The third professor hired at the university was Orson Pratt, who taught astronomy, mathematics, and algebra.

[2]  This curriculum focused on mathematics, natural, and physical sciences, as well as classes in history, political economy, theology and moral philosophy.

[3] By this period a regular series of public science lectures were offered and there was a chemical laboratory located in the basement of the University Hall building.

By the 1890s, 400 students were enrolled and the university offered BA and BS degrees in classical, scientific, and normal programs.

Fortunately, these were in good condition and the building contents had been restored or replaced by the time the university opened in 1902.

Designed by Ashton and Evans, this building was completed in 1935 and named after former university president George Thomas, who served from 1921–1941.

The building is named for Aline Wilmot Skaggs, a philanthropist whose aim was to alleviate human suffering.

South Biology became the catalyst for a new emphasis in cellular and molecular microbiology research at the U, including the hiring of Mario Capecchi, the Nobel Laureate whose original lab was in the building.

The South Physics Observatory normally holds weekly Star Parties with their multiple telescopes.

[11] As of 2016, the College of Science consists of 171 full-time faculty members distinguished for excellence in research and education, teaching more than 300 courses per semester, and approximately 2,067 undergraduate and 525 graduate students pursuing bachelor, master and doctoral degrees in the departments of Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics & Astronomy.

Faculty research interests span a wide variety of phenomena and disciplines and the department has major research funding that supports initiatives in: [12] The Department of Chemistry offers Bachelors of Arts, Bachelors of Science, and PhDs.

[14] The department also houses the University of Utah Scientific Glassblowing shop to provide repairs, modification, and custom designs for borosilicate glass or quartz apparatus.

[16][17] Since 1980, the department has also hosted the annual free public Faraday Chemistry Christmas Lecture.

University chemistry professors Ronald Ragsdale and Jerry Driscoll started the yearly tradition to recreate Michael Faraday's Christmas lecture series for children at the Royal Institution of Great Britain in 1827.

[19] The Department of Mathematics ranks 16th among public educational institutions in the United States, and has graduated two Churchill Scholarship recipients in recent years.

The department supports research in the following areas: The department administers the Telescope Array Project, which comprises over 507 particle detectors in Millard County, Utah, designed to observe air showers induced by ultra-high-energy cosmic rays using a combination of ground array and air-fluorescence techniques.

[22] The Project is the direct successor of the HiRes cosmic ray detector that operated in the western Utah desert by the Dugway Proving Ground from 1997 to 2006.