At a Glance

Do you enjoy pondering the potential of life in outer space? Do you want to know what makes the planets in our solar system tick? Do the stars fascinate you? SDSU’s Astronomy major may be the perfect match for you. There are many fields of study in such a major as astronomy, including cosmology.

Apart from bioinformatics, this graduate program also includes medical informatics, merging to create Bioinformatics and Medical Informatics (BIOMI). Further still, BIOMI encompasses other scientific fields such as statistics, engineering and mathematics.

A deeply varied major, biology is an extensive pathway with several areas of study. Pick your passion: endocrinology, entomology, marine sciences, immunology, etc. If you have an interest in human, animal or plant sciences, you’ll probably feel right at home in the biology major.

If you’re interested in being part of the development of new substances, or if you’ve wanted to try your luck at discovering new chemicals through research, welcome to the Chemistry major. In this major, students will not only find themselves learning about the possibility of improving living conditions on our planet, but there are multiple sub-topics involved in the Chemistry major, such as physical chemistry and analytical chemistry.

*For Chemical Physics, refer to Physics

Computational Science is available both as a Master’s program and as a joint Ph.D. degree. Prospective applicants to these programs should keep in mind that computational science is mainly centered around fundamental science. Aside from this, though, the programs will also involve real-life problem solving in the field of science via a thesis project.

The computer science major covers multiple facets of the existence of computers and all that that encompasses. In addition to the retrieval and storage of information, the computer science major also entails learning about the writing of computer programs and the compatibility of the systems that read them, as well as, of course, foundational information pertaining to the field of computing.

While geological sciences is indeed a major, it is also a department that encompasses other areas of focus, as well as a master’s degree program. Geological Sciences is the perfect major for anyone who has been curious about the very ground beneath our feet. This goes deep: in this major, you will study the history of the earth as well as major changes in its makeup as it has evolved since its development. Additionally, you will learn about environmental responsibility and how we can better manage our resources. Climate change, natural disasters, and pollution will, of course, also be explored. Aside from the geological studies major, though, there are other areas of focus in the geological studies department, including a geological studies master’s program, an environmental sciences major, and an oceanography minor.

The Homeland Security graduate program encapsulates a myriad of study areas and work. Students are offered many opportunities with a program like this, ranging from responding to disasters, countering human trafficking, law enforcement, and even the smuggling of artworks. It should be noted that, for this graduate program, it is a mandatory requirement that students study abroad as it will be used for them to research their chosen thesis topic.

Used as a basis for science and technology, mathematics is central to problem solving and building on itself by creating new branches of study.

Statistics, on the other hand, sees most of its use in fields such as outcome prediction and analyzing relationships, among other things.

Just as building blocks can be a pivotal tool in any child’s box of toys, so too is the field of physics pivotal to the foundation of science. The list of fields that use physics as a base is so immense that to name all of them would take up the majority of the space in this section of the website. To name a few, though, astronomy, chemistry and engineering all rely on physics heavily. Aside from these more physical disciplines, space and time, as well as relativity, also rely on physics.

As one might expect, psychology is a very human major. Students who pursue this path will gain an understanding of what kind of stimuli makes the human mind tick, from how experiences in childhood affect emotional development, to the genes that we are born with, and even including the influence on brain development that drugs can have.

Regulatory Affairs, a master’s degree within the College of Sciences, centers around the creation and dispersal of devices and products relevant in the fields of pharmaceutics and medicine. Students interested in this master’s program will also develop an awareness of the ethics in this field, as well as the qualities companies want to see reflected in their workforces