Texas A&M University (TAMU) is a public research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, the first public institution of higher education in the state of Texas. The university has since grown to become one of the largest universities in the United States, with an enrollment of over 60,000 students. TAMU is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities and is classified as a “Doctoral/Research University-Extensive” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
The university’s research output is among the highest in the nation. In FY 2016, TAMU’s research expenditures totaled $837 million, ranking it 16th among all public universities and 4th among all universities in Texas. The vast majority of this research is conducted at TAMU’s main campus in College Station, which houses over 200 research centers and institutes. Notable examples include:
* The Bush School of Government and Public Service
* The Center for Geospatial Sciences
* The Institute for Genomic Medicine
* The Lightsey Center for Adaptive Optics
* The Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Center
* RECOVER – Hurricane Harvey Research Consortium
* TEES Wind Turbine Drivetrain Test Facility
TAMU’s main campus covers 5200 acres (21 km²) just north of downtown College Station. It includes academic buildings, residential colleges, dining halls, recreation facilities, and several museums and libraries. Additionally, there are two branch campuses: one in Galveston (TAMUG) and one in Qatar (Texas A&M at Qatar).