The Texas legislature's designation of Texas Southern University as "a special purpose institution of higher education for urban programming" is the foundation for its pedagogic goals. Ascribing to the global implications of its urban mission, the University focuses on high-quality teaching, research, and public service to prepare students for leadership roles in urban communities worldwide.

Texas Southern University offers a variety of academic programs to students of diverse backgrounds and various levels of scholastic achievement. These students matriculate in undergraduate and graduate programs leading to degrees in the arts, science, public affairs, education, business, health science, law, pharmacy, and technology.

A special challenge to the institutional mission is the open-access philosophy, which affords admission to broad categories of students from the intellectually gifted to the academically under prepared. In support of this concept, the faculty develops unique educational programs and creates a stimulating intellectual climate for a diverse student clientele.

The expected outcome is that students will possess an appreciation for humanistic values, acquire effective use of communicative skills, and develop an appreciation and competency in the use of technology in daily living. These educational outcomes are periodically assessed to ensure the quality of the educational experience. Consequently, students who attend Texas Southern University acquire the professional training and personal confidence to succeed in the global workplace.

In fulfilling its mission and purpose, Texas Southern University is committed to the following: maintaining an innovative, productive, and receptive learning environment; implementing initiatives to ensure a suitable environment for research and other scholarly activities; and infusing new technological advances into its infrastructure and academic programs.