Agricultural Sciences Major

Requirements

Degree Type: B.S.
Minimum Credits Required: 120

University Degree Requirements

For complete details on these and other university degree requirements, refer to the Degree and Graduation Requirements section in the University Catalog.

  1. Minimum of 120 semester credits (some programs may exceed this minimum).
  2. Complete the University General Education requirements.
  3. Minimum institutional GPA of 2.00 based on work taken at NDSU.
  4. Minimum of 30 credits in resident at NDSU.
  5. Minimum of 36 upper level credits (courses numbered 300 or higher).
  6. Students with transfer credit must meet the NDSU 30 credits in residence (#4). Of these 30 credits in residence, a minimum of 15 credits must be in courses numbered 300 or above, and 15 credits must be in the student's declared major curricula.

University General Education Requirements

A list of university approved general education courses along with the administrative policies governing the requirement and the categories is available here.

Category C: Communication12
Category R: Quantitative Reasoning3
Category S: Science and Technology10
Category A: Humanities and Fine Arts6
Category B: Social and Behavioral Sciences6
Category W: Wellness2
Category D: Cultural Diversity
Category G: Global Perspectives
Category L: Digital Literacy
Total Credits39

Major Requirements

Major Requirements for Agriculture Sciences
AGRI 189Skills for Academic Success1
AGRI 120Feeding and Fueling the World3
ANSC 114Introduction to Animal Sciences3
ASM 115Fundamentals of Agricultural Systems Management3
BIOL 111Concepts of Biology3
or BIOL 150 General Biology I
CSCI 114Computer Applications3
or TL 116 Business Software Applications
CHEM 117Chemical Concepts and Applications3
or CHEM 121 General Chemistry I
ECON 201Principles of Microeconomics3
H&CE 496Field Experience4
NRM 225Natural Resources & Agrosystems3
PLSC 110World Food Crops3
SOIL 210Introduction to Soil Science3
STAT 330Introductory Statistics3
Three Agriculture Sciences Emphasis Areas
Student must select three (3) emphasis areas from the 10 areas offered below to complete the major. Each emphasis area is 12 credits and a minimum of 36 credits is required for the three areas. A minimum of six (6) credits in each emphasis area must be completed with courses numbered at the 300-400 level.36
Total Credits74
Agricultural Business and Economics Emphasis Area
ECON 202Principles of Macroeconomics3
AGEC 242Introduction to Agricultural Management3
Select 6 credits from the following:6
AGEC 244
Agricultural Marketing
AGEC 246
Introduction to Agricultural Finance
AGEC 342
Farm and Agribusiness Management II
AGEC 343
Introduction to Commodity Trading
AGEC 347
Principles of Real Estate
AGEC 350
Agrisales
AGEC 356
Advanced Agricultural Lending
AGEC 474
Cooperatives
ECON 343
Intermediate Macroeconomics
ECON 402
Economics of Entrepreneurship
Total Credits12
Agricultural Systems Management Emphasis Area
Select 12 credits from the following courses:12
ASM 323
Post-Harvest Technology
ASM 354
Electricity and Electronic Applications
ASM 373
Tractors & Power Units
ASM 374
Power Units Laboratory
ASM 378
Machinery Principles and Management
ASM 429
Hydraulic Power Principles and Applications
ASM 475
Management of Agricultural Systems
Total Credits12
Animal Health Emphasis Area
ANSC 218Anatomy and Physiology of Domestic Animals3
ANSC 219Anatomy and Physiology Laboratory1
ANSC 223Introduction to Animal Nutrition3
Select 6 credits from the following:6
ANSC 260
Introduction to Equine Studies
ANSC 300
Domestic Animal Behavior and Management
ANSC 324
Applied Animal Nutrition
ANSC 357
Animal Genetics
ANSC 370
Fundamentals/Animal Disease
ANSC 371
Fundamentals of Animal Disease II
Total Credits13
Animal Production Emphasis Area
ANSC 220Livestock Production3
ANSC 223Introduction to Animal Nutrition3
Select 7 credits from the following:7
ANSC 230
Meat Grading and Evaluation
ANSC 231
Livestock Evaluation
ANSC 232
