Early in the development of the Manned Spacecraft Center, a demand for graduate studies grew within NASA and the nearby space-related industries.

In 1964 the University of Houston (UH) began offering courses in physics, math, and various engineering programs to NASA employees at the Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC).

[citation needed] On Sept. 10, 1965, MSC Director Robert R. Gilruth formally requested that the University of Houston give immediate consideration to the establishment of a permanent graduate and undergraduate educational facility in the Clear Lake area.

UH President Philip G. Hoffman replied that "… it would be difficult for us to be unresponsive to vital needs of the MSC and its staff," but indicated that "the acquisition of appropriate land in the Clear Lake City area would be of crucial importance to this project.

"[citation needed] Humble Oil responded by donating 50 acres (200,000 m2) of land in the Clear Lake City development to the University of Houston for the establishment of a permanent undergraduate and graduate facility.

In addition, the Coordinating Board called for the creation of a stand-alone university in Clear Lake to offer upper-division and graduate-level programs adjacent to CLGC.

[10] Four years later in 1971, the 62nd Texas Legislature passed House Bill 199 authorizing the creation of the University of Houston at Clear Lake City as a separate and distinct degree-granting institution.

The first phase construction of the Bayou Building for the University of Houston at Clear Lake City (UH/CLC) began early in 1974.

The Bayou Building opened in September 1974 and classes began at UH/CLC under the leadership of the institution's founding president, Alfred R. Neumann.

[15][16] In January 2011, Senate Bill 324 was filed in the 82nd Texas Legislature for the institution's downward expansion by adding freshman and sophomore course offerings.

Additionally, the campus includes a physical plant maintenance facility, the headquarters building of the Environmental Institute of Houston,[19] and the University Forest Apartments.

Additionally, the library houses the University Archives, which includes the NASA Johnson Space Center History Collection.

It is also home to the Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities[25] (CADD), which supports research, trains current and future professionals and provides outreach services to families via confidential face-to-face and telehealth sessions.

Upon its opening, the Pearland location offered undergraduate and graduate courses in education and several social science disciplines.

Specialized trainings and certification programs are offered year-round for health care administrators and medical doctors in private practice.

[32] Many of the university's Schools and academic programs have individual accreditation through other governing bodies such as the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), the American Chemical Society (ACS), the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT), and the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).