Crop and Soil Sciences (BS): Soil Science
The Bachelor of Science in Crop and Soil Sciences degree with a concentration is Soil Science is an interdisciplinary program that goes way beyond agriculture. The program bridges geology, chemistry, biology, physics and statistics. As the human population expands, making wise choices on land use impacts the entire world. If you enjoy the diversity of earthly places and are interested in land stewardship, Soil Science is an exceptional path to a rewarding career.
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 | |
| MEA 101 | Geology I: Physical | 3 | |
| MEA 110 | Geology I Laboratory | 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 of the following: | 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 | |
| SSC 200 | Soil Science 1 | 3 | |
| SSC 201 | Soil Science Laboratory 1 | 1 | |
| SSC 332 | Environmental Soil Microbiology | 3 | |
| SSC 341 | Soil Fertility and Nutrient Management | 3 | |
| SSC 342 | Soil and Plant Nutrient Analysis | 1 | |
| SSC 442 | Soil and Environmental Biogeochemistry | 3 | |
| 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 | ||
| Conservation of Natural Resources | |||
| Land and Life | |||
| Soil Science Electives | 6 | ||
| 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 | |||
| Restricted Electives | 15 | ||
| 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 | 5 | ||
| 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.
Soil Science Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSC 421 | 3 | ||
| SSC 427 | Biological Approaches to Sustainable Soil Systems | 3 | |
| SSC 440/540 | Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in Soil Science and Agriculture | 3 | |
| SSC 455 | Soils, Environmental Quality and Global Challenges | 3 | |
| SSC 462 | Soil-Crop Management Systems | 3 | |
| SSC 470/570 | Wetland Soils | 3 |
Economics, Management & Policy Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACC 280 | Survey of Financial and Managerial Accounting | 3 | |
| 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 | |
| CS 418/518 | Introduction to Regulatory Science in Agriculture | 3 | |
| CS 428/528 | Advanced Regulatory Science in Agriculture | 3 | |
| NR 460/560 | 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 |
Restricted Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| AEC 380 | Water Resources: Global Issues in Ecology, Policy, Management, and Advocacy | 3 | |
| BAE 325 | Introductory Geomatics | 3 | |
| BAET 323 | Water Management | 3 | |
| CS 200 | Introduction to Turfgrass Management | 4 | |
| CS 211 | Plant Genetics | 3 | |
| CS 216 | Southern Row Crop Production - Cotton, Peanuts, and Tobacco | 3 | |
| CS 213 | Crop Science | 3 | |
| CS 214 | Crop Science Laboratory | 1 | |
| 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 312 | 3 | ||
| CS/HS 410 | Community Food Systems | 3 | |
| CS 411 | Crop Ecology | 3 | |
| CS 414 | Weed Science | 4 | |
| CS 415 | Integrated Pest Management | 3 | |
| CS 424/524 | Seed Physiology | 3 | |
| CS 418/518 | Introduction to Regulatory Science in Agriculture | 3 | |
| CS 428/528 | Advanced Regulatory Science in Agriculture | 3 | |
| CS 430/530 | Advanced Agroecology | 4 | |
| ES 100 | Introduction to Environmental Sciences | 3 | |
| ES 150 | Water and the Environment | 3 | |
| ET 201 | Environmental Technology Laboratory I | 1 | |
| ET 202 | Environmental Technology Laboratory II | 1 | |
| ET 203 | Pollution Prevention | 1 | |
| FOR 420/520 | Watershed and Wetlands Hydrology | 4 | |
| GIS 280 | Introduction to GIS | 3 | |
| MEA 300 | Environmental Geology | 4 | |
| NR 300 | Natural Resource Measurements | 4 | |
| NR 400/500 | Natural Resource Management | 4 | |
| NR 420/520 | Watershed and Wetlands Hydrology | 4 | |
| NR 421/521 | Wetland Science and Management | 3 | |
| NR 460/560 | Renewable Natural Resource Management and Policy | 3 | |
| SSC 410 | Soil Judging for Land Evaluation | 1 | |
| SSC 427 | Biological Approaches to Sustainable Soil Systems | 3 | |
| SSC 428 | Soil Management Principles for Sustainable Agriculture | 1 | |
| SSC 455 | Soils, Environmental Quality and Global Challenges | 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 | |
| Conservation of Natural Resources | ||
| Land and Life | ||
| CSSC 290 | Professional Development in Crop & Soil Sciences | 1 |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| BIO 183 or PB 200 | Introductory Biology: Cellular and Molecular Biology or Plant Life | 4 |
| CH 101 | Chemistry - A Molecular Science | 3 |
| CH 102 | General Chemistry Laboratory | 1 |
| MEA 101 | Geology I: Physical | 3 |
| MEA 110 | Geology I Laboratory | 1 |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| GEP Humanities | 3 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| ARE 201 | Introduction to Agricultural & Resource Economics | 3 |
| SSC 200 | Soil Science | 3 |
| SSC 201 | Soil Science Laboratory | 1 |
| COM 110 or COM 112 | Public Speaking or Interpersonal Communication | 3 |
| ST 311 | Introduction to Statistics | 3 |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| Hours | 14 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| SSC 332 | Environmental Soil Microbiology | 3 |
| SSC 452 | Soil Classification | 4 |
| Restricted Elective | 6 | |
| Hours | 13 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| SSC 461 | Soil Physical Properties and Plant Growth | 3 |
| Soil Science Elective | 3 | |
| Economics, Management and Policy Elective | 3 | |
| GEP US Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion | 3 | |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Communication Methods and Media | ||
| Communication for Engineering and Technology | ||
| Communication for Business and Management | ||
| Communication for Science and Research | ||
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| SSC 341 | Soil Fertility and Nutrient Management | 3 |
| SSC 442 | Soil and Environmental Biogeochemistry | 3 |
| PY 131 | Conceptual Physics | 4 |
| Economics, Management and Policy Elective | 3 | |
| Restricted Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| SSC 342 | Soil and Plant Nutrient Analysis | 1 |
| GEP Social Sciences | 3 | |
| Soil Science Elective | 3 | |
| Restricted Elective | 3 | |
| Experimental Learning Elective | 3 | |
| GEP Humanities | 3 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| PB 321 | Introduction to Whole Plant Physiology | 3 |
| CSSC 490 | Senior Seminar in Crop Science and Soil Science | 1 |
| Restrictive Elective | 3 | |
| GEP Interdisciplinary Perspectives | 2 | |
| Free Elective | 5 | |
| 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
- Land Use Planner
- Nutrient Management/ Waste Management 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
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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