main campus of Sam Houston State University is in Huntsville, TX (a town not particularly near any major cities). The school is a public school. Sam Houston State University offers degrees up to the Doctoral degree.

Areas of Study

The school students most commonly major in a field related to drama and performing arts and security and law enforcement.

Sam Houston State University Selectivity

Sam Houston State University does not accept everyone who applies. In 2007, SAT verbal scores of half of students were 420 to 530. Three-fourths of students accepted in 2007 had SAT math scores of 430 or more. Students attending Sam Houston State University come from a variety of places, in and out of state.

Faculty

The school offers tenure to reward and retain some professors.

Student Body

In 2007, Sam Houston State University had 16,496 enrolled students.

Student Life

Student athletes at the school belong to the Southland Conference for major sports.

The school reports its educational mission is:
"Sam Houston State University is a multicultural institution whose mission is to provide excellence by continually improving quality education, scholarship, and service to its students and to appropriate regional, state, national, and international constituencies."

More complete details are provided below.

Contacting Sam Houston State University

Sam Houston State University
1803 Ave I
Huntsville, TX 77341
General Phone: (936) 294-1111
http://www.shsu.edu/

Sam Houston State University Programs and Degrees (2007)

General CategoryDegreesMost Common Majors [see all]
Business And Management720business, business management, accounting, marketing, finance, MIS, human resources, banking, ...
Liberal Arts685interdisciplinary studies, English, history, library science, political science, speech and rhetoric, Spanish language, sociology, ...
Security And Law Enforcement446criminal justice and safety, criminal justice and administration, corrections and criminal justice, forensic science
Education And Teaching271educational administration, curriculum and instruction, educational supervision, special ed, physical education teaching, reading teaching, school counseling, health teaching
Therapy And Counseling226psychology, counseling psychology, clinical psychology, music therapy, school psychology
Nutrition And Exercise Therapy129health and physical education, dietitian
Media107radio and television, public relations, journalism, animation and special effects, advertising
Agricultural Science And Management95agricultural operations, agriculture, agricultural mechanization
Science91biology, chemistry, physics, biological and physical sciences, chemistry courses, geology
Drama And Performing Arts62drama, dance
Photography And Commercial Art52commercial art, photography
Engineering Technician46construction engineering tech, drafting, electronics tech, industrial tech
Music42music, conducting, music performance
Medical Support And Technology40health service and sciences
Family And Social Work36family and consumer science, public administration, foodservice management, food and nutrition
Animal Science And Care35animal science
Computer Science And Engineering29computer and info science, computer security
Mathematics27mathematics, statistics
Fine Arts18fine arts
Architecture And Planning14interior architecture
Landscaping And Horticulture13horticultural science
Conservation And Resource Management3environmental science
Religion And Philosophy1philosophy

Number of programs and degrees for Sam Houston State University in 2007:

Degree LevelTotal
Awarded
Number of
Programs
Bachelor's degree2,54363
Master's degree60233
Doctor's degree434

Student Body

In 2007, Sam Houston State University had a total enrollment of 16,496 students (14,013 full-time equivalent).

Students in the Freshman Class:

GroupPercent
Men42%
Women58%
Full-Time98%
Part-Time2%

Students By Class:

GroupPercent
Undergraduate85%
Graduate15%

Racial Diversity:
RacePercent
White72%
Black13%
Hispanic12%
Asian1%
American Indian1%
Unknown0%
(Foreign Students)2%

Students by Age:

AgePercent
Under 180%
18-1924%
20-2128%
22-2424%
25-2911%
30-344%
35-393%
40-494%
50-642%
65+0%

Sam Houston State University Graduation, Retention, and Transfers

Retention Rates (2007):

GroupReturning From
Previous Year
Full-Time71 %
Part-Time57 %

Sam Houston State University Room and Board (2007)

Sam Houston State University offers campus housing for 3,293 of its 14,013 (full-time) students. Freshmen are required to live on campus.

(Please refer to our profile of Huntsville, Texas for details about the area surrounding the campus. Also see our list of other Texas Colleges).

The school does not offer students a meal plan.

Sam Houston State University Admissions and Selectivity (2007)

Acceptances:

GroupApplicantsAcceptedPercent
Accepted
EnrolledPercent of
Accepted Enrolled
Total7,6064,69362%2,20847%
Men3,2671,93959%93348%
Women4,3392,75463%1,27546%

Standardized Test Scores:

Test25th Percentile75th Percetile
SAT Verbal420530
SAT Math430540
ACT Verbal1622
ACT Math1722
ACT Composite1722

Application Requirements:

ItemRequirement
GPAnot required
Class Rankrequired
High School Recordrequired
College Prep Programrecommended
Recommendationsnot required
Formal Demonstration of Competencenot required
Standardized Tests (SAT and/or ACT)required
Percent of Applicants Submitting SAT85%
Percent of Applicants Submitting ACT46%
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)required
Other Standardized Testsnot required

Sam Houston State University Expenses and Financial Aid (2007)

Expenses and Financial Aid:

ExpenseAmount
In-state tuition and fees$ 5,416
Out-of-state tuition and fees$ 13,756
Room and board$ 6,046
Room charge$ 3,460
Board (meal plan) charge$ 2,586
Books and supplies$ 1,016
Other expenses$ 3,390

Financial Aid:
Sam Houston State University participates in Federal Title IV financial aid programs. (The school's OPE ID is 360600)

Sam Houston State University Faculty

Sam Houston State University has a tenure system for faculty.

