NHS by the Numbers

Data and information about the College of Natural and Health Sciences
  • Natural and Health Sciences (NHS), established through a campus-wide restructuring on July 1, 2005, is one of five academic colleges at the University of Northern Colorado.
  • The College is organized into six academic schools:  Biological Sciences; Earth Sciences and Physics; Human Sciences; Mathematical Sciences; Nursing; and Sport and Exercise Science and one department: Chemistry and Biochemistry.
  • NHS serves approximately 3,400 undergraduate and 625 graduate student majors in 13 baccalaureate, 14 master’s, and 8 doctoral programs of study.
  • The most popular of NHS’s undergraduate majors are Sport and Exercise Science (~550 majors), Biological Sciences (~400 majors), and Nursing (~300 majors).  At the graduate level, the most highly-enrolled program areas are in Sport and Exercise Science (~130 majors), Nursing (~120 majors), and Speech-Language Pathology (~100 majors).
  • Of UNC’s 2010-11 graduates, the College accounted for approximately 26% of awarded baccalaureate degrees, 27% of awarded master’s degrees and 40% of awarded doctoral degrees.
  • Full-time faculty in the College total about 135. Many of NHS’ full-time faculty members are recent additions, with approximately 50% having been appointed since the College’s establishment in July 2005.
  • NHS is an important provider of instruction in the University’s Liberal Arts Core as well as courses for its own and other majors, generating about 97,000 student credit hours annually.
  • The College’s total state-funded budget is just under $13.5 million.
  • Fundraising is an important means of support to the College. In 2010-11, NHS received just over $677,000 in cash donations.
  • The scholarly endeavors of many NHS faculty members are supported through external grants and contracts; in the 2010-11 fiscal year, the College’s awards were over $7.3 million.
  • The College’s functions are supported by approximately 404,000 square feet of space located in Ross Hall, Gunter Hall, Butler-Hancock, Lujan Hall, Brown Hall and the Ben Nighthorse Campbell Center.
  • Responses to UNC Career Services’ most recent Alumni Survey indicate that, among NHS’s graduates, 94.4% of undergraduate students and 98.1% of graduate students were “placed” (figures exclude those who report they were not employed and not seeking employment).
  • Opportunities for student engagement abound in the College, which hosts 21 student clubs and organizations.
  • Through Spring 2011, NHS's Student Research Fund has supported the scholarly pursuits of some 102 undergraduate and graduate scholars since its 2006 establishment.
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