Natural Resources (BS): Soil, Water and Land Use Concentration
To see more about what you will learn in this program, visit the Learning Outcomes website!
The Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources degree with a concentration in Soil, Water, and Land Use encompasses the study of soil, water, air, minerals, flora, fauna and people. In this degree, students acquire a solid foundation in resource management with a focus on soil properties and surface and groundwater hydrology. Graduates will use their understanding of earth's systems to help policy makers, government agencies, and private land managers make environmentally responsible decisions related to soil, water, and land use.
Contact Person
Undergraduate Programs Office
Crop & Soil Sciences Department
2234 Williams Hall
Campus Box 7620
919-515-5820
cropsoil-undergraduate-office@ncsu.edu
Plan Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orientation | |||
| ALS 103 | Freshman Transitions and Diversity in Agriculture & Life Sciences | 1 | |
| or ALS 303 | Transfer Transitions and Diversity in Agriculture & Life Sciences | ||
| Communication/Advanced Writing | |||
| COM 110 | Public Speaking | 3 | |
| or COM 112 | Interpersonal Communication | ||
| Select one of the following Advanced Writing courses: | 3 | ||
| Communication Methods and Media | |||
| Communication for Engineering and Technology | |||
| Communication for Business and Management | |||
| Communication for Science and Research | |||
| Mathematics & Natural Sciences | |||
| MA 131 | Calculus for Life and Management Sciences A | 3 | |
| MA 231 | Calculus for Life and Management Sciences B | 3 | |
| ST 311 | Introduction to Statistics | 3 | |
| CH 101 & CH 102 | Chemistry - A Molecular Science and General Chemistry Laboratory | 4 | |
| BIO 181 | Introductory Biology: Ecology, Evolution, and Biodiversity | 4 | |
| AEC 360 | Ecology | 4 | |
| MEA 101 & MEA 110 | Geology I: Physical and Geology I Laboratory | 4 | |
| PY 131 | Conceptual Physics | 4 | |
| Required Courses within Major | |||
| ARE 201 | Introduction to Agricultural & Resource Economics | 3 | |
| CSSC 290 | Professional Development in Crop & Soil Sciences | 1 | |
| NR 300 | Natural Resource Measurements | 4 | |
| SSC 200 & SSC 201 | Soil Science and Soil Science Laboratory 1 | 4 | |
| SSC 341 | Soil Fertility and Nutrient Management | 3 | |
| SSC 342 | Soil and Plant Nutrient Analysis | 1 | |
| SSC 452 | Soil Classification | 4 | |
| SSC 461 | Soil Physical Properties and Plant Growth | 3 | |
| CSSC 490 | Senior Seminar in Crop Science and Soil Science | 1 | |
| Concentration Electives | |||
| Foundation Elective (select one): | 3 | ||
| Water and the Environment | |||
| Conservation of Natural Resources | |||
| Land and Life | |||
| Advanced Chemistry Elective (select one): | 3 | ||
| Chemistry - A Quantitative Science and Quantitative Chemistry Laboratory | |||
| Introductory Organic Chemistry and Organic Chemistry I Lab | |||
| Soil and Environmental Biogeochemistry | |||
| Economics, Management & Policy Electives | 6 | ||
| Experiential Learning (select one): | 3 | ||
| Professional Internship Experience in Crop and Soil Sciences | |||
| Research Experience in Crop and Soil Sciences | |||
| Geospatial Technologies Elective | 3 | ||
| Land Use Electives | 6 | ||
| Plant Science Electives | 6 | ||
| Water, Wetlands & Ecology Electives | 6 | ||
| GEP Courses | |||
| ENG 101 | Academic Writing and Research 1 | 4 | |
| GEP Humanities | 6 | ||
| GEP Social Sciences | 3 | ||
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 2 | ||
| GEP US Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion | 3 | ||
| GEP Interdisciplinary Perspectives | 2 | ||
| GEP Global Knowledge (verify requirement) | |||
| Foreign Language Proficiency (verify requirement) | |||
| Free Electives | |||
| Free Electives (12 Hr S/U Lmt) | 4 | ||
| Total Hours | 120 | ||
| 1 | A grade of C- or higher is required. |
| 2 | Students should consult their academic advisors to determine which courses fill this requirement. |
Economics, Management & Policy Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| AEC 380 | Water Resources: Global Issues in Ecology, Policy, Management, and Advocacy | 3 | |
| ARE 215 | Small Business Accounting | 3 | |
| ARE 306 | Agricultural Law | 3 | |
| ARE 309 | Environmental Law & Economic Policy | 3 | |
| ARE 312 | Agribusiness Marketing | 3 | |
| ARE 332 | Human Resource Management for Agribusiness | 3 | |
| ARE 336 | Introduction to Resource and Environmental Economics | 3 | |
| CE 478 | Energy and Climate | 3 | |
| CS 418 | Introduction to Regulatory Science in Agriculture | 3 | |
| CS 428 | Advanced Regulatory Science in Agriculture | 3 | |
| NR 406 | Conservation of Biological Diversity | 3 | |
| NR 460 | Renewable Natural Resource Management and Policy | 3 | |
| PS 201 | American Politics and Government | 3 | |
| PS 202 | State and Local Government | 3 | |
| PS 320 | U.S. Environmental Law and Politics | 3 | |
| SSC 455 | Soils, Environmental Quality and Global Challenges | 3 |
Geospatial Technologies Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| BAE 325 | Introductory Geomatics | 3 | |
| FOR 353 | GIS and Remote Sensing for Environmental Analysis and Assessment | 3 | |
