The University of Alabama at Birmingham

The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is a public research university in Birmingham, Alabama. Developed from an academic extension center established in 1936, the institution became a four-year campus in 1966 and a fully autonomous university in the University of Alabama System in 1969.

UAB offers 140 programs of study in 12 academic divisions leading to bachelor's, master's, doctoral, and professional degrees in the social and behavioral sciences, the liberal arts, business, education, engineering, and health-related fields such as medicine, dentistry, optometry, nursing, and public health. In the fall of 2018, 21,923 students from more than 110 countries were enrolled.

The UAB Health System, one of the largest academic medical centers in the United States, is affiliated with the university. UAB Hospital sponsors residency programs in medical specialties, including internal medicine, neurology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, surgery, radiology, and anesthesiology. UAB Hospital is the only Level I trauma center in Alabama.

UAB is the state's largest single employer, with more than 23,000 faculty and staff and over 53,000 jobs at the university and in the health system. An estimated 10 percent of the jobs in the Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area and 1 in 31 jobs in the state of Alabama are directly or indirectly related to UAB. The university's overall annual economic impact was estimated to be $7.15 billion in 2017.

UAB is located in the Southside neighborhood of downtown Birmingham. Occupying more than 100 city blocks, the roughly rectangular campus blends with the urban character of the Southside, stretching between 4th Ave S and 12th Ave S north to south and 8th St and 22nd St east to west. University Boulevard serves as the main axis of the rectangle and Campus Green sits approximately at the center.

The campus can be divided into three sections. The medical center occupies most of the campus east of Campus Green. The medical center is home to the health science schools and their teaching facilities, including the UAB Health System (UABHS). The medical center overlaps with the larger Birmingham Medical District where, in addition to UABHS, non-UAB affiliated hospitals such as the VA Medical Center Birmingham, Children's Hospital of Alabama and Cooper Green Mercy Hospital are located.

The academic heart of campus stretches from the Campus Green west and from University Boulevard south. Campus Green, developed between 2000 and 2007 as part of the move to convert the school from its previously commuter school feel into a more traditional residential campus, not only anchors the academic campus but serves as the centerpiece for the university as a whole. Most academics and arts buildings (excluding those associated with the medical center), residence halls, and student life facilities sit on or within two blocks of the Green.

Faculties

• Accounting        
• Administration/Health Services
• African American Studies
• Anatomical Science
• Anthropology of Peace and Human Rights
• Anthropology
• Applied Mathematics
• Art
• Biochemistry & Structural Biology
• Bioinformatics
• Biology
• Biomedical Sciences
• Biostatistics
• Biotechnology
• Business Administration
• Cancer Biology
• Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology
• Chemistry
• Civil Engineering
• Clinical Informatics
• Clinical Pathologist Assistant
• Clinical/Medical Social Work
• Communication Management 
• Communication Studies
• Community Health and Human Services
• Computer Engineering
• Computer Science
• Construction Engineering Management
• Counseling
• Criminal Justice
• Cyber Security
• Data Science
• Dental Assisting
• Dentistry
• Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education
• Economics
• Education
• Educational Leadership
• Educational Studies in Diverse Populations
• Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Electrical Engineering
• Elementary Education
• Engineering Management
• Engineering
• English
• Environmental Engineering
• Environmental Health Sciences
• Epidemiology
• Finance
• Foreign Languages
• General Studies              
• Genetic and Genomic Sciences
• Genetic Counseling
• Genetics, Genomics, and Bioinformatics
• Global Health Studies
• Healthcare Simulation
• History
• Human Resource Management
• Immunology
• Industrial Distribution
• Information Systems
• Instructional Design and Development
• Interdisciplinary Engineering
• International Studies
• Low Vision Rehabilitation
• Management Information Systems
• Marketing
• Materials Engineering
• Mathematics
• Mechanical Engineering
• Medical Sociology
• Medicine
• Mentoring and Leadership
• Microbiology
• Multidisciplinary Biomedical Science
• Music
• Neuroscience
• Nonprofit Management
• Nuclear Medicine Technology
• Nursing
• Nutrition Sciences         
• Optometry
• Pathobiology, Pharmacology & Physiology
• Philosophy
• Physical Therapy
• Physician Assistant
• Physics
• Political Science
• Pre-Dentistry
• Pre-Law              
• Pre-Medicine   
• Pre-Optometry
• Professional Sales                          
• Psychology        
• Public Administration                   
• Public Health — Health Behavior/Psychology                   
• Public Health — Maternal and Child Health/Social Work              
• Public Health/Biomedical Sciences                        
• Public Health/Dentistry
• Public Health/Health Administration     
• Public Health/Industrial and Systems Engineering                                          
• Public Health/Medicine               
• Public Health/Nutrition Sciences                            
• Public Health/Optometry                           
• Public Health/Pharmacy                                                             
• Public Health/Public Administration
• Health/College of Arts & Sciences
• Public Health/Sociology
• Public Health/Veterinary Medicine
• College of Veterinary Medicine
• Reading Education         
• Rehabilitation Science  
• Social Media                    
• Sociology
• Spanish for Specific Purposes                                                                  
• Statistical Genetics                       
• Sustainable Engineering              
• Technology, Commercialization, and Entrepreneurship               
• Theatre              
• Translational and Molecular Sciences                   
• Transportation Engineering                                      

