Equine Science Major

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

Required Core Courses for Equine Science
ANSC 101Student Success Techniques - Animal and Equine Science 1
or ANSC 102 Student Success Techniques - Animal Sciences with Pre-Veterinary Medicine Emphasis
or VETS 101 Student Success Techniques: Veterinary Technology
ANSC 218Anatomy and Physiology of Domestic Animals3
ANSC 223Introduction to Animal Nutrition3
ANSC 235Equine Evaluation2
ANSC 260Introduction to Equine Studies2
ANSC 260LEquine Care and Management Practicum1
ANSC 261Basic Equitation & Horsemanship 11
or ANSC 361 Intermediate Horsemanship
ANSC 300Domestic Animal Behavior and Management3
ANSC 357Animal Genetics3
ANSC 360Equine Nutrition3
ANSC 364Equine Anatomy and Physiology3
ANSC 370Fundamentals/Animal Disease3
ANSC 379Global Seminar2
or ANSC 393 Undergraduate Research
or ANSC 396 Field Experience
ANSC 463
463L
Physiology of Reproduction
and Physiology of Reproduction Laboratory
4
ANSC 478Research and Issues in Animal Agriculture3
ANSC 480Equine Industry and Production Systems3
BIOC 260Elements of Biochemistry4
BIOL 150
150L
General Biology I
and General Biology I Laboratory
4
BIOL 151
151L
General Biology II
and General Biology II Laboratory
4
ECON 201Principles of Microeconomics3
MATH 103College Algebra3
or MATH 105 Trigonometry
or MATH 107 Precalculus
or MATH 146 Applied Calculus I
STAT 330Introductory Statistics3
Program Option
Students must select one program option of interest to complete the major. The standard option for this major is the Equine Production, Management and Husbandry. Students who wish to declare an option other than Option One must officially declare that option with the Office of Registration and Records.27-29
Total Credits88-90

Option 1: Equine Production, Management, and Husbandry (Standard)

ANSC 361Intermediate Horsemanship 11
ANSC 461Advanced Horsemanship and Equitation1
AGEC 242Introduction to Agricultural Management3
AGEC 244Agricultural Marketing3
or AGEC 246 Introduction to Agricultural Finance
AGEC 342Farm and Agribusiness Management II3
AGEC 420Integrated Farm and Ranch Management3
CHEM 117
117L
Chemical Concepts and Applications
and Chem Concepts and Applications Lab
4
MICR 202
202L
Introductory Microbiology
and Introductory Microbiology Lab
3
Equine Production, Management, and Husbandry Electives (choose any level course from AGEC, ANSC, ECON, NRM, RNG, PLSC, or SOIL).6
Total Credits27

Option 2: Biomedical Science

Students interested in veterinary school should consider this option. The option meets most veterinary school prerequisites. Consultation with an adviser is recommended.

ANSC 444Livestock Muscle Physiology3
CHEM 121
121L
General Chemistry I
and General Chemistry I Laboratory
4
CHEM 122
122L
General Chemistry II
and General Chemistry II Laboratory
4
CHEM 240Survey of Organic Chemistry 23
or CHEM 341 Organic Chemistry I
MICR 350
350L
General Microbiology
and General Microbiology Lab
5
PHYS 120
120L
Fundamentals of Physics
and Fundamentals of Physics Laboratory 2
4
or PHYS 211
211L
College Physics I
and College Physics I Laboratory
PLSC 315Genetics3
Biomedical Sciences Electives (choose any 300+ level course from ANSC, BIOC, BIOL, CHEM, MICR, or VETS)3
Total Credits29
1

The department's placement procedures will determine which course the student takes for the core requirements. Students that test and qualify for ANSC 361 initially must complete the course with a C or higher. In this case, failure to earn a C or higher in ANSC 361 means the student must take ANSC 261 and retake ANSC 361.

2

Veterinary Schools generally require CHEM 341 and PHYS 211 and their respective lab, at a minimum. Be sure to consult an academic advisor based on veterinary schools you plan to apply to for additional pre-requisites needed.

Degree Requirements and Notes:                                                                             

  • Students must earn at least a 2.00 GPA that is based on the courses that are used to satisfy major requirements.
  • Transfer grades of ‘C’ or better to count towards major requirements.