| GIS 280 | Introduction to GIS | 3 | |
| GIS 512 | Introduction to Environmental Remote Sensing | 3 | |
| SSC 440/540 | Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in Soil Science and Agriculture | 3 | |
| SSC 545 | Remote Sensing Applications in Soil Science and Agriculture | 3 |
Land Use Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| MEA 300 | Environmental Geology | 4 | |
| MEA 481 | Geomorphology: Earth's Dynamic Surface | 3 | |
| NR 400/500 | Natural Resource Management | 4 | |
| NR 484 | Environmental Impact Assessment | 4 | |
| NR 510 | Military Land Sustainability | 3 | |
| SSC 410 | Soil Judging for Land Evaluation | 1 | |
| SSC 421 | Role of Soils in Environmental Management | 3 | |
| SSC 427 | Biological Approaches to Sustainable Soil Systems | 3 | |
| SSC 455 | Soils, Environmental Quality and Global Challenges | 3 | |
| SSC 462 | Soil-Crop Management Systems | 3 |
Plant Science Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| CS 213 | Crop Science | 3 | |
| CS 230 | Introduction to Agroecology | 3 | |
| CS 251 | Production of Forage Crops | 3 | |
| PB 200 | Plant Life | 4 | |
| FOR 252 | Introduction to Forest Science | 4 | |
| FOR 339 | Dendrology | 4 | |
| PB 220 | Local Flora | 3 | |
| PB 321 | Introduction to Whole Plant Physiology | 3 | |
| PB 421 | Plant Physiology | 3 |
Water, Wetlands & Ecology Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| AEC 400 | Applied Ecology | 3 | |
| AEC 419 | Freshwater Ecology | 4 | |
| BAET 323 | Water Management | 3 | |
| FOR 260 | Forest Ecology | 4 | |
| NR/FOR 420 | Watershed and Wetlands Hydrology | 4 | |
| NR 421/521 | Wetland Science and Management | 3 | |
| SSC 332 | Environmental Soil Microbiology | 3 | |
| SSC 470/570 | Wetland Soils | 3 |
Semester Sequence
This is a sample.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Hours | |
| ALS 103 or ALS 303 | Freshman Transitions and Diversity in Agriculture & Life Sciences or Transfer Transitions and Diversity in Agriculture & Life Sciences | 1 |
| BIO 181 | Introductory Biology: Ecology, Evolution, and Biodiversity | 4 |
| ENG 101 | Academic Writing and Research | 4 |
| MA 131 | Calculus for Life and Management Sciences A | 3 |
| Foundation Elective | 3 | |
| CSSC 290 | Professional Development in Crop & Soil Sciences | 1 |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| CH 101 | Chemistry - A Molecular Science | 3 |
| CH 102 | General Chemistry Laboratory | 1 |
| MA 231 | Calculus for Life and Management Sciences B | 3 |
| GEP Humanities | 3 | |
| AEC 360 | Ecology | 4 |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| ARE 201 | Introduction to Agricultural & Resource Economics | 3 |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| SSC 200 | Soil Science | 3 |
| SSC 201 | Soil Science Laboratory | 1 |
| ST 311 | Introduction to Statistics | 3 |
| Plant Science Elective | 3 | |
| COM 110 or COM 112 | Public Speaking or Interpersonal Communication | 3 |
| Hours | 17 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| MEA 101 | Geology I: Physical | 3 |
| MEA 110 | Geology I Laboratory | 1 |
| PY 131 | Conceptual Physics | 4 |
| SSC 341 | Soil Fertility and Nutrient Management | 3 |
| Economics, Management and Policy Elective | 3 | |
| GEP Interdisciplinary Perspectives | 2 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| SSC 342 | Soil and Plant Nutrient Analysis | 1 |
| SSC 461 | Soil Physical Properties and Plant Growth | 3 |
| Advanced Chemistry Elective | 3 | |
| Land Use Elective | 3 | |
| Economics, Management and Policy Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 13 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| NR 300 | Natural Resource Measurements | 4 |
| SSC 452 | Soil Classification | 4 |
| Geospatial Technologies Elective | 3 | |
| Water, Wetlands, and Ecology Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 14 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| Experiential Learning Elective | 3 | |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Communication for Engineering and Technology | ||
| Communication for Business and Management | ||
| Communication for Science and Research | ||
| GEP Humanities | 3 | |
| GEP US Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion | 3 | |
| GEP Social Sciences | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| Free Elective | 4 | |
| CSSC 490 | Senior Seminar in Crop Science and Soil Science | 1 |
| Land Use Elective | 3 | |
| Water, Wetlands, and Ecology Elective | 3 | |
| Plant Science Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 14 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
Career Opportunities
The breadth and depth of education and experiences you will gain from our department will set you on a path toward a rewarding career in one of the following specialties:
- Conservationist
- Ecologist
- Environmental Scientist and Specialist
- Extension Agent
- Hydrologist
- Nutrient Management/ Waste Management Specialist
- Precision Agriculture Specialist
- Restoration Specialist
- Soil Scientist
Learn more about future job prospects, representative salaries, and major employers for each of the above listed careers at go.ncsu.edu/careers