Colorado State University

Is the chemical composition of living things fascinating to you? Would you like to have a role in the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of disease? Are you curious about gene expression and cellular replication? What about how our bodies synthesize vitamins and minerals? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then maybe a biochemistry major is for you.

Department website: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Catalog: Major in Biochemistry

Do you enjoy learning about the anatomic features of humans and animals and how organ systems function in detail? Do you dream about solving an important medical problem? Do you envision yourself as a professional in the medical or research field? If your answers are “yes”, then an anatomy and physiology concentration of the biomedical sciences major may be the choice for you.

Department website: Biomedical Sciences

Catalog: Major in Biomedical Sciences–Anatomy and Physiology Concentration

Are you interested in public health issues? Would you like to study how environmental factors relate to the health and disease of humans and animals? Would it be interesting to focus on maximizing people’s health, comfort and productivity? Would the study of communicable disease transmission, toxic chemical exposure, or air and water quality management interest you? If so, you may want to consider environmental public health as a concentration of the biomedical sciences major.

Department website: Environmental Health and Radiological Health Sciences

Catalog: Major in Biomedical Sciences–Environmental Public Health Concentration

Do you wish to understand how microbes affect human health? Do you wonder how microorganisms can be used to clean up pollution and toxic wastes or be used to improve foods and beverages, develop new medicines, or enhance farm crops? Would you like to study the human immune system, or help develop vaccines against infectious disease? If your answers are “yes” then a microbiology concentration in the biomedical sciences major may be the choice for you.

Department website: Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology

Catalog: Major in Biomedical Sciences–Microbiology and Infectious Disease Concentration

Are you interested in improving health or the environment by studying how matter changes? Have you thought about how to improve processes to safely produce chemicals and biochemicals? Are working on pollution control or pharmaceuticals of interest to you? If you answered “yes,” Chemical and Biological Engineering may be the major for you.

Department website: Chemical & Biological Engineering

Catalog: Major in Chemical & Biological Engineering

Are you naturally curious about what makes up the everyday things you see? Are you fascinated by the vast possibilities that lie in biotechnology and pharmaceutical research, food product development, medicine, and toxic substance management? Would you like to research and develop products and manufacturing processes? If your answer to any of these questions is “yes”, then a major in chemistry may be right for you.

Department website: Chemistry

Catalog: Major in Chemistry

*Teacher licensure available as a Chemistry Education Concentration of the Natural Sciences major

Are you fascinated by large-scale projects? Do cities, how they are physically organized, and changes that improve the local quality of life intrigue you? Does the design of bridges, tunnels, airports, highways, and other infrastructures capture your interest and imagination? If so, a career in civil engineering might be the one for you.

Department website: Civil and Environmental Engineering

Catalog: Major in Civil Engineering

Does the design and operation of electrical and computer systems fascinate you? How about designing or fabricating the next generation of microprocessor chips? Have you tinkered with or can build computers from their many parts? If your answer to any of these questions is “yes,” then a major in Computer Engineering may be for you.

Department website: Electrical and Computer Engineering

Catalog: Major in Computer Engineering

Would you like to program computers, not just use them? Could you spend hours developing code and have the patience to find every bug? Would the creation of computer operating systems, networks, or security measures interest you? Would you like to become a software engineer, database designer, or graphics software developer? If the answer to these questions is “yes,” then a major in Computer Science might be the one for you.

Department website: Computer Science

Catalog: Major in Computer Science

Do you marvel at big construction projects: buildings, bridges, airports, and roads? Have you always wondered how projects come together, how the materials, machines, and people are coordinated in space and time to produce those immense structures? Are you someone who would like to apply business, engineering, and management practices to complex real world projects? Do you enjoy working in dynamic, fast-paced teams? If your answers to any of these questions are “yes” then a major in Construction Management may be the one for you.

Department website: Construction Management

Catalog: Major in Construction Management

Data Science is the discovery of knowledge and insight through the analysis of data. As such, it draws on the study of algorithms and their implementation from computer science, the power of abstraction and of geometric and topological formalism from mathematics, and the modeling and analysis of data from statistics. It has emerged as a separate field in response to the avalanche of data from web enabled sensors and instrumentation, mobile devices, web logs and transactions, and the availability of computing power for data storage and analysis. Modern data is challenging not only due to its large scale, but also because it is increasingly heterogeneous and unstructured. Information gleaned from this data none-the-less is revolutionizing diverse areas of human endeavor from health policy to high energy physics.

