Your path to a career in STEM
The expanding fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) continually need talented and educated professionals. Ohio State prepares students to become highly trained and diverse professionals through access to outstanding faculty and state-of-the-art facilities, unique undergraduate research opportunities, collaboration with nearby scientific businesses, and programs to encourage members of underrepresented groups to pursue STEM education.
Browse the majors in this pathway to see the many ways Ohio State can help you prepare for a career within the fields of STEM.
International students on an F-1 visa: Please refer to the STEM Designed Degree Program List for STEM OPT eligibility, as some of the majors listed below are not eligible.
Major
Career possibilities
- Aircraft, guided missile and space vehicle industries
- Business and engineering firms
- Commercial airlines
- Equipment dealership manager
- Grain handling operations supervisor
- Precision technology specialist
- Agricultural and bioscience education
- Ohio State Extension (e.g., 4-H) program education or administration
- Soil and water conservation
- Animal behavior
- Nutrition consulting
- Pharmaceutical sales
- Reproductive physiology
- Veterinary or human medicine
- Archaeology
- Education
- Forensic anthropology
- Government agencies
- Museums
- Archaeology
- Education
- Forensic anthropology
- Government agencies
- Museums
- Allied fields of engineering, graphic design, landscape architecture and urban design
- Architecture
- Construction and infrastructure
- Digital fabrication
- Observatories
- Planetariums
- Science museums
- Air quality analysis
- Climatology
- Insurance industry
- Local, state and national parks
- National Weather Service
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- Airport and aviation support systems
- Airport planning management
- Commercial airlines
- Pharmaceutical companies
- Private research labs
- Research in hospitals and universities
- Sales
- Health or environmental education
- Pharmaceutical companies
- Research
- Teaching and research at universities (requires graduate school)
- Hospitals and health care facilities
- Medical equipment manufacturers
- Research at educational or medical institutions
- Consulting organizations
- Department of Energy
- Petroleum, plastics, food processing, environmental and cosmetic industries
- Pharmaceutical research
- Agriculture
- Food product companies
- Government laboratories
- Pharmaceutical companies
- Allied fields of landscape architecture and urban design
- City and regional planning
- Data analysis and forecasting
- Federal, state and local government
- Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
- Transportation and infrastructure
- Construction industry
- Oil and fuel refineries
- Transportation and infrastructure
- Utility companies
- Computer systems analysis
- Database/network administration
- Programming
- Software engineering
- Application software development
- Database administration
- Medical industry
- Technical sales
- Commercial, residential, multi-family, heavy/highway and industrial construction
- Individual contracting
- Project safety specialist
- Banking
- Cyber-security
- Government
- Health care
- Insurance
- Logistics
- Military and legal systems
- Oil and gas
- Retail
- Scientific discovery
- Energy exploration
- Environmental consulting companies
- Government agencies and laboratories
- Petroleum and mining industries
- Computer hardware companies
- Manufacturing and industrial firms
- Medical instrumentation
- Public utilities
- Industry
- Manufacturing
- Research and development organizations
- Extension education
- Government agencies
- Medical/veterinary entomology
- Pest control management
- Research
- Environmental consulting firms
- Government agencies
- Private industries involved in air and water pollution control, radiation protection, and hazardous waste management
- Restoration ecologist
- Soil and water conservation
- Stream ecology
- Wetland specialist
- Biological research
- Environmental agencies
- Government agencies
- Laboratories
- Pharmaceutical companies
- Zoos
- Flavor chemistry
- Food research
- Food safety
- Product development
- Biological, environmental and ecological research
- Environmental and ecological consulting firms
- Food processing companies
- Government agricultural and natural resource agencies
- Health professions
- Heavy equipment design, testing and manufacturing firms
- Fisheries management
- Forest ecology
- Game management
- Wildlife biology
- Wildlife refuge management
- Zoo keeping
- Cartography (U.S. Defense Mapping Agency, U.S. Geological Survey, etc.)
