University Of Alabama At Birmingham

Location and Contact Information

The campus is in a medium-sized city.

Overview

The University of Alabama at Birmingham, or UAB, is a public, coeducational university located in Birmingham, Alabama. Founded in 1969 from the merger of schools, UAB is one of the autonomous institutions of the University of Alabama System. It is the newest and largest major university in Alabama in terms of staff, faculty, and budget.

UAB has been ranked among the top 15 percent of U.S. colleges and universities by the Princeton Review. It is among 96 public and private universities (and the only one in Alabama) classified as an institution of "very high research activity" by the Carnegie Foundation.

Though nestled in the serene foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, the campus is close to and enjoys the thriving arts and cultural scene of cosmopolitan Birmingham.

The university incorporates the Campus Recreation Center--with an indoor pool and oval running track, among other facilities--as well as the Alys Stephens Center for the Performing Arts.

UAB provides programs of study leading to bachelor, master, doctoral, and professional degrees in diverse fields. It is highly renowned for its medical research and natural sciences programs.

UAB is organized into the following academic divisions:

• Division of General Studies
• Graduate School
• School of Arts and Humanities
• School of Business
• School of Dentistry
• School of Education
• School of Engineering
• School of Health Professions
• School of Medicine
• School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
• School of Nursing
• School of Optometry
• School of Public Health
School of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Among the university's distinctive programs and accomplishments are:

• The only undergraduate biomedical engineering degree and the only nursing Ph.D. in the state.
• One of only four forensic accounting and information technology degrees in the nation.
• The only industrial distribution degree in the Southeast.
• The Department of Music is designated an All-Steinway School, the first in Alabama.

Famous alumni of UAB include: Vonetta Flowers, Olympic Gold medalist; Darrell Hackney, NFL player with the Denver Broncos; Deidre Downs, Miss America 2005; Richard Scrushy, founder and former CEO of HealthSouth Corporation; Regina Benjamin, Surgeon General of the United States; Jon Coffelt, New York artist, painter; Max D. Cooper, the father of B cell immunology; Beatrice Hahn, AIDS researcher, who discovered origin of HIV-1; Henry Panion, University professor of music, music director for Stevie Wonder and Grammy Award-winning arranger and producer; and Dr. Richard Whitley, pioneer in antiviral therapy, first to test Acyclovir in humans. He has been taped to serve on the President's Council of Advisors on Science and technology.

Kaleidoscope is the official student-run newspaper of the university. UAB has an active Greek life. There are several fraternities and sororities on campus.

UAB is home to many Division I athletics. The basketball team has earned 13 post-season NCAA births and nine NIT appearances as of Fall 2009.

Highlights (vs. Other Schools)

• Many students concentrating in nursing and emergency medicine, medicine, and science.
• Large number of programs of study offered.
• Large number of students.
• High faculty salary.
• Affordable tuition & fees.
• High female/male ratio.
• Unusually high availability of athletic financial aid.
• Good faculty-to-student ratio.

School characteristics:

• The school is public.
• Academic calender: Semester.
• Carnegie classification: Doctoral/Research Universities, Extensive.

Features of note:

• The school offers a faculty tenure system.
• There is a hospital on campus.
• There are one or more libraries on-campus.
• Campus housing is available.
• Students may study abroad.
• Distance learning is available.
• Weekend study is an option.
• Part-time classes are available.
• ROTC.
• Athlete financial aid is awarded.

Tuition and Financial Aid (2009-2010)

Financial Aid

UAB participates in US Title IV financial assistance programs.

In 2009-2010, 81% of students received financial aid of some sort.

(Please refer to BrainTrack's financial aid articles section for background information.)

Similar Schools

Based on proprietary BrainTrack computer comparisons against all other US colleges, these schools appear to be most similar to University Of Alabama At Birmingham:

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Degrees Awarded (in 2009-2010)

Faculty

Tenure (2009-2010):

Students

Student enrollment was 16,149 in 2009-2010 (13,974 full-time equivalent).

About 45% of the freshmen class in 2009-2010 was male and women were 55% of the class.

Undergrads are 64% of enrolled students, graduate students are 31%, and those seeking first-professional graduate degrees represent 5%.

Students under 25 years old represent 57% of the student body. About 8% of the school is at least 40 years of age.

Among freshmen students, 99% are full-time and 1% are part-time.

