Soil Science
Major Requirements
Major: Soil Science
Degree Type: B.S.
Required Degree Credits to Graduate: 120
University Degree Requirements
- Satisfactory completion of all requirements of the curriculum in which one is enrolled.
- Earn a minimum total of 120 credits in approved coursework. Some academic programs exceed this minimum.
- Satisfactory completion of the general education requirements as specified by the university.
- A minimum institutional GPA of 2.00 based on work taken at NDSU.
- At least 30 credits must be NDSU resident credits. Resident credits include credits registered and paid for at NDSU.
- At least 36 credits presented for graduation must be in courses numbered 300 or higher.
- Students presenting transfer credit must meet the NDSU residence credits and the minimum upper level credit. Of the 30 credits earned in residence, a minimum of 15 semester credits must be in courses numbered 300 or above, and 15 semester credits must be in the student’s curricula for their declared major.
For complete information, please refer to the Degree and Graduation Requirements section of this Bulletin.
University General Education Requirements
A list of university approved general education courses and administrative policies are available here.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Category C: Communication | 12 | |
| College Composition I | ||
| College Composition II | ||
| Fundamentals of Public Speaking | ||
Upper Division Writing † | ||
| Category R: Quantitative Reasoning † | 3 | |
| Category S: Science and Technology † | 10 | |
| Category A: Humanities and Fine Arts † | 6 | |
| Category B: Social and Behavioral Sciences † | 6 | |
| Category W: Wellness † | 2 | |
| Category D: Cultural Diversity *† | ||
| Category G: Global Perspectives *† | ||
| Total Credits | 39 | |
- *
Courses for category D & G are satisfied by completing D & G designated courses in another general education category.
- †
General education courses may be used to satisfy requirements for both general education and the major, minor, and program emphases, where applicable. Students should carefully review major requirements to determine if specific courses can also satisfy these general education categories.
Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses for Soil Science | ||
| NRM 150 | Natural Resource Management Orientation | 1 |
| PLSC 110 | World Food Crops (May satisfy general education category S and G) | 3 |
| PLSC 225 | Principles of Crop Production | 3 |
| or RNG 136 | Introduction to Range Management | |
| SOIL 210 | Introduction to Soil Science | 3 |
| SOIL 217 | Introduction to Meteorology & Climatology | 3 |
| SOIL 264 | Natural Resource Management Systems | 3 |
| SOIL 322 | Soil Fertility and Fertilizers | 3 |
| SOIL 351 | Soil Ecology | 3 |
| SOIL 410 | Soils and Land Use | 3 |
| SOIL 444 | Soil Genesis and Survey | 3 |
| SOIL 454 | Wetland Resources Management | 3 |
| GEOG 455 | Introduction to Geographic Information Systems | 4 |
| or RNG 452 | Managing Natural and Rangeland Resources using GIS | |
| SOIL 462 | Natural Resource and Rangeland Planning | 3 |
| Supporting Courses | ||
| BIOL 150 & 150L | General Biology I and General Biology I Laboratory | 4 |
| BIOL 151 & 151L | General Biology II and General Biology II Laboratory | 4 |
| or PHYS 212 & 212L | College Physics II and College Physics II Laboratory | |
| CHEM 121 & 121L | General Chemistry I and General Chemistry I Laboratory (May satisfy general education category S) | 4 |
| CHEM 122 & 122L | General Chemistry II and General Chemistry II Laboratory (May satisfy general education category S) | 4 |
| GEOL 105 & 105L | Physical Geology and Physical Geology Lab (May satisfy general education category S) | 4 |
| MATH 103 | College Algebra | 3 |
| MATH 105 | Trigonometry | 3 |
| PLSC 380 | Principles of Plant Physiology | 3 |
| PHYS 211 & 211L | College Physics I and College Physics I Laboratory (May satisfy general education category S) | 4 |
| STAT 330 | Introductory Statistics (May satisfy general education category R) | 3 |
| Select one from the following: (May satisfy general education category C) | 3 | |
| Writing in the Technical Professions | ||
| Writing in the Sciences | ||
| Researching and Writing Grants and Proposal | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Elements of Biochemistry | ||
| Survey of Organic Chemistry | ||
| Introductory Microbiology and Introductory Microbiology Lab | ||
| Agriculture Electives: Select 9 credits of agriculture electives | 9 | |
| Total Credits | 89 | |
- 1
AGRI189 is only required for first-time, first-year students--A first-time, first-year student is defined as a student who has not yet completed a college course as a college student. Students that are not first-time, first-year students that either transfer into the university or change their major are not required to take AGRI 189.
Minor Requirements
Minor: Soil Science
Required Credits: 18
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| SOIL 210 | Introduction to Soil Science | 3 |
| SOIL 322 | Soil Fertility and Fertilizers | 3 |
| SOIL 444 | Soil Genesis and Survey | 3 |
| Elective Courses | ||
| Select three of the following: | 9 | |
| Natural Resource Management Systems | ||
| Soil Ecology | ||
| Soils and Land Use | ||
| Soil Ecohydrology and Physics | ||
| Microclimatology | ||
| Wetland Resources Management | ||
| Soil And Plant Analysis | ||
| Total Credits | 18 | |
Minor Requirements and Notes:
- A minimum of 8 credits must be taken at NDSU.
- Students must earn a minimum 2.00 GPA for the minor requirements.