Crop and Soil Sciences (BS): Agronomy
The Bachelor of Science in Crop and Soil Sciences degree with a concentration in Agronomy is a flexible program that allows students to choose from a wide range of courses, based on their personal interests and career goals. Students gain understanding of how plants grow, how the environment impacts crop productivity, and how management and marketing decisions affect profits. Graduates of this program will feed and clothe a growing global population.
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 | ||
| Mathematics & Natural Sciences | |||
| MA 121 | Elements of Calculus | 3 | |
| ST 311 | Introduction to Statistics | 3 | |
| BIO 181 | Introductory Biology: Ecology, Evolution, and Biodiversity | 4 | |
| CH 101 | Chemistry - A Molecular Science | 3 | |
| CH 102 | General Chemistry Laboratory | 1 | |
| CH 220 | Introductory Organic Chemistry | 3 | |
| CH 222 | Organic Chemistry I Lab | 1 | |
| PB 321 | Introduction to Whole Plant Physiology | 3 | |
| PY 131 | Conceptual Physics | 4 | |
| BIO 183 | Introductory Biology: Cellular and Molecular Biology | 4 | |
| or PB 200 | Plant Life | ||
| Communication/Advanced Writing | |||
| COM 110 | Public Speaking | 3 | |
| or COM 112 | Interpersonal Communication | ||
| Select one: | 3 | ||
| Communication Methods and Media | |||
| Communication for Engineering and Technology | |||
| Communication for Business and Management | |||
| Communication for Science and Research | |||
| Required Courses within Major | |||
| ARE 201 | Introduction to Agricultural & Resource Economics | 3 | |
| CSSC 290 | Professional Development in Crop & Soil Sciences | 1 | |
| CS 211 | Plant Genetics | 3 | |
| CS 213 | Crop Science 1 | 3 | |
| CS 214 | Crop Science Laboratory 1 | 1 | |
| CS 414 | Weed Science | 4 | |
| CS 415 | Integrated Pest Management | 3 | |
| SSC 200 | Soil Science 1 | 3 | |
| SSC 201 | Soil Science Laboratory 1 | 1 | |
| SSC 341 | Soil Fertility and Nutrient Management | 3 | |
| SSC 342 | Soil and Plant Nutrient Analysis | 1 | |
| SSC 462 | Soil-Crop Management Systems | 3 | |
| Electives | |||
| Foundation Elective (select one): | 3 | ||
| Seeds, Biotechnology and Societies | |||
| Introduction to Agroecology | |||
| Land and Life | |||
| Crop Production Electives (select two): | 6 | ||
| Southern Row Crop Production - Cotton, Peanuts, and Tobacco | |||
| Southern Row Crop Production - Corn, Small Grains and Soybeans | |||
| Production of Forage Crops | |||
| Experiential Learning (select one): | 3 | ||
| Professional Internship Experience in Crop and Soil Sciences | |||
| Research Experience in Crop and Soil Sciences | |||
| Restricted Electives | 17 | ||
| General Education Program (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) | |||
| World Language Proficiency (verify requirement) | |||
| Free Electives | |||
| Free Electives (12 Hr S/U Lmt) 2 | 6 | ||
| 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.
Restricted Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACC 280 | Survey of Financial and Managerial Accounting | 3 | |
| ARE 215 | Small Business Accounting | 3 | |
| ARE 303 | Farm Management | 3 | |
| ARE 304 | Agribusiness Management | 3 | |
| ARE 306 | Agricultural Law | 3 | |
| ARE 309 | Environmental Law & Economic Policy | 3 | |
| ARE 311 | Agricultural Markets | 3 | |
| ARE 312 | Agribusiness Marketing | 3 | |
| ARE 323 | Agribusiness Finance | 3 | |
| ARE 332 | Human Resource Management for Agribusiness | 3 | |
| ARE 336 | Introduction to Resource and Environmental Economics | 3 | |
| BAE 325 | Introductory Geomatics | 3 | |
| BAE 435/535 | Precision Agriculture Technology | 3 | |
| BAET 323 | Water Management | 3 | |
| CS 216 | Southern Row Crop Production - Cotton, Peanuts, and Tobacco | 3 | |
| CS 218 | Southern Row Crop Production - Corn, Small Grains and Soybeans | 3 | |
| CS 224 | Seeds, Biotechnology and Societies | 3 | |
| CS 230 | Introduction to Agroecology | 3 | |
| CS 251 | Production of Forage Crops | 3 | |
| CS 411 | Crop Ecology | 3 | |
| CS 413 | Plant Breeding | 2 | |
| CS 418/518 | Introduction to Regulatory Science in Agriculture | 3 | |
| CS 428/528 | Advanced Regulatory Science in Agriculture | 3 | |
| CS 424/524 | Seed Physiology | 3 | |
| CS 430/530 | Advanced Agroecology | 4 | |
