About Texas Tech University
There is no better place to be right now than Texas Tech University. Not since the university was founded in 1923 has there been such opportunity or momentum. Graduate and undergraduate enrollments are at record levels. Since 2006, total research expenditures at the university have increased from $48.7 million to more than $142.7 million in 2011. Our faculty and students are winning international acclaim. We are recruiting and hiring top-flight faculty in a variety of disciplines. Our goal is simple: become one of the nation's great research universities.
Texas Tech recently fulfilled the state-mandated requirements to become a National Research University in Texas and is now eligible to receive additional research funding of $8-10 million annually. Inclusion in the fund moves Texas Tech a step closer toward its ultimate goal of being recognized as a nationally competitive research university.
Texas Tech has the distinction of being the largest comprehensive higher education institution in the western two-thirds of the state and serves a region larger than 46 of the nation’s 50 states. A major research university with the feel of a smaller liberal arts institution, Texas Tech’s enrollment of more than 32,000 allows students to have one-on-one interactions with top faculty in a safe, traditional campus atmosphere.
The university offers 106 bachelor’s, 103 master’s and 56 doctoral degree choices. Plus, as part of the Texas Tech University System, Texas Tech shares the same campus with its sister university the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. The close proximity makes Texas Tech the only institution in the state with undergraduate and graduate schools, a law school and medical school all on the same campus, which facilitates the transition to professional studies.
A strong art and music program is balanced with growing research in a number of sustainable energy areas. New areas of research in solar and nuclear energies as well as smart grids and storage are supported by major endowed chairs. Texas Tech researchers are also known for their work in creative and technical writing, food safety, environmental toxicology and wind science.
Texas Tech students come from nearly every county in Texas, almost every state in the Union and more than 100 countries. Our students study on our own campus in Seville, Spain and participate in programs in more than 80 countries. They win prestigious, nationally competitive scholarships such as the William J. Fulbright, Gates-Cambridge, and Barry M. Goldwater Scholarships and are known for national academic championships in chess, animal sciences, debate and law.
Texas Tech is proud to boast one of the finest and most diverse faculties in the nation. Our faculty members excel in teaching, research and service, as well as winning prestigious national awards. For example, this year, three faculty members received CAREER awards from the National Science Foundation. These awards recognize the brightest and most promising young faculty from across the nation. Our Phi Beta Kappa chapter, which received the highest possible rating for 2008-2009 from the national Phi Beta Kappa Society, further demonstrates the superior education available here.
Community engagement plays an important role at Texas Tech. In 2006, the university was one of the first 62 institutions in country to earn the Carnegie Foundation’s classification for Community Engagement. In 2007 and 2008 the university was named to the Corporation for National and Community Service President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. In 2009, we engaged more than 197,000 individuals participated in TTU community partnerships and activities; 118,000 of these were K-12 students and teachers.
Texas Tech is home to the Lubbock Lake Landmark, an internationally known archeological site; the Texas Tech Museum, which is accredited by the American Association of Museums; Texas Tech University Press; the Maedgen Theatre, home to Texas Tech University’s Department of Theatre and Dance productions; and the Moody Planetarium.
The university is located in Lubbock, Texas – a thriving city of more than 233,000 people that is the economic and medical center of a 26-county region. While Lubbock has maintained a rich agricultural heritage with cotton remaining the major crop with 2-3 million bales of cotton produced annually, it has become a major retail and medical center for the Texas South Plains and Eastern New Mexico.
Lubbock has a rich quality of life with varied music and cultural venues. The Lubbock Symphony Orchestra recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. Ballet Lubbock and the Lubbock Chorale also thrive in the city along with an annual Arts Festival that brings visitors from across the region. The Underwood Center for the Arts and numerous small galleries and community theatre groups anchor a strong arts and theatre scene.
