Colorado State University

Do you enjoy learning about organ systems and cells in humans and animals? Do you enjoy doing research? Do you have a passion for biological sciences you want to share with others? Are you interested in how plants grow and develop? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you may want to consider biological science as a major.

Department website: Biology

Catalog: Major in Biological Science

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

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 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

Do you have a desire to manage and protect the world’s natural resources? Are you interested in sustainability as it relates to science, policy, and social contexts? Are you excited about dabbling in a wide variety of science courses and investigating how science relates to environmental issues? If you answered yes to any of these questions, consider a major in Ecosystem Science and Sustainability.

Department website: Ecosystem Science and Sustainability

Catalog: Major in Ecosystem Science and Sustainability

How will humanity feed a growing population? How do agricultural markets function? Can environmental costs be measured and mitigated? How will the world’s scarce natural resources be allocated? These are a few of the issues that agricultural and resource economists deal with every day.

Department website: Agricultural and Resource Economics

Catalog: Major in Environmental and Natural Resource Economics

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 you enjoy starting plants from seed or propagating them? Does designing irrigation or sprinkler systems sound like fun? What about designing landscapes for homes or businesses or creating aesthetic interiors using plants? Have you wanted to have your own nursery business or garden center, tree-care company, or manage the greens at a golf course or baseball field? If you answered “yes” to some of these questions, a major in Environmental Horticulture may be for you.

Department website: Horticulture and Landscape Architecture

Catalog: Major in Environmental Horticulture

Are you interested in solving responding to issues that arise between wildlife and humans? Would you like to work with professionals from state, federal, and private organizations to help protect wildlife such as endangered species and restore their habitats? Do you love to be outdoors and fishing? If you said “yes” to any of these questions then a major in Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology may be for you.

Department website: Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology

Catalog: Major in Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology

Would like to help preserve, protect and maintain forests for future generations’ use and enjoyment? Have you ever wondered how valuable forest products can be harvested in a beneficial and environmentally sustainable manner? Would you like to manage a forest to preserve or restore its long-term viability, improve wildlife habitat, or maintain regional air and water quality? Do you wish to know how fire might be employed as a forest management tool? If your answer to any of these questions is “yes,” then a forest and rangeland stewardship major may be right for you.

Department website: Forest and Rangeland Stewardship

Catalog: Major in Forest and Rangeland Stewardship

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 like exploring the connection between complex environmental challenges and human behavior? This major is focused on understanding the social aspects of natural resources, and developing the skills to assess, plan and implement strategies that lead to successful conservation.  Curriculum for this major trains students in the areas of communication, leadership, systems thinking, collaboration, conflict management, decision-making, social science research in conservation, and conservation planning and management. 

Program website: Human Dimensions of Natural Resources

Catalog: Human Dimensions of Natural Resources

Are you committed to a life of learning and a broad-based education? Are you interested in knowing about past and contemporary cultures? Would you like exposure to a diversity of worldviews? Do you wish to develop excellent writing, speaking, thinking, and reading abilities? Would you like to study human behavior, history, and institutions in diverse societies? A “yes” answer may mean a major in Liberal Arts could be good for you.

Program website: Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts

Catalog: Major in Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts

Do you want to run a tourism or outdoor recreation business? Would you enjoy educating the public about natural or cultural history, the environment, or outdoor recreational opportunities? Would you like to manage public lands and waters to provide people with quality outdoor recreation experiences? Would you like to introduce people to wilderness recreation and preservation opportunities? Does a career in the growing field of ecotourism intrigue you? If so, you may want to consider natural resource tourism as a major.

Department website: Human Dimensions of Natural Resources

Catalog: Major in Natural Resource Tourism

How will the nation’s forest and range landscapes be managed in the future? Can water quality and wildlife habitat be protected as use of public lands increases? What is ecosystem management? How can computers be used to map and manage natural resources? How can economic and ecological tradeoffs among different resource uses be balanced? These are just some of the questions natural resource managers might consider

Department website: Forest and Rangeland Stewardship

Catalog: Major in Natural Resources Management

Are you fascinated by the fast-moving political events shaping our lives? Would you like to understand how government works and how people and events influence it? Do you wonder how public policies shape behavior and influence the course of history? Does becoming involved in international relations intrigue you? Are you concerned about individual rights and how to protect them? If your answers are “yes,” then Political Science may be the right major for you.

Department website: Political Science

Catalog: Major in Political Science

Do you feel more at home working in the prairie than in the mountains, forests, or on the sea? Are you an ecologist at heart who would like to help ensure that the nation’s rangelands are managed to promote sustainable ecosystems? Do you wish to help restore degraded wetlands, to reduce erosion, enhance wildlife habitats, and improve water quality? Would you like to manage large rangelands for a federal, state, or private land agency? If your answer to any of these questions is “yes,” then a major in restoration ecology is for you!

Department website: Forest and Rangeland Stewardship

Catalog: Major in Restoration Ecology

Would you like to know how other societies work and evolve and what we can learn from their successes and failures? Do you wonder why humans practice religion, engage in crime, and play at sport? Would you like to know how you could contribute to the solution of a pressing social problem? If your answers to these questions are “yes”, then a major in Sociology may be right for you.

3 concentrations are available:

Environmental Sociology

Criminology and Criminal Justice

General Sociology

Department website

CSU General Catalog entry

Are you interested in how the plants we eat grow, and how to grow them bigger, better, safer, and more efficiently? Would you like to understand the composition of soil and how it relates to plant or crop growth? Would you like to know more about conserving our soil and water? Are you interested in how to make crops more resistant to pests and drought? Are you concerned about our environment? Interested in international agriculture? If you answered yes to any of the above, you may want to consider a major in Soil and Crop Sciences.

Department website: Soil and Crop Sciences

Catalog: Major in Soil and Crop Sciences

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

Do the natural processes involving water and its contribution to natural and human systems interest you? Does the decreasing availability of clean water supplies concern you? Would you like to contribute your expertise to programs or policies that aim to preserve local or regional water quality, or to prevent or mitigate ground water contamination? Do you wish to study the interactions among land, land uses, and water? If you answer “yes” to any of these questions, then a major in Watershed Science may be right for you.

Department website: Ecosystem Science and Sustainability

Catalog: Major in Watershed Science

Have you dreamed of working with animals in a zoo? Are you curious about the habits of animals or how they adapt to their environment? Would you like to do research with animals or train animals? What about working in a lab assisting with the detection, diagnosis and treatment of diseases? Is becoming a veterinarian something you have dreamed of? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may want to consider majoring in zoology.

Department website: Biology

Catalog: Major in Zoology