Frequently Asked Questions

Our medical microbiology and infectious disease degree program is rigorous but flexible, offering accelerated pathways for degree completion to support your goals. Visit our course catalog to see a list, by academic year, of required courses and recommended electives. Our advising team is here to help, supporting students through personalized one-on-one advising and mentoring, to help them set academic and professional goals and tailor their education to align with their path.

Yes! The College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences is internationally recognized for the quality and impact of our research. Our undergrads have access to research opportunities spanning more than 40 specialty laboratories and three campuses. Our faculty and students are at the forefront of discoveries that transform the health and well-being of humans, animals, and our planet.

Research is also built into our medical microbiology and infectious disease curriculum. Our course-based undergraduate research experiences (CURE) program combines academic learning, scientific training, including cutting-edge laboratory techniques, and research on a variety of infectious disease topics. Courses span all class levels, starting as early as your first semester. Through CURE, you will receive mentorship from lead researchers in their fields, form connections, and build skills that can help you identify and secure additional research opportunities.

Other research opportunities are frequently posted on internal job search platforms, like Handshake. Ultimately, many of our students find research opportunities by building strong relationships with faculty through coursework, volunteering, office hours, student organizations, and other college events.

You may also want to consider the college’s Maximizing Access to Research Careers program, or “MARC,” which offers eligible sophomores a grant-funded, biomedical research training experience funded by the National Institutes of Health.

While we do not have a formal or required internship program, our curriculum is designed to prepare you to compete for internship opportunities. Our advising team can help you identify opportunities that align with your interests and career goals.

If you are fascinated by the microscopic world that drives global health, medical microbiology and infectious disease is the place for you. While biology is the study of all life, microbiology (not to be confused with molecular biology) is a “zoomed in” branch of biology that focuses on microscopic organisms (microbes). We spend a lot of time in labs evaluating infectious agents like bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa and how they impact the health of humans, animals, and our planet. It’s an interdisciplinary field with connections to biology, medicine, animal health, environmental health, industry, and more.

We are fascinated by microbiology because it’s everywhere. It affects our lives in big ways, every day and all the time. It has the power to destroy and save life on our planet. Microbes are tiny, but mighty.

There are multiple opportunities to complete a degree in medical microbiology and infectious disease or earn additional credentials on an accelerated timeline.

• Eligible accelerated CSU bachelor’s program – complete your bachelor’s degree in medical microbiology and infectious disease in three years including lower-cost summer courses.
• Start a CSU graduate certificate during your bachelor’s degree program through CSU’s RAMp UP pathway. Eligible options include graduate certificates in health justice and infectious diseases or vector-borne diseases.
• Accelerated master’s program opportunity to earn a master’s in microbiology starting your senior year, completing one to one and a half years after your bachelor’s degree. Identify a faculty research mentor for your thesis project and apply by junior year.
• This major is eligible for the Colorado School of Public Health dual degree program to earn your bachelor’s and Master of Public Health degrees in five years.

Connect with our advising team to explore degree completion plans and program requirements for these accelerated pathways.

Our graduates acquire strong foundational knowledge and real-world experience that position them to make an immediate impact in exciting and growing career fields. These opportunities are influenced by notable industry trends:

• Emerging infectious diseases: the microbiology and infectious disease field is rapidly evolving, with growing concerns about antibiotic-resistant bacteria and emerging infectious diseases driving innovation in diagnostics, gene editing, treatment, and prevention.
• Expanding need for preparedness and response: the emergence of new infectious disease necessitates robust surveillance systems, rapid diagnostic capabilities, and research to understand and control emerging pathogens.
• Microbiome-based therapies: there’s demand for developing treatments that modulate the gut microbiota to improve health outcomes.
• Advancements in immunotherapy: researchers are developing drugs that unleash the immune system to attack cancer cells.

Whether you want to further your education or start a career in the public or private sector, medical microbiology and infectious disease graduates leave CSU ready to make an immediate impact. Since 2020, 93 percent of our graduates had postgraduate plans secured prior to commencement, 88 percent of which were directly related to their studies. Approximately half of our students enter the workforce immediately after graduation, while 40 percent move on to professional or graduate school.

A degree in medical microbiology and infectious disease is more than an education. We will train you as a specialist, ready from day one to address the world’s most critical health challenges. Our rigorous curriculum, combined with undergraduate research opportunities, will help you build and refine the work ethic and professional skills necessary for professional success: teamwork, critical thinking, leadership, communication, and more.

This unique specialization will help set you apart from other candidates. Common career paths for our graduates include:

• Veterinarian
• Physician or physician assistant
• Bioinformatics specialist
• Biotechnologist
• Clinical microbiologist/immunologist
• Clinical research coordinator
• Environmental microbiologist
• Industrial microbiologist
• Forensic scientist
• Genetic counselor
• Infection control practitioner
• Laboratory technician (MLS)
• Quality control analyst
• Pharmaceutical/research and development
• Pharmacist
• Public health specialist
• Research assistant
• Writer/science communication

Yes! Our program meets most of the requirements for admission to medical (M.D. or D.O.), veterinary, and many other health-related professional schools and Ph.D. programs. And, our engaged advisors can work with you to cover prerequisites that are not already covered through electives, based on your education goals. Our college is home to the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine at CSU and CSU’s top-ranked veterinary medicine program, a global leader in translational medicine and research.

We offer high standards, academic rigor, and accessible, renowned faculty, many of whom are M.D.s or D.V.M.s., and are committed to developing our students into competent, confident, and competitive professional school candidates. You will receive elite-level specialization in areas like pathology, immunology, and virology – core medical school subjects often lacking in other undergraduate degrees.

What’s more, our curriculum is structured with a “One Health” focus. We give students a unique, sophisticated, and multidisciplinary view of healthcare that explores the interconnections of human, animal, and environmental health. You will receive exposure to research that demonstrates how what we learn from one “translates” to another. This can provide students with a unique, competitive edge in applying for admission to professional schools in any medical field.

CSU offers many ways to help you obtain an affordable college education, including scholarships. CSU offers merit scholarships for Colorado residents and non-residents; RAM Transfer Scholarships for undergraduate transfer students; and the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE), which can provide a tuition reduction of up to $10,000 for eligible students. You are automatically considered for some of these scholarships by submitting your application. Many other scholarship opportunities are available through the Colorado State University Scholarship Application, which is a one-stop shop for applying to most scholarships at CSU.

Visit CSU’s cost and financial aid page to understand the cost of attendance, learn how to apply for financial aid, and explore all scholarship opportunities.

We are proud of the community we’ve built to support our students. Engaged advisors will get to know you and help you chart a path that aligns with your interests and career goals. Our faculty are responsive, helpful, and well connected and we’ve developed multiple programs and systems that support students throughout our curriculum. The Microbiology Student Association is a popular way for students to get involved, network, and build relationships with other students, advisors, and faculty outside of the classroom. Or, you can broaden your network by engaging with other college clubs and organizations.

Within the classroom, you are supported to learn and succeed in foundational major courses through a multi-tiered support system including your faculty instructor, graduate teaching assistants, and undergraduate learning assistants (ULA). ULAs are your peers who have previously taken the class and engage current students on course material through class activities and recitations. Also consider gaining valuable professional experience as a ULA yourself later in the program!

Our faculty also incorporate important skills, like resume building, applying for labs, and how to network, into their courses. And, our CURE courses offer a truly unique experience blending academics, hands-on training, and research with faculty mentorship.