The College of Human Ecology is dedicated to improving the human condition, whether through policy, nutrition, shelter and clothing, medicine or the legal system. Faculty have helped to design the Head Start program, determined strategies for fighting disease in famine-stricken countries, and designed computer keyboards that reduce carpal tunnel syndrome.

Undergraduates pursue majors in design and environmental analysis; human biology, health, and society; human development; nutritional sciences; policy analysis and management; and textiles and apparel. All of the programs are based on solving particular problems and draw on research in a range of fields including biology, economics, psychology, and history.

Students in the Human Ecology Urban Semester live in New York City and combine academic coursework with internships and public service to explore multicultural affairs in urban affairs and the effects of social, cultural, economic, and political diversity on city life. A similar program in Albany explores public policy and government.