public, coeducational institution of higher learning in Huntsville, Texas, U.S. It is part of the Texas State University System. The university includes colleges of arts and sciences, business administration, criminal justice, and education and applied science. In addition to undergraduate studies, the university offers a range of master's degree programs and doctoral programs in criminal justice, education, and forensic clinical psychology. The criminal justice program is the country's largest, and the Criminal Justice Center has its own courtroom. Several university organizations provide training and continuing education in this field, including the Correctional Management Institute of Texas, the Institute for Law Enforcement Training, the Bill Blackwood Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas, and the National Institute for Victim Studies. Total enrollment is approximately 12,500.

The university was founded in 1879 as the Sam Houston Normal Institute. Its original mission was to train teachers for the public schools of Texas. The institute awarded its first bachelor's degree in 1919. It became Sam Houston State Teachers College in 1923. The name was changed to Sam Houston State College in 1965 in recognition of its expanded academic program. Four years later it was elevated to university standing.