College Overview

The College of Natural Sciences is the second largest college at The University of Texas at Austin, with 9 departments and schools, over 8,000 students, and 33 research units.

Mission
The mission of the College of Natural Sciences is to provide an excellent, research-oriented education in science that fosters the success of its students, discover important new knowledge through research, and create an intellectually and scientifically enriched environment that fosters the economic and technological development of Texas.

Commitment to science education

Laura Lavery in the ICMB
Undergraduate Laura Lavery conducts research in Dr. Andy Ellington's lab in the Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology.
The college is committed to providing a high-quality, research-based science education. Students in the college choose from majors in areas as diverse as biology/pre-med, chemistry, molecular biology, mathematics, ecology, computer science, child development, nanotechnology and nutrition.

Our students have a wealth of opportunities to interact with and learn from award-winning teaching faculty and are encouraged to engage in undergraduate research, study abroad, internships and student organizations.

The college is also committed to fostering math and science education throughout Texas and the United States and increasing the participation of traditionally underrepresented groups in the sciences. Several of our science education programs are nationally recognized, including: UTeach and the Dana Center for Mathematics and Science Education.

Commitment to research

Ecology class
Students taking in a course in field ecology at the Brackenridge Field Lab.
Natural Sciences is home to many of the top research faculty and best graduate students in the world. The breadth of research in the college is astounding, and the diversity in faculty interest feeds into unique and productive collaborations. More than 400 scientists have access to world-class research facilities, and grants and contracts awarded to faculty amount to over $99 million per year*. To supplement research in the departments, over 30 centers and institutes have been created to promote collaborative, interdisciplinary research and advance research in target areas. * annual average from 2002-2006.

Click here to learn about all of our centers and institutes.




Commitment to the Texas economy

Nano Chip
Dr. John McDevitt's lab-on-a-chip technology will be used to measure blood characteristics  of HIV patients in remote African villages.
The discoveries, people, and ideas that emerge from the College of Natural Sciences reach far beyond the confines of our campus. The college is committed to fostering the translation of basic research into real solutions for society.

Many scientists in the college are conducting research in areas critical to humanity, like viral transmission, bioterrorism, energy, HIV, influenza, cancer, heart disease, nutrition, sustainability, and learning and memory. Strong industry partnerships help provide opportunities to advance faculty research.







Academic Units

The college is composed of 12 academic units with faculty studying at all scales, from subatomic particles to whole organisms and the universe.

Department of Astronomy
School of Biological Sciences
    Section of Integrative Biology
    Section of Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology
    Section of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology
    Section of Neurobiology
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Department of Computer Sciences
Department of Human Ecology
Department of Marine Science
Department of Mathematics
Department of Physics
Division of Statistics and Scientific Computation