Sam Houston State University

Sam Houston State University International Student Insurance

Sam Houston State University, located in Huntsville, Texas, was established in 1879. It was founded as Sam Houston Normal Institute, a teacher training school, at the former site of Austin College, which had recently relocated to Sherman, Texas. Campus landmark Austin Hall was constructed in 1851 and is the nation’s oldest continuously operating university building west of the Mississippi River. The school conferred its first bachelor’s degree in 1919, was renamed Sam Houston State Teachers College in 1923, and awarded its first post-bachelor’s degree in 1936. The school became Sam Houston State College in 1965 and, finally, Sam Houston State University in 1967.

Today, the school enrolls more than 20,000 students and counting each year. Its colors are orange, white, and blue, and its athletic nickname is the Bearkats.

On Campus

Notable campus resources include the College of Criminal Justice, one of the oldest and largest programs of its kind in the nation. Huntsville serves as the co-headquarters of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and is home to several state prisons. The College was one of the first in the country to offer a Ph.D. in criminal justice and the first to offer a master’s degree in forensic science. It’s also the headquarters of the Texas Forensic Science Commission.

SHSU has also gained recognition for its Texas Studies programs, the Texas Research Institute for Environmental Studies, and the Institute for the Study of Invasive Species.

Notable Alumni

Notable SHSU alumni include journalist Dan Rather; film director Richard Linklater; U.S. politician Charlie Wilson; and Major League Baseball pitchers Phil Hennigan, Fred Beene, Matt Langwell, and Steve Sparks.