Admissions Summary (2009-2010)

SAT Test Scores:

Room and Board

UAB provides on-campus housing for 2,200 of its 13,974 (full-time) students (as of 2009-2010).

Athletics

School sports include football, basketball, baseball, and track. The school is in the Conference USA for major sports.

The school offers financial aid for athletes. Of students receiving athletic financial aid, 175 male students received the aid (men were 61% of those receiving aid) and 110 women were awarded financial aid based on athletics (representing 39% of students receiving such aid) .

Graduate School Focus

UAB offers graduate (post-Bachelor) studies. The highest degree offered is the Doctorate (Research/Scholarship & Professional Practice).

Graduate offerings include continuing professional education and medical degrees.The school's Graduate School Carnegie Classification is STEM Dominant.

Programs of Study

(Number of degrees in 2009-2010 in parentheses)

ART STUDIES (53 awarded)

• Art/Art Studies

BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT (477 awarded)

• Accounting
• Business Administration and Management
• Business Administration, Management and Operations
• Business/Managerial Economics
• Finance
• Management Information Systems
• Marketing/Marketing Management

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING (32 awarded)

• Computer Engineering
• Computer and Information Sciences

DRAMA AND PERFORMING ARTS (11 awarded)

• Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts

EDUCATION AND TEACHING (417 awarded)

• Art Teacher Education
• Counselor Education/School Counseling and Guidance Services
• Early Childhood Education and Teaching
• Education
• Educational Leadership and Administration
• Elementary Education and Teaching
• Health Teacher Education
• Physical Education Teaching and Coaching
• Secondary Education and Teaching
• Special Education and Teaching

ENGINEERING (190 awarded)

• Biomedical/Medical Engineering
• Civil Engineering
• Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering
• Engineering
• Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering
• Materials Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering

FAMILY AND SOCIAL WORK (60 awarded)

• Public Administration
• Social Work

FINE ARTS (4 awarded)

• Art History, Criticism and Conservation

LIBERAL ARTS (271 awarded)

• African-American/Black Studies
• Anthropology
• English Language and Literature
• Foreign Languages and Literatures
• French Language and Literature
• History
• Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
• Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies
• Political Science and Government
• Social Sciences
• Sociology
• Spanish Language and Literature

MATHEMATICS (28 awarded)

• Applied Mathematics
• Mathematics

MEDIA (145 awarded)

• Communication Studies/Speech Communication and Rhetoric

MEDICAL ADMINISTRATION (72 awarded)

• Environmental Health
• Health Information/Medical Records Administration/Administrator
• Health and Medical Administrative Services
• Health/Health Care Administration/Management

MEDICAL SUPPORT AND TECHNOLOGY (146 awarded)

• Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist
• Cytotechnology/Cytotechnologist
• Dental Assisting/Assistant
• Medical Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiation Therapist
• Nuclear Medical Technology/Technologist
• Physician Assistant
• Respiratory Care Therapy/Therapist

MEDICINE (435 awarded)

• Dental Clinical Sciences, General (MS, PhD)
• Dentistry (DDS, DMD)
• Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences
• Medicine (MD)
• Optometry (OD)
• Public Health, General (MPH, DPH)

MUSIC (28 awarded)

• Music

NURSING AND EMERGENCY MEDICINE (436 awarded)

• Nurse Anesthetist
• Nursing Administration (MSN, MS, PhD)
• Nursing Science (MS, PhD)
• Nursing/Registered Nurse (RN, ASN, BSN, MSN)

NUTRITION AND EXERCISE THERAPY (54 awarded)

• Clinical Nutrition/Nutritionist
• Dietetics/Dietitian (RD)
• Health and Physical Education/Fitness
• Nutrition Sciences
• Occupational Therapy/Therapist

RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY (26 awarded)

• Philosophy

SCIENCE (281 awarded)

• Biological and Physical Sciences
• Biology/Biological Sciences
• Biomedical Sciences
• Biostatistics
• Cell/Cellular Biology and Histology
• Chemistry
• Epidemiology
• Human/Medical Genetics
• Microbiology
• Molecular Biochemistry
• Molecular Physiology
• Neurobiology and Neurophysiology
• Pathology/Experimental Pathology
• Pharmacology and Toxicology
• Physics
• Vision Science/Physiological Optics

SECURITY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT (98 awarded)

• Corrections and Criminal Justice
• Forensic Science and Technology

THERAPY AND COUNSELING (216 awarded)

• Physical Therapy/Therapist
• Psychology