Dairy Cattle Evaluation
ANSC 240
Meat Animal Evaluation and Marketing
ANSC 241
Survey of Meat Science
ANSC 300
Domestic Animal Behavior and Management
ANSC 324
Applied Animal Nutrition
ANSC 340
Principles of Meat Science
ANSC 344
Fundamentals of Meat Processing
ANSC 380
Livestock Sales and Marketing
ANSC 463
Physiology of Reproduction
ANSC 487
Growing and Finishing Cattle Management
PLSC 315
Genetics
Total Credits13
Crop Production Emphasis Area
PAG 115Introduction to Precision Agriculture2
Select 10 credits from the following:10
PLSC 180
Plant Systems Approach to Global Foods
PLSC 210
Horticulture Science
PLSC 225
Principles of Crop Production
PLSC 320
Integrated Forage and Cover Crops Production Management and Ecosystem Services
PLSC 335
Seed Technology & Production
PLSC 340
Grain Grading
PLSC 368
Plant Propagation
PLSC 386
Arboriculture Climbing and Rigging Operations
PLSC 415
Vegetable Crop Production
PLSC 422
Greenhouse Production and Management
PLSC 425
Potato Science
PLSC 485
Arboriculture Science
PAG 215
Mapping of Precision Ag Data
SOIL 322
Soil Fertility and Fertilizers
SOIL 465
Soil And Plant Analysis
Total Credits12
Crop Protection Emphasis Area
ENT 350General Entomology3
PLSC 215Weed Identification1
PLSC 323Principles of Weed Science3
PLSC 453Advanced Weed Science2
Total Credits9
Extension Education Emphasis Area
H&CE 445Designing and Delivering Nonformal Education Programs3
H&CE 446Extension Education3
Select 6 credits from the following:6
EDUC 322
Educational Psychology
HDFS 462
Methods of Family Life Education
H&CE 468
Foundations of Family and Consumer Sciences Education
H&CE 480
Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics Teaching Methods in Agricultural Education
ENGL 459
Researching and Writing Grants and Proposal
Total Credits12
Landscape Production Emphasis Area
PLSC 210Horticulture Science3
PLSC 368Plant Propagation3
Select 6 credits from the following:6
PLSC 341
Landscape Bidding, Contracting and Operations
PLSC 355
Woody Landscape Plants
PLSC 365
Herbaceous Landscape Plants
PLSC 370
Landscape Management
PLSC 375
Turfgrass Management
PLSC 381
Sports Turf Operations
PLSC 386
Arboriculture Climbing and Rigging Operations
PLSC 412
Nursery Production and Management
PLSC 422
Greenhouse Production and Management
PLSC 457
Horticulture and Turfgrass Systems
PLSC 465
Advanced Landscape Plants
PLSC 468
Landscape Irrigation Design
PLSC 469
Landscape Irrigation Installation and Management
PLSC 485
Arboriculture Science
Total Credits12
Natural Resources Emphasis Area
SOIL 217Introduction to Meteorology & Climatology3
Select 9 credits from the following:9
NRM 264
Natural Resource Management Systems
NRM 401
Urban-Ecosystem Management
NRM 402
River and Stream Resource Management
NRM 420
Sustainable Scenarios in Natural Resources Management
NRM 421
Environmental Outreach Methods
NRM 431
National Environmental Policy Act and Environmental Impact Assessment
NRM 453
Rangeland Resources Watershed Management
NRM 454
Wetland Resources Management
NRM 456
Ecological Restoration
SOIL 264
Natural Resource Management Systems
SOIL 410
Soils and Land Use
Total Credits12
Plant Food Production and Safety Emphasis Area
MICR 100Famine, Plague, and Cheese. Microbes: the cause and solution to the world's problems3
MICR 453Food Microbiology2
Select 7 credits from the following:7
ASM 323
Post-Harvest Technology
CFS 370
Food Processing I
CFS 450
Cereal Technology
CFS 452
Food Laws and Regulations
CFS 460
Food Chemistry
CFS 462
Food Ingredient Technology
CFS 472
Cereal and Food Fermentation
CFS 473
Food Safety
MICR 453L
Food Microbiology Laboratory
Total Credits12

Degree and Major Notes

  • Courses cannot be used to fulfill more than one emphasis

  • Classes offered in the emphasis may require additional prerequisites; consult an advisor to plan accordingly. 

  • Classes offered in the emphasis areas and electives may be offered on-campus only or available via distance education. See the semester schedule for a listing of online classes.