University of South Alabama

What is the history of University of South Alabama?

The University of South Alabama is a public university founded in Mobile in 1963. Alabama established it to expand access to four-year higher education in a region that did not have a public university of its own; classes began the following year.

South Alabama subsequently added graduate and professional education, including medicine, and developed an academic health system. That history helps explain the university's present mix of undergraduate programs, health-professions training, clinical education and research. Its name refers to the university in Mobile, not to a campus of the University of Alabama system.

What are the faculties and departments at University of South Alabama?

South Alabama offers undergraduate, graduate and professional study across the arts and sciences, business, computing, education, engineering and health fields. Its academic units include the College of Arts and Sciences, Mitchell College of Business, School of Computing, College of Education and Professional Studies, College of Engineering, College of Allied Health Professions, Pat Capps Covey College of Nursing and Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine.

Students can explore subjects ranging from English, biology and marine sciences to accounting, computer science, mechanical engineering and nursing. The College of Medicine and the university's health system create a different academic environment from that of a university without medical training, but access to a particular clinical placement or research project depends on the program. Applicants should use the current academic catalog to distinguish a major from a preprofessional pathway and to check whether admission to a nursing, allied-health or other selective program requires a separate application.

What is the location of University of South Alabama?

South Alabama's main campus is in Mobile, Alabama, in a developed metropolitan setting rather than a remote college town. The university also operates health-related facilities beyond the main academic campus, so the location of classes or clinical training can vary by program.

Mobile offers access to hospitals, schools, businesses and community organizations that may be relevant to internships and clinical education. Commuting is a significant part of campus life: institutional figures indicate that roughly seven in ten students commute. Anyone planning to live off campus should check travel time, parking rules and the location of required placements - not just the distance to the main campus.

What is the mission and vision of University of South Alabama?

South Alabama states that its mission combines education, research, service and health care. As a public university with an academic health system, it describes improving the quality of life in the Gulf Coast region as a central purpose.

That stated mission is visible in the institution's mix of degree programs, medical education and patient care. A mission statement describes institutional priorities, however; it does not establish that every student will receive the same research, clinical or community-service opportunities. South Alabama is a public, nonsectarian institution.