Organization and administration

UAB is an autonomous institution within the University of Alabama System, which is governed by the Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama and headed by Chancellor of the University of Alabama. The board is self-nominating and composed of 15 elected members and two ex officio members. The makeup of the board is dictated by the Constitution of the State of Alabama, and requires that the board be made up of three members from the congressional district that contains the Tuscaloosa campus, and two members from every other congressional district in Alabama. Board members are elected by the board and are confirmed by the Alabama State Senate. Board members may serve three consecutive six-year terms.

The president of the University of Alabama at Birmingham is the principal executive officer of the university and is appointed by the chancellor with approval of the Board of Trustees. The president reports directly to the chancellor, and is responsible for the daily operations of the university. The president also acts as chairman of the board of the UAB Health System. Richard Marchase was named interim president on August 21, 2012, after the retirement of former president Carol Garrison. In February 2013, Ray L. Watts became UAB's seventh president.

Rankings

In the 2020 U.S. News & World Report rankings, UAB was tied for the 166th best national university and was ranked the 79th best public university. The UAB Master of Science in Health Administration program is the top ranked Health Care Management program in the U.S. News & World Report rankings and the only #1 program at UAB. Since 2015, the MSHA program has been the highest-ranking program at UAB.

In 2018, UAB was named the Top Young University in the U.S. (50 years or younger) and among the top 10 globally in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, which ranks effectiveness in areas such as teaching, research, citations, international outlooks and industry outcomes.

Student life

There are over 150 student organizations on the UAB campus.

The UAB Model Arab League team is among the best government model teams in the nation with over five years of expansion and award-winning achievement including multiple "outstanding delegation" awards. The UAB Mock Trial team is consistently among the nation's best as a perennial Top 25 program. The program enjoyed its greatest success in 2006, when the team won the national title in the Silver Division defeating the defending national champions of Harvard University.

Recreation Center

Opened in 2005, the UAB Recreation Center serves the students, faculty, and alumni of UAB as well as the Birmingham community. The 150,000 square feet (14,000 m2) covers three floors: housing four basketball/volleyball courts, four racquetball courts (one of which can be converted to squash and four for wallyball), four aerobics studios, 18,000 square feet (1,700 m2) of weight and cardio-fitness areas, game room, KidsZone, aquatics center with both lap and leisure components, CenterCourt gym used for indoor soccer, floor hockey and badminton, juice bar, indoor track, and a climbing wall. The center includes free weights, court sports, swimming pools, group fitness classes, nutrition education, fitness areas, and a climbing wall.