Tenure Status of Faculty (2007):

Full-Time Faculty LevelMenWomen
Tenured16480
Non-tenured, but on tenure track10397
Non-tenured and not on tenure track5579

Salaries for full-time faculty:

Full-Time Faculty (2007):

Full-Time Faculty LevelContract LengthNumber MenAvg Salary MenNumber WomenAvg Salary Women
Professoracademic year102$83,63926$75,639
Associate professoracademic year75$66,35858$62,519
Assistant professoracademic year90$56,00591$54,136
Instructoracademic year0*2*
Lectureracademic year21$46,43433$43,776
All faculty totalacademic year288$67,790210$57,440

*: salaries are not displayed where there are fewer than 3 professors in the category.

Sam Houston State University Athletics

Athletic Conferences:

SportConference
FootballSouthland Conference
BasketballSouthland Conference
BaseballSouthland Conference
TrackSouthland Conference

Students on Athletic Scholarships (2007):

SportMenWomenTotal
Total171119290
Football87087
Track263359
Baseball34034
Basketball141428
All Other Sports107282

Sam Houston State University Degree Programs (2007)

AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT
Agribusiness/Agricultural Business Operations
Agricultural Mechanization, General
Agriculture, General

ANIMAL SCIENCE AND CARE
Animal Sciences, General

ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING
Interior Architecture

BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT
Accounting
Banking and Financial Support Services
Business Administration and Management, General
Business/Commerce, General
Business/Managerial Economics
Fashion Merchandising
Finance, General
Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General
International Business/Trade/Commerce
Management Information Systems, General
Marketing/Marketing Management, General
Operations Management and Supervision

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
Computer and Information Sciences, General
Computer and Information Systems Security

CONSERVATION AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Environmental Science

DRAMA AND PERFORMING ARTS
Dance, General
Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General

EDUCATION AND TEACHING
Counselor Education/School Counseling and Guidance Services
Curriculum and Instruction
Educational Leadership and Administration, General
Educational, Instructional, and Curriculum Supervision
Health Teacher Education
Physical Education Teaching and Coaching
Reading Teacher Education
Special Education and Teaching, General

ENGINEERING TECHNICIAN
Construction Engineering Technology/Technician
Drafting and Design Technology/Technician, General
Electrical/Electronic/Communications Engr Technology/Technician
Industrial Technology/Technician

FAMILY AND SOCIAL WORK
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General
Foods, Nutrition, and Wellness Studies, General
Foodservice Systems Administration/Management
Public Administration

FINE ARTS
Fine/Studio Arts, General

LANDSCAPING AND HORTICULTURE
Horticultural Science

LIBERAL ARTS
English Language and Literature, General
French Language and Literature
Geography
History, General
Library Science/Librarianship
Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other
Political Science and Government, General
Sociology
Spanish Language and Literature
Speech and Rhetorical Studies

MATHEMATICS
Mathematics, General
Statistics, General

MEDIA
Advertising
Animation, Interactive Tech, Video Graphics and Special Effects
Journalism
Public Relations/Image Management
Radio and Television

MEDICAL SUPPORT AND TECHNOLOGY
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General

MUSIC
Conducting
Music Performance, General
Music, General

NUTRITION AND EXERCISE THERAPY
Dietetics/Dietitian (RD)
Health and Physical Education, General

PHOTOGRAPHY AND COMMERCIAL ART
Commercial and Advertising Art
Photography

RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY
Philosophy

SCIENCE
Biological and Physical Sciences
Biology/Biological Sciences, General
Chemistry, General
Chemistry, Other
Geology/Earth Science, General
Physics, General

SECURITY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT
Corrections and Criminal Justice, Other
Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration
Criminal Justice/Safety Studies
Forensic Science and Technology

THERAPY AND COUNSELING
Clinical Psychology
Counseling Psychology
Music Therapy/Therapist
Psychology, General
School Psychology

Sam Houston State University Highlights

(Details are provided further down on this page.)

What Sets Sam Houston State University Apart:

CategoryTrophy 
Number of degree programs
(vs. all colleges)
Top 4%Sam Houston State University Number of degree programs
Number of students
(vs. all colleges)
Top 4%Sam Houston State University Number of students
% of degrees in security and law enforcement
(vs. all colleges)
Top 11%Sam Houston State University % of degrees in security and law enforcement
% of degrees in nutrition and exercise therapy
(vs. colleges of similar size)
Top 12%Sam Houston State University % of degrees in nutrition and exercise therapy
% of full-time faculty on tenure track
(vs. all colleges)
Top 13%Sam Houston State University % of full-time faculty on tenure track
% of degrees in business and management
(vs. colleges of similar size)
Top 14%Sam Houston State University % of degrees in business and management
% of degrees in agricultural science and management
(vs. colleges of similar size)
Top 14%Sam Houston State University % of degrees in agricultural science and management
% of degrees in music
(vs. colleges of similar size)
Top 16%Sam Houston State University % of degrees in music
Degrees concentrated in limited number of degree programs
(vs. all colleges)
Top 16%Sam Houston State University Degrees concentrated in limited number of degree programs
% of degrees in drama and performing arts
(vs. all colleges)
Top 17%Sam Houston State University % of degrees in drama and performing arts
% of degrees in photography and commercial art
(vs. colleges of similar size)
Top 18%Sam Houston State University % of degrees in photography and commercial art
Lowest tuition & fees (in-state)
(vs. colleges with similar degree levels)
Top 19%Sam Houston State University Lowest tuition & fees (in-state)
Explanation of the Highlights categories

Notable:
Accepts some high school credits
Grants credits for AP courses
Offers distance learning
Offers weekend classes
Career counseling
Career services
Student employment services
Remedial classes for students
Option to study abroad
Offers part-time study
On-campus library
Offers campus housing
Tenure system for quality teaching
Has ROTC (army)
Offers athletic scholarships
NCAA athletic conference member

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