Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) majors have the potential to solve some of the world's biggest problems. That’s quite a large task, but these schools are up for the challenge. The following colleges and universities are located in the Southern United States and offer some of the best STEM programs out there, from Aviation to Zoology. And we’ve made it super easy for you to request more information from them. Just click the “Connect me” button under the colleges that catch your eye—then they'll reach out to you. Ready to dive in and learn about some great STEM schools?
Abilene Christian University
Abilene Christian University is a private coeducational university affiliated with the Churches of Christ in Abilene, Texas. ACU offers a BS in Engineering with five concentrations as well as a BS in Physics with four concentrations. Engineering and Physics students often receive paid opportunities to work, study, and intern at premier national laboratories such as Los Alamos, Fermi, and Brookhaven.
Agnes Scott College
Agnes Scott College is a private Presbyterian liberal arts college for women in Decatur, Georgia—just six miles from downtown Atlanta. Agnes Scott’s more than 1,100 students benefit from having 30 undergraduate majors and minors—including Computer Science, Engineering, Foundations of Artificial Intelligence, Neuroscience, and more. The College also offers the perks of the unique SUMMIT core curriculum which focuses on applying classroom learning to real-world experiences.
Angelo State University
Angelo State University is a public comprehensive university in San Angelo, Texas. ASU offers more than 100 majors and concentrations—including STEM programs in the Departments of Agriculture, Biology, Chemistry & Biochemistry, Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, and Physics & Geosciences. The University provides students with hands-on STEM experiences through state-of-the-art facilities, the PIER Program, and The Scene newsletter that highlights department accomplishments of students and staff.
Charleston Southern University
Charleston Southern University is a private Christian liberal arts university in Charleston, South Carolina. With a 12:1 student-faculty ratio, the University offers more than 60 undergraduate programs, including a growing Engineering program with emphases in Electrical, Computer, and Mechanical Engineering as well as top-notch majors in Computer Science and Cybersecurity. Whatever degree CSU’s 2,700+ students choose, experiential learning opportunities are available through internships, practicums, clinicals, field courses, travel courses, and more.
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Christian Brothers University
Christian Brothers University is a private nonprofit Catholic university on a 75-acre campus located four miles from downtown Memphis, Tennessee. The School of Sciences and the School of Engineering offer many programs in the sciences and mathematics that prepare students for graduate study and careers in the health professions, the environment, research, computers and technology, and teaching. CBU also offers a Natural Science program that can be used as a “design your own degree” and a wide selection of courses to prepare you for many areas that are multidisciplinary in nature.
Elon University
Elon University is a selective, independent university on a 656-acre campus that’s designated as a botanical garden in Elon, North Carolina—east of Greensboro and northwest of Raleigh/Durham. The University offers a four-year degree in Engineering with a Biomedical or Computing concentration in addition to its dual-degree program. Set to open in spring 2022, the Innovation Quad (IQ) is the future home of Elon’s Engineering program and the Department of Physics, featuring an astrophysics lab, a prefabrication and design hub, advanced engineering equipment, a virtual reality classroom, and more.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Florida)
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is a private university with a 185-acre campus adjacent to Daytona Beach Regional Airport in Daytona Beach, Florida. ERAU is home to the largest professional flight program in the nation and features a specialized curriculum geared toward in-demand careers in aviation, aerospace, security and intelligence, and business. Students benefit from state-of-the-art labs and have access to the largest university telescope in the state of Florida as well as other fleet and flight training devices.
Florida Polytechnic University
Florida Polytechnic University is a public university with a 178-acre campus in Lakeland, Florida—halfway between Tampa and Orlando. As a member of the State University System of Florida in the heart of the state’s High-Tech Corridor, Florida Poly specializes in teaching science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Cutting-edge degree programs in Business Analytics, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Data Science, Electrical Engineering, Engineering Mathematics, Engineering Physics, Environmental Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering prepare graduates to take on today’s fastest-growing fields.
High Point University
High Point University is a private Methodist comprehensive institution in High Point, North Carolina. Known as The Premier Life Skills University, HPU is rooted in the liberal arts and offers 63 majors and 65 minors—including Actuarial Science, Biochemistry, Computer Engineering, Cybersecurity, Data Analytics & Statistics, Electrical Engineering, Mathematical Economics, Neuroscience, and more. Over 450 scientist scholars make up the STEM faculty, who are recognized for their scientific expertise and innovative approaches to undergraduate education.
