H I G H E R
E D U C A T I O N
Universities Support Diverse Needs of Industry
Across the State
Photo courtesy of Texas Technical University
by SAVANNAH KING
T
he second-largest workforce in America is over 14 million strong and is growing by the minute. Texas’s robust system of 148 higher education institutions includes six public state university systems, six state technological college systems, and 50 community college districts. Across the state, these institutions educate 1.57 million students annually. Even with the challenges of remote instruction following the pandemic, Texas state university systems saw increased enrollment. We’ve compiled key information regarding each of the state’s six public university systems. With so many leading educational and research locations across the Lone Star State, a skilled and talented workforce is around every bend. • Texas A&M University System: One of the largest systems of higher education in the country, the Texas A&M University System is a statewide network of 11 universities, with its flagship campus in College
38
TEXAS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GUIDE
Station. According to Money Magazine, Texas A&M University ranks No. 1 in the state for value. The university’s student population ranks among national leaders and is the largest in Texas, according to U.S. News and World Report. In 2020, the system began building a half-billion-dollar complex in the Texas Medical Center area in Houston. The complex will house the university’s groundbreaking Engineering Medicine (EnMed) program and create additional student housing and medical office space. According to Forbes, Texas A&M University is the No.1 university in the nation for having the most graduates serve as CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. The university system also boasts an impressive lineup of nationallyranked programs for business, engineering, health care, petroleum engineering, biology & agricultural engineering, nuclear engineering, and veterinary medicine.
