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A woman has opened fire at a university in the southern US state of Alabama, killing three people and wounding at least three more, officials have said.

She was apprehended outside a science building at the University of Alabama's Huntsville campus, shortly after firing on people at a biology faculty meeting.

University spokesman Ray Garner said the three killed were the

head of department and two other professors.

US educational sites have seen numerous fatal shooting attacks in recent years.

The most serious occurred at Virginia Tech University in 2007, when a student killed 32 people before turning the gun on himself.

Local television station WAFF, quoting a police official, said the woman detained after Friday's shootings was a faculty member.

She has not yet been named and no charges have yet been filed.

The university has posted a message on its website saying it has been confirmed that no students were involved in the incident.

"There has been a shooting on campus. The shooter has been apprehended. The campus is closed tonight. Everyone is encouraged to go home," it said.

There was still a heavy police presence on campus Friday night, with police tape cordoning off the main entrance to the university.

Two of the three injured, also biology department members, are said to be in a critical condition in hospital. The third was reportedly in a "fair" condition.

The Huntsville campus in northern Alabama has about 7,500 students