- Computer systems management
- Data processing
- GIS consulting
- Software development
- Geographic information systems (GIS)
- Meteorology
- Urban planning
- Banks and finance organizations
- Consulting firms
- Hospitals and health care organizations
- Manufacturing industry
- Transportation industry
- Allied fields of city and regional planning and urban design
- Brownfield redevelopment
- Environmental management and landscape restoration
- Landscape architecture
- Soil and water conservation
- Consulting firms
- Materials manufacturing companies
- Medical supply companies
- Research institutes
- Computer programming
- Data analysis
- Education
- Federal and public administration
- Insurance and consulting firms
- Operations research
- Automotive and aerospace industries
- Manufacturing of consumer products
- Medical equipment manufacturers
- Plant operation and maintenance
- Forensic science
- Hospital laboratories
- Hospital supply companies
- Pharmaceutical companies
- Research institutes
- Agricultural companies
- Biotechnology industry
- Government agencies
- Pharmaceutical companies
- Research universities
- Biomedical research
- Dentistry
- Medicine
- Pharmacy
- Aerospace industry
- Consulting, design and development firms
- Government agencies
- Information technology
- Research
- Crop consulting, landscape management
- Plant pathology research or education
- Plant protection and quarantine
- Plant and pest diagnostics
- Plant breeding and genetics
- Plant pathology research or education
- Agri-chemical sales
- Agronomist/horticulturist
- Molecular biology
- Plant science
- Research in breeding and genetics
- Aerospace and transportation industries
- Construction and infrastructure design
- Design and manufacturing companies
- Biological research
- Federal wildlife agencies
- Government agencies
- Zoos
Learning communities are residential experiences in which students of the same academic program or interest reside in the same residence hall. These communities feature faculty interaction, special programming and community service. Ohio State offers the following learning communities that may be of interest to students pursuing the fields of STEM:
- Engineering House Learning Community
- Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Learning Community
- SUSTAINS Learning Community
- Women in Engineering Learning Community
Scholars programs at Ohio State bring together high ability students interested in joining academically stimulating, close-knit communities. Each program emphasizes its own specific academic area, career or special interest. The following Scholars programs are designed for students interested in the fields of STEM:
At Ohio State's regional campuses, students receive the same comprehensive education that they would receive on the Columbus campus. Courses at regional campuses are offered to meet the needs of traditional and nontraditional students, and students can begin any Ohio State degree at any campus. Some programs, like biology, can even be completed at a regional campus.
Learn more about academic programs at your regional campus of interest.
A minor is the perfect complement to any major. Ohio State offers over 100 minors all designed to lend additional depth or breadth to your academic interest while strengthening your major and enhancing your marketability.
Below is a list of selected minors available to students with an interest in STEM:
Agricultural Systems Management
Agronomy
Air Science
Animal Nutrition
Animal Sciences
Anthropology
Architectural Studies
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Atmospheric Sciences
Aviation
Biochemistry
Biological Bases of Behavior
Biology
Biomedical Engineering
Chemistry
City and Regional Planning
Cognitive Science
Communication Technology
Computational Science
Computer and Information Science
Earth Sciences
Engineering Sciences
Entomology
Environmental Engineering
Environmental Science
Equine Science
Evolution and Ecology
Evolutionary Studies
Food Processing
Food Safety
Forensic Science
Forestry, Fisheries and Wildlife
General Psychology
Geographic Information Science
Geography
Horticulture
Human Development and Family Science
Human Nutrition
Landscape Architectural Studies
Landscape Construction
Landscape Design and Management
Linguistics
Mathematics
Meat Science
Microbiology
Military Sciences
Molecular Genetics
Neuroscience
Nuclear Engineering
Pharmaceutical Sciences
Physics
Plant Cellular and Molecular Biology
Plant Pathology
Production Agriculture
Psychology
Psychology Research
Soil Science
Speech and Hearing Science
Statistics
Surveying and Mapping
Sustainable Agriculture
Technology Studies
Zoology