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Approximately 8,500 students att-end Prairie View A&M University, which is the second-oldest public institution of higher learning in Texas, behind its sister school, Texas A&M. Students choose from 50 different majors, and Prairie View is known for its education, nursing, and engineering programs. The College of Juvenile Justice and Psychology and Texas Juvenile Crime Prevention Center building is one of the campus’s newest structures and features a psychology clinic and a mock courtroom. The College of Nursing recently unveiled its state-of-the-art 12-story education facility at Houston’s Texas Medical Center.
Nicknamed “The Hill,” the university’s 1,500-acre campus provides plenty of green spaces. The freshman experience is enhanced by the fact that all first-year students live together in their own residential college. Upperclassmen reside on campus in two- and four-bedroom apartment complexes. The university’s popular Greek system provides many social opportunities, and students also participate in the more than 90 honor societies, clubs, and other special-interest groups sponsored by the university. The PVAMU Marching Storm band is quite popular on and off campus: The talented group was featured as the lead band in the 2009 Rose Parade. Student athletes compete in the NCAA and the Southwest Athletic Conference (SWAC). Many students prefer to spend weekends on campus or in the town of Prairie View, which hosts rodeo events and various festivals throughout the year. Nearby lakes and recreational areas offer water sports and horseback riding. Downtown Houston, with its museums, cosmopolitan restaurants, and nightclubs and pubs, is less than an hour’s drive from campus.