Soil Science
| www.ndsu.edu/soils |
Soil Science is a field-oriented discipline that defines, investigates, and utilizes one of the most important of our natural resources. All terrestrial life depends upon the soil for food and clean water. Knowledge of soil science is critical to address environmental problems, such as wetland protection, habitat restoration, and waste disposal, and it is vital to ensure sustainability of agricultural and forest products. Soil expertise is also essential in the emerging fields of urban and sustainable agriculture. Soils are complex and constantly evolving natural systems, hence the curriculum accentuates physical, biological, and earth sciences. A soil science degree prepares a student with the training to enter careers in both traditional agriculture and the environmental sectors, including: environmental consulting, soil conservation and resource management, production agriculture, and state and federal research and regulatory agencies.
Major Requirements
Major: Soil Science
Degree Type: B.S.
Required Degree Credits to Graduate: 128
General Education Requirements
| First Year Experience (F): | ||
| AGRI 189 | Skills for Academic Success (Students transferring in 24 or more credits do not need to take AGRI 189.) | 1 |
| Communication (C): | ||
| ENGL 110 | College Composition I | 3 |
| ENGL 120 | College Composition II | 3 |
| One Course in Upper Level Writing: Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Writing in the Technical Professions | ||
| Writing in the Sciences | ||
| Researching and Writing Grants and Proposal | ||
| COMM 110 | Fundamentals of Public Speaking | 3 |
| Quantitative Reasoning (R): | ||
| STAT 330 | Introductory Statistics | 3 |
| Science & Technology (S): | ||
| CHEM 121 & 121L | General Chemistry I and General Chemistry I Laboratory | 4 |
| CHEM 122 | General Chemistry II | 3 |
| PLSC 110 | World Food Crops | 3 |
| Humanities & Fine Arts (A): Select from current general education list | 6 | |
| Social & Behavioral Sciences (B): Select from current general education list | 6 | |
| Wellness (W): Select from current general education list | 2 | |
| Cultural Diversity (D): Select from current general education list | ||
| Global Perspectives (G): | ||
| PLSC 110 | World Food Crops | 3 |
| Total Credits | 40 | |
Major Requirements
| General Education Requirements | 40 | |
| Required Courses for Soil Science | ||
| AGRI 150 | Agriculture Orientation (Students transferring in 24 or more credits do not need to take AGRI 150.) | 1 |
| GEOG 455 | Introduction to Geographic Information Systems | 4 |
| or RNG 452 | Geographic Information Systems in Range Survey | |
| PLSC 225 | Principles of Crop Production | 3 |
| or RNG 336 | 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 433 | Soil Physics | 3 |
| SOIL 444 | Soil Genesis and Survey | 3 |
| SOIL 491 | Seminar | 1-5 |
| 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 | |
| BOT 380 | Plant Physiology | 3 |
| CHEM 122L | General Chemistry II Laboratory | 1 |
| Select one of the following: | 3-5 | |
| Survey of Organic Chemistry | ||
| Elements of Biochemistry | ||
| Organic Chemistry I | ||
| Analytical Chemistry I and Analytical Chemistry I Laboratory | ||
| GEOL 105 & 105L | Physical Geology and Physical Geology Lab | 4 |
| MATH 103 | College Algebra | 3 |
| MATH 105 | Trigonometry | 3 |
| MATH 146 | Applied Calculus I | 4 |
| or MATH 165 | Calculus I | |
| Select one of the following: | 3-5 | |
| Introductory Microbiology and Introductory Microbiology Lab | ||
| General Microbiology and General Microbiology Lab | ||
| PHYS 211 & 211L | College Physics I and College Physics I Laboratory | 4 |
| Agriculture Electives: Select 9 credits of agriculture electives | 9 | |
| Degree Electives: Potential of 7 credits to reach 128. | 7 | |
| Total Credits | 128-132 | |
Minor Requirements
Soil Science Minor
Minor Requirements
Required Credits: 18
| 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 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.
