Colleges in Oklahoma

Post-secondary schools in Oklahoma are a coordinated system of institutions. The Oklahoma System of Higher Education was created in 1941 by an amendment to the state's constitution. It is comprised of 25 universities, two of which are research universities, one public liberal arts university, 10 regional universities, 12 community colleges, two higher education centers and 11 constituent agencies. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education coordinates the system of Oklahoma schools of higher education. All colleges in Oklahoma are governed by their own board of regents.

The State Regents set the academic standards for Oklahoma, determine courses, approve each institutions allocations, tuition and fees and operates the Oklahoma College Assistance program.

Although the State Regents are the coordinating board for all Oklahoma schools in the OSHE, each separate institution has its own governing board of regents and trustees for operations and management.

There are 17 independent Oklahoma colleges and universities, three of which are religious-affiliated. The state has four tribal colleges and one theological seminary.

The University of Oklahoma, known as OU is listed in the 2014 edition of Best Colleges and Universities with a ranking of 101. It is a public research university that was founded in 1890. It is in an urban setting in Norman, Oklahoma on 3,313 acres. The university has an undergraduate student body of almost 22,000. It has very reasonable in-state tuition and fees, currently at around $7,300 per year. OU is the home of the National Weather Center. Any student can apply to conduct weather research during summer school.

Other top Oklahoma colleges and universities include Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford, and Northwestern Oklahoma State University. Northwestern State has three campus to choose from: the Alva campus, Enid campus and the Woodward campus.

Economy

In 2010, the Department of Economic Analysis listed the Gross Domestic Product of Ohio as $147.5 billion, the nation's 40th highest. Oil dominated the economy until a collapse in the industry during the 1980s. The state's economic sectors are diverse and include aviation, food and food processing, energy, electronics, aircraft, transportation equipment and telecommunications. Oklahoma is the nation's second largest producer of natural gas. It is the fifth largest producer of wheat and ranks 27th for agricultural products. The aerospace sector generates $11 billion each year.

Oklahoma is headquarters for four Fortune 500 and six Fortune 1000 companies. Oklahoma City is headquarters for Love's Travel Stops and Country Stores. The company was listed as the 18th largest private company by Forbes in 2010. Hobby Lobby, also based in Oklahoma City, was the 138th largest that same year. The largest airline maintenance base in the world is located in Tulsa. It is maintenance and engineering headquarters for American Airlines. The aerospace sector makes up over 10 percent of the state's industrial output. Its central location makes it a top state for weather research and logistics. Oklahoma is North America's top manufacturer of tires. It is rapidly becoming one of the leading states of biotechnology.

In 2011, the civilian labor force was made up of 1.7 million people and non-farm employment was around 1.5 million. The most jobs were in the government sector at 339,000. The transportation and utilities sector provided 279,500 jobs, education, 207,800, business, 177,400 and manufacturing provided 132,700 jobs.

Oklahoma is the nation's fifth largest producer of crude oil and the third largest natural gas producer. It has the second most active drilling rigs and ranks fifth for crude oil reserves.

Highly successful companies, diverse economic sectors and some of the nation's top schools characterize the economy of Oklahoma.