The University of Alabama at Birmingham (
UAB) is a public university in
Birmingham in the
U.S. state of
Alabama. Developed from an academic extension center established in 1936, the institution became an autonomous institution in 1969 and is today one of three institutions in the
University of Alabama System. In the fall of 2013, 18,568 students from more than 110 countries were enrolled at UAB pursuing studies in 140 programs of study in 12 academic divisions leading to
bachelor's,
master's,
doctoral, and
professional degrees in the
social and
behavioral sciences, the
liberal arts,
business,
education,
engineering, and health-related fields such as medicine, dentistry, optometry, nursing, and public health.