The building is projected to be an approximately 150,000 square foot, four-story structure at an estimated cost of $65 million.

The University of Houston's Board of Regents approved Thursday that the College of Medicine building will be constructed on the UH campus on a 43-acre tract of undeveloped land UH purchased in 2008 near MacGregor Park on Martin Luther King Boulevard at Old Spanish Trail.

The approximately 150,000 square foot medical school will focus on preparing primary care doctors to practice in underserved urban and rural communities.

One of the main goals of the college is addressing a significant shortage of primary care doctors in the state. Texas ranks 47th out of 50 states in primary care physician-to-population ratio.

Dr. Stephen Spann, founding dean of the College of Medicine, said building on campus in close proximity to some of the surrounding communities "is ideal because it aligns with our mission." Spann added that the chosen location will enable "meaningful collaboration with other health programs throughout the University."

Design and construction

As the next step, UH can begin negotiating and executing contracts for design and construction.

The College of Medicine building is projected to be an approximately 150,000 square foot, four-story structure at an estimated cost of $65 million. The University will pay for the building using institutional capital funds reserved for construction projects.

The Health 2 building on the UH campus currently serves as the temporary home to the College of Medicine until the MacGregor building opens.

Health 2 provides the necessary facilities and resources for attaining preliminary accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education. The College of Medicine will submit its LCME application between December and April.

The other site considered by the UHS Board of Regents for the medical school building was a university-owned property on Moursund Street at Braeswood Boulevard in the Texas Medical Center.

Tuition and fee rates

The Board of Regents also approved the establishment of tuition and fee rates for the Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree at UH at $23,755 per year. That's on par with medical degrees from other Texas public universities.

Initial enrollment of 30 students is expected in Fall 2020, pending federal accreditation, growing to full enrollment of 480 students over the next eight years.

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board unanimously approved a UH Doctor of Medicine degree last month.

Full four-year tuition for the inaugural class will be funded by an anonymous donation announced in July, while full tuition for one-third of the second class will be covered by a gift from the John M. O'Quinn Foundation.

Watch video of the location where the UH College of Medicine will be built here:

Subscribe to Today in Houston Fill out the form below to subscribe our new daily editorial newsletter from the HPM Newsroom. Email* First Name Last Name * required