About UIW

With 11 schools and colleges in the United States, UIW students can explore such diverse fields of study as music, community health, computer information systems and teacher education, to name a very few. Explore each school and discover more.

College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
Dreeben School of Education
H-E-B School of Business and Administration
Feik School of Pharmacy
Ila Faye Miller School of Nursing and Health Professions
Rosenberg School of Optometry
School of Mathematics, Science and Engineering
School of Media and Design
School of Osteopathic Medicine
School of Physical Therapy
School of Professional Studies
Research and Graduate Studies

The esteemed faculty of UIW have received honors in research, professional service and teaching. Their expertise alongside a low student-to-faculty ratio of 11:1, ensures a classroom experience with an individualized discovery of truth and understanding.

Students graduate from UIW with the skills and confidence to enter countless fields and emerging industries, including teaching professions, fine arts, business administration, organizational leadership, medical professions and social service occupations. The academic programs, committed faculty and engaging classroom experiences empower students to enter the professional work world as innovative leaders and engaged scholars, using their vocations to serve the local and global community.

Since our earliest days, UIW has attracted a globally diverse student population that enriches the learning experience. Today, with international students making up 25% of enrollment, and representing 67 countries, UIW students learn about other cultures from their classmates amid daily interactions in class, in cultural celebrations on campus and through shared experiences.

Students have the unique opportunity to take their learning beyond borders and into one of UIW’s more than 140 international sister schools located on six continents for an immersive study abroad program. With a wide variety of choices, students can tailor their linguistic, cultural and historical interests by experiencing life in a different country.

UIW also has two campuses in Mexico, and European Study Centers in Strasbourg, France. Through international programs, UIW students can earn credits while experiencing student life in culturally historical cities and can even gain hands-on international work experience through internships and service-learning opportunities.

The 154-acre main campus, located on Broadway, is at the urban core of San Antonio and situated in the enclave city of Alamo Heights. Established in 1893, Incarnate Word School was originally located just a few miles south on Government Hill in San Antonio. The Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word purchased the George Brackenridge estate and built a Motherhouse on the property. The elementary and secondary schools were then transferred to the Broadway location. At the time, there was no college for women in San Antonio, so college courses were added to the curriculum. The school became known as the College and the Academy of the Incarnate Word. The mission of the University of the Incarnate Word is based on the Sisters’ commitment to service and responding to the needs around them.

San Antonio is the seventh largest city in the United States, but the vibrant village surrounding UIW provides a charming atmosphere in the center of all the action. Students are within walking distance of local eateries, trendy markets and an eclectic shopping district. Weekend activities can be navigated within a few miles from the Broadway campus. Whether students want to visit the San Antonio Zoo, The Witte Museum, the San Antonio Botanical Gardens, or have a relaxing afternoon enjoying the local farmers market and food culture at the Pearl, UIW is the perfect starting place to enjoy San Antonio culture.

The UIW Feik School of Pharmacy (FSOP) was founded in 2004 to provide high-quality education to students pursuing a Doctorate of Pharmacy, and is the only faith-based School of Pharmacy in Texas. FSOP was built in the center of San Antonio, and designed specifically for pharmaceutical education. The classrooms are equipped with the latest instructional technology, with breakout rooms adjacent to classrooms for small group sessions.

Pharmaceutical students take their classroom training into preceptorships across the city, partnering with San Antonio medical health institutions and community partners. With 30% of pharmacy education taking place in practice settings, students carry the tenet of service into their practice, taking part in service projects to help underserved populations, including health fairs, free clinics and missional health outreach abroad.

FSOP continues the hope of founding Sisters, who had a vision for a comprehensive health care provision to serve the needs of San Antonio and South Texas. The School of Pharmacy sends highly-trained Doctors of Pharmacy out into the world, competent and caring, ready to advocate for underserved populations.

The Rosenberg School of Optometry (RSO) is positioned in northwest San Antonio near the Medical Center. Optometry students receive clinical training at the UIW Eye Institute at the San Antonio Medical Center, a major eye clinic serving greater San Antonio area and surrounding South Texas communities.

RSO is committed to providing compassionate health care to the San Antonio community. This is exemplified in their service to Northside Independent School District, where optometry students offer over 600 yearly vision examinations and spectacles to kids who fail their school visual screenings. Doctoral candidates also work and learn at the Bowden Eye Care and Health Clinic, a visual care center serving the traditionally underserved community of San Antonio’s Eastside.

The University of Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine (UIWSOM) is located at Brooks, formerly known as Brooks City Base, the historic location was home to the School of Aerospace Medicine. President John F. Kennedy dedicated several buildings at the former School of Aerospace Medicine in his last official act as president in 1963. The 155,000-square foot facility, spread out over 16 acres in South San Antonio, is now home to several hundred future osteopathic physicians.

UIWSOM is noted for the holistic philosophy marked by the osteopathic approach, and its commitment to service and care based on UIW’s founding Sisters. Located on San Antonio’s Southside, an area of high poverty and high diabetes rate, UIWSOM seeks to serve local community through community clinics and health initiatives serving neighbors in need.

UIWSOM was established in 2017, and has since created community partners with local schools, parishes and health service providers, where student-doctors can gain hands on clinical training while serving San Antonio residents. Third and fourth year students rotate through specialties in San Antonio’s established health systems, including Baptist, Methodist and CHRISTUS.

UIWSOM emphasizes a curriculum focused on life-long learning, stressing independent study and self-directed learning. Student-doctors receives early exposure in experiential learning and patient contact.

The UIW School of Physical Therapy (SOPT), located in the Tezel Heights neighborhood of San Antonio, is one of four Catholic Physical Therapy schools in the Southwest. The 50,000-square foot, state-of-the-art facility combined with a problem-based learning method and innovative clinical training, prepares students to become competent healthcare professionals. SOPT students train at health care centers all around San Antonio, learning from clinical instructors how to restore function, optimize movement and enhance health of patients.

Civic responsibility is at the core of the School of Physical Therapy’s mission. Students spend their first-year training in the school’s community clinic, gaining hands-on clinical experience while serving under-resourced San Antonio residents. Community engagement opportunities and mission-driven initiatives teach SOPT students how to provide care with concern for the well-being of the community. SOPT also offers international service-learning opportunities in Mexico, Germany and Italy.

The UIW campus is also adjacent to Sacred Spaces of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word. These Spaces allow for moments of reflection, rejuvenation and healing.

The Headwaters is the source of the San Antonio River, and the home to the Blue Hole springs. Nature trails take visitors to the 53-acre Headwaters Sanctuary, providing a scenic place for retreat and restoration.

St. Brigid’s Oak, a live oak tree that is approximately 600 years old, can be found along St. Brigid’s Path. It is dedicated to St. Brigid of Kildare (451-525 AD) by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word and the University of the Incarnate Word.

The Lourdes Grotto honors Our Lady of Lourdes, and the original grotto in Lourdes, France which is well known for its healing powers.