The College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics is committed to excellence in teaching, research, and service in the physical and biological sciences, computer science, and mathematics. NSM's location in the nation's fourth-largest city and energy capital of the world presents numerous opportunities for collaboration with the Texas Medical Center, NASA's Johnson Space Center, and other entities.

The college’s strengths include:

• An ethnically diverse student body of nearly 6,000 NSM majors and more than 700 degrees awarded each year
• More than 180 ranked faculty, including two National Academy of Sciences members
• A solid research funding base with $33 million in annual research expenditures
• Four academic collaborations with 15 institutions, five industry consortia with 43 partners, and seven outreach programs to local school districts
• Innovative resources to ensure student success, including a centralized testing and tutoring center and peer-led team learning workshops, and
• Focused efforts to recruit and retain minority students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics through the Houston Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation.