University of Utah College of Social and Behavioral Science

What University of Utah College of Social and Behavioral Science does

The College of Social and Behavioral Science (CSBS) is one of the principal academic colleges within the University of Utah, a public state university founded in 1850 and headquartered in Salt Lake City. CSBS delivers undergraduate and graduate degree programs across seven instructional units: the Departments of Anthropology, Economics, Family and Consumer Studies, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology & Criminology; the School of Public Affairs; and the recently established School of Environment, Society & Sustainability (ESS), which was formed in August 2024 through the merger of two existing programs. Additional programs include Health, Society & Policy and the ROTC disciplines (Aerospace, Military Science, Naval Science). A cross-college Neuroscience major jointly offered with the School of Biological Sciences launched in Fall 2026, the first undergraduate neuroscience degree in the Utah System of Higher Education.

CSBS's core activities span instruction, research, and community engagement. The research portfolio is anchored by federally funded studies on family caregiving (NIA, producing the Time for Living and Caring virtual coaching app), emotional development (NIMH), wildfire and air-quality modeling (STRIDE simulation; AirU sensors deployed via partnerships with Glendale Library, Day-Riverside Library, and Chemical Engineering), and environmental justice work linked to Great Salt Lake dust exposure. Dedicated research centers include the Archaeological Center, the Center for Natural & Technological Hazards, the Digit Laboratory (digital humanities), the Behavioral Health Innovation and Dissemination Center (BHIDC), the Barbara & Norman Tanner Center for Human Rights, and NEXUS (Interdisciplinary Exchange for Utah Science). Faculty mentorship extends to undergraduate research, exemplified by associates such as Lee Raby supervising 35 undergraduate mentees across a decade.

The college is funded through three primary streams: tuition and fees drawn from University of Utah enrollment, external research grants and contracts (NIA, NIMH, NSF, Commonwealth Fund, HHMI BRAIN Initiative), and private donations/endowments (including the Schwartz-Shea and Yanow Dissertation Fellowship for Interpretive Research). CSBS does not participate in private ownership, venture financing, or M&A; it operates as a public academic unit under the governance of the Utah State Legislature and Board of Higher Education. Outreach channels include a university-managed website, organic social presence on Twitter/X, Facebook, and Instagram, an email newsletter (CSBS Social Life), the Solutions magazine publication, and a programming calendar anchored by annual convocation ceremonies.

Name

University of Utah College of Social and Behavioral Science

Legal name

The University of Utah

Website

https://csbs.utah.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1850

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Academic college within the University of Utah offering undergraduate and graduate degrees across social and behavioral science disciplines, including anthropology, economics, political science, psychology, sociology, and environmental studies, funded primarily through tuition, federal research grants, and private donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAHACAA

General Liberal Arts Colleges

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Liberal Arts Colleges

SECONDARYEDAHACAH

Residential Liberal Arts Colleges

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Liberal Arts Colleges

Keywords

• Higher education services
• Social science research
• Undergraduate degree programs
• Graduate degree programs
• Public university college

Headquarters

HQ city

Salt Lake City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Public university college funded primarily through state appropriations and tuition from undergraduate and graduate students.
2. Research Grants and Contracts: External funding from federal agencies including National Institute on Aging, National Institute of Mental Health, National Science Foundation, as well as private foundations.
3. Private Donations and Endowments: Scholarship funding and endowed fellowships including the Schwartz-Shea and Yanow Dissertation Fellowship for Interpretive Research, and support from donors to the college.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The College of Social and Behavioral Science (CSBS) is an academic college within the University of Utah that delivers undergraduate and graduate degree programs across social and behavioral science disciplines, including Anthropology, Economics, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Criminology, Family and Consumer Studies, and Environment, Society & Sustainability. The college also conducts funded research, operates multiple research centers, and runs ROTC programs (Army, Air Force, Naval Science), while engaging in community-based learning and service partnerships across Utah.

Product overview

The College of Social and Behavioral Science (CSBS) is a college within the University of Utah offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs across departments including Anthropology, Economics, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Criminology, Family and Consumer Studies, and Environment/Society/Sustainability. CSBS recently launched a new interdisciplinary Neuroscience major in Fall 2026, jointly offered with the School of Biological Sciences, representing the first dedicated undergraduate neuroscience program in the Utah System of Higher Education. The college operates research centers and provides academic advising, career services, and internship opportunities for students.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• College of Social and Behavioral Science Degree Programs Academic degree programs (majors, minors, master's, and doctoral degrees) offered across multiple departments including Anthropology, Economics, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology & Criminology, Family and Consumer Studies, Environment Society & Sustainability, and the School of Public Affairs, targeted at prospective undergraduate and graduate students.
• Neuroscience Major Interdisciplinary undergraduate neuroscience degree program combining biological and psychological approaches to studying the nervous system, designed for students pursuing careers in life and health sciences.
• ROTC Programs (Army, Air Force, Naval Science) Military officer training programs including Aerospace (Air Force) ROTC, Army Military Science ROTC, and Naval Science ROTC that prepare students for military careers through leadership development, training, and physical readiness programs.
• UOnline Online Degree Programs Online undergraduate degree programs delivered via the UOnline partnership enabling remote students to complete CSBS degrees through distance learning.

