Choose from more than 50 student organizations involving majors and interests in the College of Natural Sciences.

Most undergraduates interested in a career in medicine begin their studies in a major in the College of Natural Sciences. No specific major is designated for pre-med studies. Instead undergraduates spend their time pursuing a specific undergraduate major and working closely with advisors and the Health Professions Advising to prepare to pursue a career in medicine.

The Texas Interdisciplinary Plan TIP-First Year is a collection of selective academic programs for students in the College of Natural Sciences and College of Liberal Arts. TIP seeks to transform the learning experience by creating small academic communities that promote scholarship and intellectual opportunities for enterprising students. The programs include TIP Scholars, TIP Fellows, the TIP Mentor Academy and GRAD. 

Emerging Scholars Program is a challenging honors-level academic program for a select group of entering freshmen majoring in the Colleges of Natural Sciences, Engineering, Business and Liberal Arts. Started in Fall 1988, ESP is designed to provide motivated students with an opportunity to study calculus in a challenging but friendly environment.

Women in Natural Sciences is designed to promote recruitment, retention and success of women at all levels throughout the college. Academic disciplines within the college include astronomy, chemistry, computer sciences, geological sciences, human ecology, mathematics, physics and all fields of biological sciences.

The Freshman Research Initiative offers first year students the opportunity to initiate and engage in authentic research experiences in chemistry, biochemistry, nanotechnology, molecular biology and computer sciences while being supported and mentored by faculty and graduate students.

UTeach is a collaboration between UT Austin’s Colleges of Natural Sciences and Education and the Austin Independent School District. Its goal is to attract interested students to explore secondary teaching early with limited initial commitment of time and money.

The goal of Natural Sciences Career Services is to assist students with your career development, including major/career exploration, job search strategies and graduate school planning.

• Natural Sciences Career Services
• UT Austin's Career Exploration Center

The McDonald Observatory is one of the world's leading centers for astronomical research, teaching and public education and outreach.

The J.J. Pickle Research Center is a 476-acre site eight miles north of the main campus and houses research organizations in engineering, science and the social sciences.

The Marine Science Institute has active research programs in marine science disciplines including the physiology, biochemistry and ecology of marine plants and animals; dynamics of marine ecosystems; biogeochemistry; mariculture; toxicology; and environmental monitoring. It is the oldest marine research station on the Texas Gulf Coast.

In the heart of central Austin along the Colorado River, the 88-acre Brackenridge Field Laboratory provides easy access to natural experimental space for college biologists, ecologists and their students. The lab includes several ecosystems representative of Central Texas, access to aquatic research facilities and state-of-the-art greenhouses.

The Freshman Research Initiative (FRI) offers first-year students the opportunity to advance academically while doing cutting-edge, original, publishable research in fields such as chemistry, biochemistry, nanotechnology, molecular biology, physics, astronomy and computer sciences.