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 science while being supported and mentored by faculty and graduate students.

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 Office to prepare to pursue a career in medicine.

TIP Scholars provides a small-college experience to about 325 freshmen each year through linked classes, a critical thinking course, tutoring, dedicated advising, and peer mentoring. Support continues into students' second year. TIP Scholars targets students who have excelled in high school even in the face of adversity. Students must apply and be selected to the program. 

The 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, or 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 science, geological sciences, human ecology, mathematics, physics, and all fields of biological sciences.

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 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 that 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 science.