There are 5 concentrations in Data Science:

Computer Science

Economics

Mathematics

Neuroscience

Statistics

Department website

CSU Catalog: Data Science

Does the design and operation of electrical equipment and systems fascinate you? Would you like to design energy systems that conserve resources or utilize solar energy? Would the design of lasers, advanced medical imaging solutions, signal processors, or self-driving cars interest you? If your answer to any of these questions is “yes,” then a major in Electrical Engineering may be for you.

Department website: Electrical and Computer Engineering

Catalog: Major in Electrical Engineering

Are you an environmentalist at heart who would like to design systems or devices to help improve environmental quality? Would you like to devise a project to clean up polluted ground water? Would you like to restore the health of local ecosystems or prevent pollution? Could you design a project to provide safe drinking water or waste water treatment where none exists? If your answers to these questions are “yes,” then a degree in environmental engineering might be for you.

Department website: Civil and Environmental Engineering

Catalog: Major in Environmental Engineering

Do the processes of the earth’s formation fascinate you? Would you like to work for a natural resource company, exploring for valuable mineral resources and analyzing their quantity and quality? Would you like to do seismic surveys for power plants, buildings, or highways? Would a career in geology teaching or research in schools, colleges, and private or national laboratories inspire you? If your answer to any of these questions is “yes,” and if you have a strong aptitude for mathematics, chemistry, and/or earth sciences, you should consider a major in geology.

Department website: Geosciences

Catalog: Major in Geology

*Teacher licensure available as a Geology Education Concentration of the Natural Sciences major

Do you enjoy the challenges of solving mathematical puzzles and analyzing complex formulas? Are you good at organizing and analyzing information? Does the idea of calculating odds and probabilities fascinate you? Would you like to apply mathematics and mathematical modeling to the solution of engineering, planning, or risk management problems? If you answer “yes” to any of these questions, then you may want to consider a major in mathematics.

Department website: Mathematics

Catalog: Major in Mathematics

Does creating new designs for the auto industry or in the fields of aeronautics and aerospace sound interesting? Does studying thermal sciences and the integration of electronic and mechanical devices interest you? Do you like putting ideas and designs to work? Would you enjoy the challenge of finding alternative energy sources, doing computer aided design, or biomedical research? If your answer to any of these questions is “yes,” then a major in mechanical engineering may be for you.

Department website: Mechanical Engineering

Catalog: Major in Mechanical Engineering

Would you like to be a high school or middle school science teacher? Do you seek a broad exposure to mathematics and the physical sciences, rather than specialization in one discipline? Do you have the skills to critically interpret scientific data? Are you considering graduate studies in science education, professional schools (e.g., medicine or law), or in the basic or applied sciences? A “yes” answer may mean natural sciences could be a good major for you.

Program website: School of Education

Catalog: Major in Natural Sciences

Are you interested in how the brain works both in a biological and psychological sense? Are you fascinated by how the brain’s function becomes disrupted in diseases and following brain injury? Would you like to build an in-depth understanding of the structure and function of the nervous system? Do you like learning about the underlying science behind human behavior? If these questions have you answering “yes,” then you may want to consider neuroscience as a major.

Program website: Molecular, Cellular and Integrative Neuroscience

Catalog: Major in Neuroscience

Are you interested in the description and explanation of natural phenomena? Are you good in mathematics and hope to put it to a practical use? Would you like to help unlock secrets to life and existence? Do the what, when, how, and why of heat, light, sound, gravity windstorms, volcanoes and energy intrigue you? Would you like to design devices to aid communications, medicine, aerospace, resource conservation or environmental preservation? Do radioactive elements and particle physics fascinate you as matter is transformed to energy and energy to matter? If your response to any of these questions is “yes,” then you should consider a major in Physics.

Department website: Physics

Catalog: Major in Physics

*Teacher licensure available as a Physics Education Concentration of the Natural Sciences major

Are you good at organizing and analyzing information? Would you be interested in producing and interpreting trustworthy data and presenting the results in a useful manner? Does the idea of calculating odds and probabilities fascinate you? Would you like to apply mathematics to everyday situations and to solve practical problems? A “yes” answer to these questions, then you may want to consider a major in statistics.

Department website: Statistics

Catalog: Major in Statistics