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 College of LIFE SCIENCES AND AGRICULTURE

At the UNH College of Life Sciences and Agriculture, we seek to make a difference — from identifying the molecular pathway that leads to a new treatment for disease, to understanding the complex forces that impact our ecosystems and natural landscapes, to finding solutions for a global food system tasked with feeding billions.

Here, you will deepen your understanding of the world and learn to find sustainable responses to the planet’s biggest challenges. Leading edge research and hands-on experiences, combined with practical skill building in the lab and in the field, will create a firm foundation for your future.

When you graduate, you will join thousands of Wildcats who are forging their own paths to success, from here in New Hampshire to every corner of the world. 


Programs of Study

Departments

students with horse

Explore Undergraduate Scholarships


We offer many scholarships just for COLSA students that reward your achievements and help make college more affordable.

Undergraduate Scholarships

Owen Kanter '20 conducts moose research in New Hampshire.

Discover Research
Opportunities


Unique, hands-on research projects lead to challenges and achievements that extend far beyond the classroom.

Research Opportunities

olivia heghmann and amber ganley examine cayas teeth

Set Your
Course


Discuss goals and design your career plan with help from the professionals at our St. Martin Career Exploration Office.

Career Office 

UNH Diversity Statement

The University of New Hampshire is committed to building and nurturing an environment of inclusive excellence where all students, faculty and staff can thrive. We also are committed to providing open and inclusive access for all alumni, volunteers, learners, employees and visitors seeking to participate in our programs and activities. We venture to sustain a campus environment that fosters mutual respect and understanding. We believe diversity, equity, accessibility and inclusion are foundational values inextricably linked to achieving our core educational mission and embrace the many characteristics of our community members that make them uniquely themselves. Here, you belong and all are welcome.

UNH Land, Water and Life Acknowledgement

As we all journey on the trail of life, we wish to acknowledge the spiritual and physical connection the Pennacook, Abenaki and Wabanaki Peoples have maintained to N’dakinna (homeland) and the aki (land), nebi (water), olakwika (flora) and awaasak (fauna) that the University of New Hampshire community is honored to steward today. We also acknowledge the hardships they continue to endure after the loss of unceded homelands and champion the university’s responsibility to foster relationships and opportunities that strengthen the well-being of the Indigenous People who carry forward the traditions of their ancestors.

Listen to the acknowledgement read by Denise Pouliot, the Sag8moskwa (Head Female Speaker) of the Cowasuk Band of Pennacook Abenaki People from Alton, New Hampshire and a member of the Indigenous New Hampshire Collaborative Collective (INHCC), which includes her husband Paul Pouliot, several UNH faculty members and students, local grassroots organizers and community members and several members of other New England tribes.

  • UNH nutrition student Caroline Williams
    On Her Way to Becoming a Registered Dietitian
    Caroline Williams is a nutrition: dietetics major from Danbury, Connecticut. While excelling in both her studies and extracurricular activities, she has also found time to run two marathons while an undergraduate.
    Learn More
  • A photo of COLSA student Olivia Boyan
    Characterizing Moose Vocalizations for Passive Acoustic Monitoring
    Olivia Boyan is a zoology major from Hartford, Connecticut. COLSA: Tell us about your research in as non-technical language as possible. Olivia Boyan: For our research, we’re seeking to quantitatively characterize moose vocalizations to use for a passive acoustic detector, which can monitor populations without physically disturbing their…
    Learn More
  • UNH student Noah Hopkins on the beach
    Harnessing his own experience to build a career helping others
    Noah Hopkins ’24 is a nutrition and wellness major from Bath, Maine. A type 1 diabetes diagnosis when he was 4 years old has fueled Noah’s interest in health and nutrition, and his experience at UNH is preparing him for a career helping people living with the disease.
    Learn More
  • Grace Walker with a horse
    Preparing for a career in the equine industry
    Grace Walker is an equine industry and management major and a member of the UNH Intercollegiate Dressage Association (IDA) team. She is from Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
    Learn More
  • UNH student Ella Lukacz on a farm
    Evaluating Hydrangea Cultivars for Regional Growers
    Ella Lukacz is a sustainable agriculture and food systems major and history minor from Portsmouth, New Hampshire. COLSA:…
    Learn More

Get the Facts

#2

in ecology research

Journal of Ecology

Top 10%
Biological and Biomedical Sciences

College Factual

Top 10%
General Biology

College Factual

#7
in Natural Resources and Conservation
Universities.com
#8
in Dairy Science

Universities.com

93%
of COLSA alumni are employed
or in graduate school

First Destination Survey

75%
of students participate
in internships and/or research

First Destination Survey

77%
Average acceptance rate of
current students and recent grads
who applied to veterinary school
— well above the national average

 

Recent Stories

Two hands hold up several strands of whelk egg casings in the Coastal Marine Lab.

Out of This World Whelk Eggs

Out of This World Whelk Eggs

UNH research examines the impact of rising water temperatures on channeled whelk reproduction

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Gulf of Mexico aerial image

Wetland Restoration Falls Short of Fixing Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone

Wetland Restoration Falls Short of Fixing Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone

Research Finds Existing Efforts Miss Nutrient Reduction Targets

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An image of coordinating authors of the third World Ocean Assessment

UNH’s Easton White Named to UN’s World Ocean Assessment Working Group

UNH’s Easton White Named to UN’s World Ocean Assessment Working Group

Group brings together global scientific community

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