Colleges at the U of M

University of Minnesota Undergraduate Colleges

The University of Minnesota’s 150 majors are offered within eight freshman-admitting and five upper-division colleges. Your college is your home within the University -- where you will belong to a close-knit community of classmates, professors, and advisors.

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Carlson School of Management

The Carlson School of Management undergraduate program enrolls approximately 2,400 undergraduate students and offers 10 majors and 13 minors. The student experience is enhanced through international experience, frequent interactions with the business and non-profit communities, and internship and mentorship opportunities. Through its focus on building strong communication, leadership, and teamwork skills, the undergraduate program prepares students to compete and succeed in a quickly-changing global business environment.

Explore business majors

College of Biological Sciences

The College of Biological Sciences (CBS) is one of only three colleges in the nation devoted entirely to the study of biology. Through the relationships among biological disciplines, chemistry, and other physical sciences, students learn biology through examples and hands-on experiences that apply the scientific method to real-world problems.

Most CBS graduates pursue graduate studies in the biological sciences or enter professional programs, including medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, public health, veterinary medicine, and K-12 teaching. Others also pursue employment as researchers at universities, biomedical and biotechnology companies, or in public service at non-profit or government agencies.

Explore STEM majors

College of Design

The College of Design (CDES), located in a major design metropolis and in one of the top research universities in the United States, is at the forefront of the socially responsible design movement and a leader in sustainability. The faculty and students in the college seek to advance the quality and value of the natural, designed, and social environments, with a focus on the interaction of people and their world.

Students receive extensive hands on design experience both in and outside of the classroom collaborating with industry through projects, internships and mentor opportunities.

Explore design majors

College of Education And Human Development

The College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) offers degrees focused on a shared desire to positively impact people's lives. CEHD offers the following majors in these areas:

  • Human Services: Focus your desire to help others into a rewarding career.
  • Health, Sport, and Wellness: Use leisure and wellness to improve the quality of life for individuals and communities.
  • Organizational Leadership and Development: Prepare for leadership, sales and marketing, or administrative positions by developing the skills you will need for a career in a variety of organizations.
  • Education: Our teacher education programs prepare you to be an expert in your field and an effective teacher. The program length varies depending on the subject area you are interested in teaching. 

If you are interested in teaching middle or high school students, in subjects such as English or math, visit teach.umn.edu for more information on how to prepare for these graduate-level programs. You may also consider the DirecTrack to Teaching program, which gives you a head start in exploring the culture of teaching and schools, and provides an early admission decision to the graduate teaching program.

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Teaching licensure programs are also offered at the undergraduate level for the following programs: Agricultural Education (in the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences) and Music Education (in the College of Liberal Arts). Please refer to CFANS or CLA tabs for more information on these programs.

College of Food, Agricultural And Natural Resource Sciences

The College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS) offers students an extraordinary education with 14 majors and 25 minors based in solution-driven science in the areas of food and nutrition, agriculture, environment, natural resources, business and education. 

CFANS has a long tradition of educating future leaders who understand the delicate balance of production and conservation. Students learn from faculty who use critical and innovative thinking, plus all the tools of the arts and sciences, to solve everyday problems and make our planet a productive, friendly, and sustainable environment.

The College's nationally recognized programs, hands-on learning, small-college feel, and broad array of internship and research opportunities provide students with the education and experience they need for successful careers in private businesses, public agencies, and nonprofit organizations, or for graduate study.

Explore STEM, food and natural resources majors

College of Liberal Arts

The College of Liberal Arts (CLA) connects undergraduate students to prestigious faculty and to real-world, real-time innovation. Our 68 majors in the social and natural sciences, arts, and humanities, and more than 1,500 courses, offer students the opportunity to explore the human experience: our histories, cultures, languages, and selves. As members of the most comprehensive college in a top-ranked research university, our students create knowledge and acquire diverse skills and perspectives.

CLA is a community of scholars. Beginning in the first year, our outstanding students can participate in world-class research opportunities, getting hands on experience in their fields. The Twin Cities are an epicenter for arts, culture, business, and technology; our students bring the classroom into the city via internships at Fortune 500 companies, cutting-edge research firms, thriving non-profit organizations, national and internationally known arts organizations, and state and local government.

