A member of the Texas A&M University family of institutions, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi is a state-supported, comprehensive university. It is the only university in America located on its very own island. Founded in 1947, its main aim is to cater to the higher educational needs of south Texas and the state, with special emphasis on Allied Health, Applied Technology, Business Administration, and Environmental Studies. The academic curriculum of the university is divided among five colleges: the College of Arts and Humanities, the College of Business, the College of Education, the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, and the College of Science and Technology. All of them collectively impart 33 undergraduate majors, 25 graduate programs, and two doctoral programs. The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, has acknowledged the Geographic Information Science program offered by the university, which is the only computer-based GIS program of its kind in the state. Further, the university's curriculum based on Ethnic Studies is designed with courses in History, Communication, Cultural Awareness, and Politics. The university’s palm tree-lined campus is set on 240-acre Ward Island, surrounded by the Corpus Christi and Oso bays. A host of facilities such as a 64,000-square-foot Science and Technology building, state-of-the-art laboratories, and computer center are available. Also, on campus is the Mary and Jeff Bell Library, with a depository of materials pertaining to history, urban and ethnic studies, literature, folklore, art, photography, government, anthropology, sociology, and the sciences. Accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, TAMUCC was rated many times as one of the best colleges in the nation by the U.S. News & World Report.