College of Natural and Social Sciences

The College of Natural and Social Sciences (NSS) is the largest college at Cal State LA with over 150 outstanding and dedicated faculty who have won more Statewide Outstanding Professor Awards than faculty in any other academic unit in the California State University system. The college is committed to programs of academic excellence in the fields of natural and social sciences that provide access and opportunity for a uniquely diverse student body. 

Leadership Announcement

Dr. Stephen Trzaskoma smiles in front of a gray background.

Interim Dean Appointment for the College of Natural and Social Sciences

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Stephen M. Trzaskoma has been appointed Interim Dean of the College of Natural and Social Sciences, effective June 9, 2025.

Student Support

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NSS Degree Programs

The College of Natural and Social Sciences provides innovative degree programs leading to baccalaureate and master's degrees in an environment that encourages intentional learning and collaborative research. 

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NSS Advising

Need help with degree planning and progression, graduation check, exploring or declaring a major, or other academic concerns? The NSS Advisement Center team is here to help.

College of Natural and Social Sciences News

Trzaskoma wearing a Blue Suit

Cal State LA Dean Stephen Trzaskoma named HACU Leadership Academy Fellow

Stephen M. Trzaskoma, dean of the College of Arts and Letters and interim dean of the College of Natural and Social Sciences at Cal State LA, has been selected as a 2025–26 Fellow of the HACU Leadership Academy/La Academia de Liderazgo.

Camila Bautista, a geological sciences graduate.

Cal State LA graduate honored with 2025 Outstanding Student Award from Groundwater Resources Association of California

Camila Bautista, a geological sciences graduate from Cal State LA, was selected as the recipient of the 2025 Outstanding Student Award from the Groundwater Resources Association of California (GRA).  

Two researchers collect water samples from a canal using a long pole. They stand on a concrete embankment beside monitoring equipment and a red bucket under bright desert sunlight.

Cal State LA professor publishes new study on California’s moving mud spring

Dr. Barry J. Hibbs’s research links the movement of the rare Niland mud spring to the receding shoreline of the Salton Sea, offering new insight into the region’s shifting groundwater dynamics.

A Cal State LA student wearing a lab coat and safety glasses operates the LECO Pegasus BTX mass spectrometry system inside the LECO Complex Chemical Compositional Analysis Lab.

Cal State LA and LECO enhance complex chemical analysis with new Pegasus BTX system

The university’s upgraded Pegasus BTX system enhances research and student training in complex chemical analysis.
A field researcher works inside a small cave-like rock formation, with equipment and a backpack, surrounded by sunlit boulders and desert vegetation.

Cal State LA graduate student explores ancient rock art in Baja California

Cal State LA's anthropology graduate student Jennifer Leiva conducting pXRF analysis of rock art at a site in northern Baja California, Mexico.

Woman with short hair and navy blouse

Cal State LA Sociology Professor Publishes Study on Multigenerational Households and Youth Mental Health

Research explores the long-term mental health impacts of growing up in households with parents and grandparents.

Cal State LA student delivers a commencement speech from a podium, pointing upward with enthusiasm while wearing a graduation gown.

Cal State LA’s Arwa Hammad leads with purpose as student body president and future policymaker

From Early Entrance Program student to ASI president, NSS political science major Arwa Hammad is shaping policy conversations on campus and beyond.

Alumni Spotlight

Dr. Antonio Tinoco Valencia at his Cal State LA graduation (left) and in a UCLA lab wearing a blue UCLA shirt (right).

Finding His Element: The Journey of Dr. Antonio Tinoco Valencia

Alumnus Dr. Antonio Tinoco Valencia is committed to mentoring the next generation of scientists and hopes his journey from ELAC to Cal State LA to UCLA will inspire students to dream big and persevere.

Events Calendar & Social Media

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Urban Ecology Center

The mission of the Urban Ecology Center (UEC), housed within Cal State LA’s College of Natural and Social Sciences (NSS), is to support the advancement of transdisciplinary research, education, and professional development with a focus on sustainable, equitable, and fair economic drivers, land use practices, and public policies.