The CLA experience is distinctive in its focus on a breadth of learning and diversity of choices. When you earn a liberal arts degree, you are preparing yourself for the careers of today and tomorrow; our 145,000 alums are a testimony to the value of skills in critical thinking, communication, and languages and global cultures. Our graduates are leaders with successful careers in medicine, the arts, government, law, business, and a wide range of entrepreneurial fields.

Explore social and natural science, arts and humanities majors

College of Science And Engineering

The College of Science and Engineering (CSE) offers 20 bachelor's degree programs in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, including 12 engineering specialties, astrophysics, chemistry, computer science, earth sciences, mathematics, and physics. Its programs are ranked among the best in the nation.

Admission is selective; to be successful, students should have strong science and mathematics aptitude. World-class faculty and research provide academic excellence, and exceptional student services prepares students for technical and scientific career opportunities. More than 250 companies recruit CSE students each year through on-campus, CSE-only career fairs for internships, co-ops, and full time employment.

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School of Nursing

Founded in 1909 and recognized as the first nursing program established within a university, the University of Minnesota School of Nursing continues to lead the profession into the future.

The school offers a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) as a foundation for professional practice, along with a professional Master's program. Both are pre-licensure programs leading to eligibility to become licensed as a Registered Nurse.

The four-year BSN program consists of prerequisite courses and two specific introductory nursing courses the first year followed by three years of nursing curriculum and practicum experiences. Students are admitted directly into the nursing program as a freshman. Incoming admitted freshmen continue on to their sophomore year after having successfully completed the prerequisites and maintaining a minimum grade point average of 3.0 both fall and spring semesters.

Admission is once a year for the upcoming fall semester. The program has a full-time, day school curriculum with evening and weekend practicum experiences during junior and senior years. Students are located in the Twin Cities and Rochester and connect through interactive technology. Admission to the School of Nursing is highly competitive.

Transfer Only: College of Continuing and Professional Studies

The College of Continuing and Professional Studies (CCAPS) offers individualized, applied, and professional programs for a wide range of student populations, including a bachelor's degree completion program (see Multidisciplinary Studies). While not a freshman-admitting college, CCAPS offers bachelor's degrees to upper division students in the following areas:

Additionally, CCAPS offers evening and online and distance-education courses, as well as certificate programs and numerous professional development and personal enrichment non-credit courses. 

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Undergraduate Health Sciences Programs

Medical Laboratory Sciences (MLS)

The Center for Allied Health Programs offers a Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Sciences, which includes a liberal arts education, a thorough grounding in the physical sciences, and clinical experiences in various laboratories.

Students are admitted to the MLS program after completing the prerequisites, submitting the MLS online application and a Change of College request. The admission cycle only admits for the upcoming fall semester and also requires an interview and skills assessment. The MLS Program admits students to Year 3, Year 4, or Certificate.

The MLS curriculum is delivered as a hybrid program, which allows a blend of learning through online lectures, laboratory simulations and other course material at home, as well as practical application of materials through face-to-face instruction in state-of-the-art student laboratories. Upon completion of the degree, graduates are eligible to take the national certification examination to practice.

Medical Laboratory Sciences


Dental Hygiene

The Program in Dental Hygiene was established at the University of Minnesota in 1919 and is fully accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation. It is the only dental hygiene program in Minnesota that grants a Bachelor of Science degree and is affiliated with a School of Dentistry.

The program offers students a rigorous didactic and clinical education alongside dental and dental therapy students with whom they will work after graduation. In addition, the program blends a solid dental hygiene clinical education with the biological, behavioral, and social sciences as well as the liberal arts. Students enter the Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene Program after completing one year of prerequisite college coursework.

Dental Hygiene


Mortuary Science

Established in 1908, the Program of Mortuary Science is the only program of its kind to offer a Bachelor of Science degree in affiliation with a medical college. Coursework includes basic and behavioral sciences, and is enhanced by extensive, clinically based field placement activities. Graduates are academically credentialed to seek employment as funeral service practitioners in all 50 states as well as abroad. Additionally, students also pursue this degree as a starting point for graduate work in fields including medicine, psychology, sociology, theology, education, and forensic science.

Mortuary Science