The Texas Woman's University (informally TWU, sometimes Twu or T-Dub) is a coed university in Denton, Texas.

TWU's Old Main. (photo © TWU)

History

For more information see History of TWU (main page).

TWU sign.

Texas Woman's University was originally established in 1901 by an act of the Texas Legislature as the Girls Industrial College, opening its doors in 1903 and conferring its first degrees in 1904. The college changed its name in 1905 to the College of Industrial Arts and Sciences (CIA) and offered programs in a variety of liberal arts, fine arts, and science programs. The school underwent another name change in 1934 to the Texas State College for Women (TSCW) to reflect its growing reputation as a premiere institution of higher education for women in the state. In 1950, TSCW became the first nationally accredited nursing program in the state, and in 1956 pioneered the first building dedicated to the instruction of library sciences. In 1957, the school changed its name for the fourth and final time to Texas Woman's University.

During 1972, it began accepting men into its health sciences graduate school. In 1994, the school opened all of its programs to qualified men. This rendered the Two Women United joke only slightly less funny upon hearing.  It did, however, open up the opportunity for men to wear the famous maroon TWU shirt, easily purchased at the local Wal-Mart, both to their ridicule and praise.

Academics

The school is presently divided into seven colleges:

1. College of Arts and Sciences encompasses the School for the Arts which supports programs in music, art and dance and The School of Management which confers business degrees including the M.B.A.. Academic departments including English, Speech, and Foreign Languages, Psychology and Philosophy, History and Government, Chemistry and Physics, Mathematics and Computer Science, Sociology and Social Work, and other liberal arts programs award their undergraduate degrees through this college.

2. College of Professional Education encompasses Departments of Family Sciences, Reading, and Teacher Education, and the School of Library & Information Studies.

3. College of Health Sciences is supported at the Houston and Dallas campuses and includes the Schools of Occupational Therapy and The School of Physical Therapy. Programs in Health Care Administration and Nutrition are included in this college.

4. College of Nursing was established in 1954, and is the 5th oldest Doctoral program in Nursing in the United States. TWU’s College of Nursing is the largest in Texas and the 11th largest in the U.S. TWU’s nursing doctoral program is the largest in the world. The College of Nursing offers programs on the baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral level. In addition to the generic Bachelor of Science program for students with no prior degree, there is a fast track program and a weekend program for students who already have a Bachelor's Degree; the school also has a Registered Nurse to Baccalaureate program (RN to BS) and a Registered Nurse to Master's Program (RN to MS). The school is very competitive with the cut off GPA frequently at 4.0. The College of Nursing has campuses in Houston and Dallas.

5. Graduate School functions as a separate unit of the university. It was originally established in response to the increased demand for woman's graduate education. The Graduate School processes graduate admissions to the university and subsequent academic affairs, including degrees in a variety of liberal arts programs.

6. School of Arts integrates all of TWU's fine arts (dance, drama, music, art, and theater) into an integrative pedagogy. It promotes holistic and balanced development of students in the pursuit of self-expression.

7. School of Management is the newest academic division at the university. In 2000 the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board authorized the creation of this unit from the school's business and economics department. The School of Management offers undergraduate courses and degrees, but emphasizes the MBA with emphasis on women and/or minority business ventures. A joint Health Care Administration degree is available through the University's Parkland campus. Dr. Paula Ann Hughes is the director of the school.

See also

• Universities
• TWU Organizations

Apartments

• uCribs - search available apartments near the Texas Woman's University Campus