Quantifiable outcome

• Users of the Time for Living and Caring app took more respite, reported greater satisfaction, and felt they were better caregivers after being coached to better plan and use their limited respite time
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Teagle Foundation (NAFFLE Program)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026The Teagle Foundation sponsors NAFFLE (National Fellowship on the Future of Liberal Education), a multi-year program convening newly tenured faculty members to acquire practical knowledge and build professional networks for strengthening liberal education.
• Family Caregiving CollaborativecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Rebecca Utz leads the Family Caregiving Collaborative which convenes the Utah Caregiver Roundtable to develop state plans supporting family caregivers, comprising more than 50 community organizations.
• U.S. Army Cadet Command (5th ROTC Brigade)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026The University of Utah Army ROTC is part of the 5th ROTC Brigade spanning nine states and 41 universities, with recognition as top program in its size category.
• School of Biological SciencescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Joint development of new undergraduate Neuroscience major, jointly seated in the Department of Psychology in CSBS and School of Biological Sciences in College of Science.
• Department of PsychologycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Partnered with School of Biological Sciences to develop interdisciplinary Neuroscience major, connecting to the graduate program on Health Sciences campus.
• Department of Neurobiology (School of Medicine)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Health Sciences faculty including Moriel Zelikowsky contribute to the new undergraduate program, with students having access to research experiences previously available only to graduate trainees.
• Glendale LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022The Air Quality Sensing, Outreach, and Pollution Resilience project partnered with Glendale Library to provide air quality sensors and materials for low-cost DIY purifiers to community members.
• Day-Riverside Library in Rose ParkminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Community events partnership for environmental education and awareness about air quality issues affecting local communities.
• SPARC Environmental Justice LabcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Casey Mullen serves as Air Quality Research Projects Lead for the SPARC Environmental Justice Lab, integrating resources across departments and colleges.
• Project H.A.P.P.I.E.S.T.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Interdisciplinary collaboration project (Interdisciplinary Exchange for Utah Science) focused on air quality research and community education.
• Department of Chemical Engineering (Drs. Kelly Kerry and Anthony Butterfield)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2022Chemical Engineering professors created and dispersed AirU air quality sensors providing near real-time air quality estimates through a publicly accessible website.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Penn State College of the Liberal Arts: Penn State's College of the Liberal Arts is a large public-R1 college housing many of the same social and behavioral science departments as CSBS (Psychology, Sociology, Economics, Political Science, Anthropology). Comparable in scale, mix of departments, and online program offerings.
• UC Berkeley Division of Social Sciences: UC Berkeley's Division of Social Sciences within the College of Letters & Science houses many of the same departments as CSBS (Psychology, Sociology, Political Science, Economics, Anthropology) at a public R1. Berkeley is a useful scale benchmark for research output and interdisciplinary program design.
• University of Maryland College of Behavioral and Social Sciences: UMD's BSOS is the closest named peer — it is literally a College of Behavioral and Social Sciences at a public R1, with overlapping departments (Psychology, Sociology, Economics, Anthropology, Government & Politics). Highly comparable in scope, mission, and student profile.
• University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Letters & Science: Wisconsin's College of Letters & Science is the home of social sciences at a large public R1, with parallel programs in Psychology, Sociology, Political Science, Economics, and Anthropology. Comparable range of departments and research output expectations.
• USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences: USC Dornsife is a private R1 college that includes Psychology, Sociology, Political Science, Economics, and Anthropology — the same core social sciences as CSBS. Comparable in interdisciplinary research profile and neuroscience offerings, though operating under a private funding model.
• Arizona State University College of Liberal Arts and Sciences: ASU's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is a large public-R1 social and behavioral science college, with a much more online- and at-scale model. It is a direct peer in the public-R1 social science space and a competing destination for southwest-region students.
• University of Michigan College of LSA (Social Sciences): Michigan's College of Literature, Science, and the Arts includes a Social Sciences division with parallel departments (Psychology, Sociology, Political Science, Economics, Anthropology). Both are large public R1 colleges delivering interdisciplinary social science majors and sharing a research-intensive identity.
• UCLA College of Social Sciences: UCLA's College of Social Sciences is one of the largest social science units at a public R1 university, with overlapping disciplines (Anthropology, Economics, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology). Both colleges pursue interdisciplinary research and serve large undergraduate populations at flagship public universities.

Regional players

• University of Colorado Boulder College of Arts and Sciences: CU Boulder's College of A&S is a regional peer in the Intermountain West with overlapping social science departments (Psychology, Sociology, Political Science, Economics, Anthropology). Comparable public-R1 structure and proximity, with shared recruitment and research collaboration potential with the University of Utah.
• University of Oregon College of Arts and Sciences: Oregon's College of Arts and Sciences is a public-R1 peer with Psychology, Sociology, Political Science, Economics, and Anthropology. Comparable in scale and in its geographic-region public-R1 identity, though not a direct competitor in the same metro.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/UofUCSBS
• Facebookfacebook.com/UofUCSBS
• Instagraminstagram.com/uofucsbs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/university-of-utah-college-of-social-and-behavioral-science

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about University of Utah College of Social and Behavioral Science