University of Texas at Austin College of Natural Sciences

The [http://cns.utexas.edu/ College of Natural Sciences] at [http://www.utexas.edu/ The University of Texas at Austin] offers more than 50 [http://cns.utexas.edu/current_students/degrees/ undergraduate degrees] and 15 graduate programs.

More than 9,000 students are enrolled in the college, and over 400 faculty are engaged in cutting-edge research areas including HIV, artificial intelligence, molecular biology, and particle physics.

Aside from the main campus, the college stretches to the [http://www.utmsi.utexas.edu Marine Science Institute] in Port Aransas, Texas (on the Texas Gulf Coast) and the [http://mcdonaldobservatory.org/ McDonald Observatory] in the Davis Mountains.

The College of Natural Sciences provides a forum for students to learn from and interact with teachers and researchers in the top of their fields, thereby honing their enthusiasm to a competitive edge. Through programs like the [http://cns.utexas.edu/current_students/research/freshman_research_initiative/ Freshman Research Initiative] , it provides extensive opportunities for young scientists to gain real research experience, which is key to successful science education.

Departments

* [http://www.as.utexas.edu/ Department of Astronomy]
* [http://www.biosci.utexas.edu/ School of Biological Sciences]
* [http://www.cm.utexas.edu/ Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry]
* [http://www.cs.utexas.edu/ Department of Computer Sciences]
* [http://www.utexas.edu/depts/he/ Department of Human Ecology]
* [http://www.utmsi.utexas.edu/ Department of Marine Sciences]
* [http://www.ma.utexas.edu/ Department of Mathematics]
* [http://www.ph.utexas.edu/ Department of Physics]
* [http://ssc.utexas.edu/ Division of Statistics and Scientific Computation]

Key Undergraduate Programs

The college offers two honors programs, [http://cns.utexas.edu/current_students/programs/dean/ Dean's Scholars] and [http://www.cs.utexas.edu/academics/undergraduate/honors/turing/index.html Turing Scholars] . Both require students to complete a specific course of study (apart from the requirements for their major) that lasts the duration of their college career and culminates in a research-based thesis.

[http://uteach.org/ UTeach] is a nationally recognized teacher-training program that provides rigorous science education and teacher certification to committed math, science and computer sciences students. The UTeach model is fast gaining momentum, helping to provide a solution to a crisis in math and science education in the United States. The model is now being replicated by 13 [http://cns.utexas.edu/communications/2008/01/replication_sites.asp other universities] such as University of California-Berkeley and Louisiana State University.

The [http://cns.utexas.edu/current_students/research/freshman_research_initiative/ Freshman Research Initiative] facilitates authentic research in chemistry, biochemistry, nanotechnology, molecular biology and computer science for first-year students. Supported and mentored by faculty and graduate students, freshmen gain research experience in dedicated research labs.

There are more than 50 student organizations that help undergraduates connect with the faculty, other students and the community. Click [http://cns.utexas.edu/current_students/beyond/organizations.asp here] for a complete list of student organizations.

Research

Over [http://cns.utexas.edu/organized_research_units/ 30 centers and institutes] have been created to promote collaborative, interdisciplinary research and advance research in target areas, including:

*Center for Information Assurance and Security
*Center for Learning and Memory
*Center for Nano and Molecular Science and Technology
*Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology
*Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
*McDonald Observatory
*Texas Natural Science Center
*Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research

Graduate Studies

*Astronomy
*Biochemistry
*Cell and Molecular Biology
*Chemistry (ranked No. 12, U.S. News & World Report)
*Computer Sciences (ranked No. 9, U.S. News & World Report)
*Ecology, Evolution and Behavior (ranked No. 8, U.S. News & World Report)
*Human Development and Family Sciences
*Marine Science
*Mathematics (ranked No. 15, U.S. News & World Report)
*Microbiology
*Nutritional Sciences
*Physics (ranked No. 11, U.S. News & World Report)
*Plant Biology
*Statistics
*Textile and Apparel Technology

Links and more information about The University of Texas at Austin graduate programs can be found at the Grad School [http://www.utexas.edu/ogs website] .