| ENT 425 | General Entomology | 3 | |
| FS 222 | Discover: Conventional, Organic and Genetically Engineered Foods | 3 | |
| GIS 280 | Introduction to GIS | 3 | |
| PP 315 | Principles of Plant Pathology | 4 | |
| SSC 185 | Land and Life | 3 | |
| SSC 332 | Environmental Soil Microbiology | 3 | |
| SSC 440/540 | Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in Soil Science and Agriculture | 3 | |
| SSC 427 | Biological Approaches to Sustainable Soil Systems | 3 | |
| SSC 410 | Soil Judging for Land Evaluation | 1 | |
| SSC 442 | Soil and Environmental Biogeochemistry | 3 | |
| SSC 452 | Soil Classification | 4 | |
| SSC 455 | Soils, Environmental Quality and Global Challenges | 3 | |
| SSC 461 | Soil Physical Properties and Plant Growth | 3 | |
| SSC 545 | Remote Sensing Applications in Soil Science and Agriculture | 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 121 | Elements of Calculus | 3 |
| Foundation Elective (select one): | 3 | |
| Seeds, Biotechnology and Societies (Select one of the following Foundation electives:) | ||
| Introduction to Agroecology | ||
| Land and Life | ||
| 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 |
| COM 110 or COM 112 | Public Speaking or Interpersonal Communication | 3 |
| BIO 183 or PB 200 | Introductory Biology: Cellular and Molecular Biology or Plant Life | 4 |
| Restricted Electives | 3 | |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| ARE 201 | Introduction to Agricultural & Resource Economics | 3 |
| CS 213 | Crop Science | 3 |
| CS 214 | Crop Science Laboratory | 1 |
| ST 311 | Introduction to Statistics | 3 |
| GEP Humanities | 3 | |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| Hours | 14 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| CH 220 | Introductory Organic Chemistry | 3 |
| CH 222 | Organic Chemistry I Lab | 1 |
| SSC 200 | Soil Science | 3 |
| SSC 201 | Soil Science Laboratory | 1 |
| PB 321 | Introduction to Whole Plant Physiology | 3 |
| GEP Humanities | 3 | |
| GEP Interdisciplinary Perspectives | 2 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| CS 414 | Weed Science (Fall only) | 4 |
| SSC 341 | Soil Fertility and Nutrient Management | 3 |
| Crop Production Electives (select one): | 3 | |
| Southern Row Crop Production - Cotton, Peanuts, and Tobacco | ||
| Southern Row Crop Production - Corn, Small Grains and Soybeans | ||
| Production of Forage Crops | ||
| Restricted Electives | 6 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| CS 211 | Plant Genetics | 3 |
| Select one: | 3 | |
| Communication Methods and Media | ||
| Communication for Engineering and Technology | ||
| Communication for Business and Management | ||
| Communication for Science and Research | ||
| SSC 342 | Soil and Plant Nutrient Analysis | 1 |
| Crop Production Electives (select one): | 3 | |
| Southern Row Crop Production - Cotton, Peanuts, and Tobacco | ||
| Southern Row Crop Production - Corn, Small Grains and Soybeans | ||
| Production of Forage Crops | ||
| Restricted Electives | 6 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| PY 131 | Conceptual Physics | 4 |
| Experiential Learning (select one): | 3 | |
| Professional Internship Experience in Crop and Soil Sciences | ||
| Research Experience in Crop and Soil Sciences | ||
| Restricted Electives | 2 | |
| GEP Social Sciences | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| CS 415 | Integrated Pest Management | 3 |
| SSC 462 | Soil-Crop Management Systems (Spring only) | 3 |
| GEP US Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 12 | |
| 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:
- Agronomist
- Agronomy Sales and Management
- Crop Advisor
- Crops Systems Specialist
- Extension Agent
- Nutrient Management/ Waste Management Specialist
- Precision Agriculture Specialist
- Research Station Manager
- Seed Production Agronomist
Learn more about future job prospects, representative salaries, and major employers for each of the above listed careers at go.ncsu.edu/careers
Career Titles
- Food & Drug Inspector
- Landscape Architect
- Soil Conservation Technician
- Soil Conservationist
- Soil Engineer
- Soil Scientist
- Winemaker / Vinter
Learn More About Careers
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