The University of Miami (informally referred to as UM, U of M, or The U) is a private, nonsectarian research university located in Coral Gables, Florida, United States. As of 2014, the university currently enrolls 16,774 students in 12 separate colleges/schools, including a medical school located in Miami's Civic Center neighborhood, a law school on the main campus, and a school focused on the study of oceanography and atmospheric sciences on Virginia Key, with a research facilities at the Richmond Facility in southern Miami-Dade County. These colleges offer approximately 115 undergraduate, 104 master's, and 63 doctoral of which 59 are research/scholarship and four professional areas of study. Over the years, the University's students have represented all 50 states and close to 150 foreign countries. With more than 14,000 full and part-time faculty and staff, UM is the sixth largest employer in Miami-Dade County.
Research is a component of each academic division, with UM attracting $346.6 million per year in sponsored research grants. UM offers a large library system with over 3.1 million volumes and exceptional holdings in Cuban heritage and music. UM also offers a wide range of student activities, including fraternities and sororities, a student newspaper and radio station. UM's intercollegiate athletic teams, collectively known as the Miami Hurricanes, compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, and its football team has won five national championships since 1983.
UM's main campus spans 260 acres (1.1 km2) in Coral Gables, located immediately south of the city of Miami. Most of the University of Miami's academic programs are located on the main campus in Coral Gables, which houses seven schools and two colleges including the University of Miami School of Law. The campus has over 5,900,000 sq ft (550,000 m2) of building space valued at over $657 million.
The university also has a campus theater, the Jerry Herman Ring Theatre, which is used for student plays and musicals. The John C. Gifford Arboretum, a campus arboretum and botanical garden, is located on the northwest corner of the main campus in Coral Gables. The Jorge M. Perez Architecture Center is the lecture hall and gallery of the School of Architecture that displays exhibitions focusing on architecture and design.