Kennesaw State University
Kennesaw State University is a public comprehensive university with two campuses in Kennesaw and Marietta, Georgia. One of the 50 largest public institutions in America, the University offers more than 150 undergraduate degrees, including majors in Analytics & Data Science, Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Computer Science, Environmental Science, Game Design & Development, Information Technology, Mathematics, Physics, and Software Engineering. KSU is a R2 Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution with numerous opportunities for hands-on experiences.
Lipscomb University
Lipscomb University is a private, nonprofit liberal arts university on an 89-acre campus in a residential area of Nashville, Tennessee. Students at Lipscomb can choose to pursue any of the three primary disciplines of engineering—Civil, Electrical & Computer, or Mechanical—as well as the traditional sciences of Biology and Chemistry. They also have the opportunity to participate in engineering-specific international mission trips, using their skill sets to design and implement bridges, aid in water conservation, and more.
Mercer University
Mercer University is a private comprehensive research university with a 150-acre campus located in Macon, Georgia—85 miles south of Atlanta. With 3,400+ undergraduate students, the University offers more than 65 undergrad majors and pre-professional tracks, including seven Engineering disciplines, seven health professions, four Computer Science programs, and a plethora of Nursing and Medicine offerings. The Mercer On Mission program allows students to earn college credit while working in global communities to provide STEM solutions to real problems.
Oklahoma State University
Oklahoma State University is a public comprehensive university in Stillwater, Oklahoma—70 miles west of Tulsa. With 24,649 students and a 20:1 student-faculty ratio, the University offers 140 undergraduate majors, including Applied Statistics, Biosystems Engineering, and Computer Science. Students at OSU can benefit from a one-of-a-kind, hands-on laboratory; an exemplary Diversity and Inclusion Program; a flight center set to open in fall 2021; student groups like the Association for Women Geoscientists and Dairy Science Club; and more.
Samford University
Samford University is a private Baptist university in the suburban Homewood area of Birmingham, Alabama. With more than 5,600 students from 47 states and 28 countries, the University offers 180+ majors, minors, and concentrations through eight academic schools, including Biochemistry, Computer Science, Engineering Physics, Environmental Science, Marine Science, Science & Religion, and more. Samford’s STEM departments teach students how to solve problems, make advancements and meet societal demands through observation, hypothesizing, data analysis, and experimentation.
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette is a public comprehensive research university located in Lafayette, Louisiana—50 miles from Baton Rouge. As the second-largest university in Louisiana with 19,000+ students, UL Lafayette offers more than 110 bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees, including through the departments of Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Military Science, and Physics; Schools of Geosciences and Computing & Informatics; and College of Engineering. The University’s emphasis on research impacts students in the classroom and provides hands-on experience—early and often—in their fields of study.
University of Louisville
The University of Louisville is a public comprehensive university in Louisville, Kentucky. Through the Speed School, the University offers STEM programs in Bioengineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Cybersecurity, Engineering Management, Environmental Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Materials & Energy Science, Structural Engineering, Transportation Engineering, and more. From first-year Engineering Fundamentals to graduation, students gain hands-on experience in the lab and on the job with employers through UofL’s Co-Op Program.
University of North Carolina Asheville
University of North Carolina Asheville is a public liberal arts institution in Asheville, in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. More than 3,300 UNC Asheville undergraduate and graduate students study in 30+ majors—including Atmospheric Sciences, Biology, Chemistry & Biochemistry, Computer Science, Engineering, Environmental Studies, Mathematics, Music Technology, and Physics & Astronomy. The University helps students dig into learning through faculty-mentored research projects, career-related internships, study abroad, or service projects that make a profound impact.
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Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private university on a 330-acre campus located just 1.5 miles from downtown Nashville, Tennessee. The University offers eight majors in the School of Engineering, including Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering. A 230,000-sq. ft. Engineering and Science building includes classroom and laboratory spaces, a 15,000-sq. ft. clean room, and the Wond’ry—the University’s epicenter for innovation and entrepreneurship.
Looking for other great places to earn your STEM degree? Check out all our lists of featured science colleges.
