Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems (BS): Agroecology Research & Production Concentration
To see more about what you will learn in this program, visit the !
The Bachelor of Science in Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems is offered jointly through the Departments of Crop and Soil Sciences and Horticultural Science.听 This multidisciplinary major offers students diverse courses, hands-on learning, community engagement opportunities, internships, and research experiences to address the grand challenges of agriculture and food systems. Students can choose from three career path concentrations 鈥� Agroecology Research and Production, Community Food Systems, and Urban Horticulture.听
The Agroecology Research and Production concentration is for students interested in the deeper science of sustainable agriculture production practices, research, and graduate school opportunities in agriculture, entomology, horticulture, soil sciences and related sciences. Students will have the opportunity to learn from a wide diversity of faculty leading cutting edge sustainable agriculture research, many at the Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS), a national recognized sustainable agriculture research, education and extension facility.听
Community Food Systems is a broad concentration for students interested in connecting production with issues in the greater food system, such as food security, policy, community education or extension. Students can also participate in social science, agricultural economics, agriculture education research and others with food system with researchers at CEFS and NC State that support this concentration.听
The Urban Horticulture concentration integrates horticulture production and agriculture business education for students interested in starting or managing their own sustainable horticultural farm, working with community gardens, and more.听 There are many focused horticulture classes, research and internship opportunities as well for this concentration.听听
Program Highlights:
- Students in our program gain valuable hands-on experience in sustainable and organic production in our hands-on Agroecology Education Farm, a student farm near campus where all the food produced goes back into NC State Dining cafeterias and the food pantry on campus.听听
- Students interested in Agroecology can also join the Agroecology Student Club at NC State who organize various sustainable agriculture and food system activities each semester.听
- As a required part of the curriculum, students will complete either an internship program or research experience to gain practical and professional development experience. Students will have no problems finding an opportunity with the numerous sustainable agriculture researchers and community stakeholders that collaborate with NC State focused in sustainable agriculture and food systems.听
- Seniors will complete a Senior Capstone Project through which they draw on both their major courses and their concentration to address a problem or issue that they identify.听听
- Agroecology and Sustainable Food System students have the opportunity to student abroad with the various global food and sustainable agriculture focused study abroad programs in Ireland, Scotland, England, Mexico and others.听
For more information about our program, visit our .
Contact
Professor and Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems Director
Department of Crop and Soil Sciences
2406 Williams Hall, Campus Box 7620
919.515.2755
msschroe@ncsu.edu
Plan Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orientation | |||
| 础尝厂听103 | Freshman Transitions and Diversity in Agriculture & Life Sciences | 1 | |
| 辞谤听础尝厂听303 | Transfer Transitions and Diversity in Agriculture & Life Sciences | ||
| Mathematics & Natural Sciences | |||
| 惭础听107 | Precalculus I | 3 | |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | ||
| Elements of Calculus | |||
| Calculus for Life and Management Sciences A | |||
| Calculus I | |||
| 叠滨翱听181 | Introductory Biology: Ecology, Evolution, and Biodiversity | 4 | |
| 叠滨翱听183 | Introductory Biology: Cellular and Molecular Biology | 4 | |
| 辞谤听笔叠听200 | Plant Life | ||
| 颁贬听101 | Chemistry - A Molecular Science | 3 | |
| 颁贬听102 | General Chemistry Laboratory | 1 | |
| 础贰颁听360 | Ecology | 4 | |
| Communication/Advanced Writing | |||
| 颁翱惭听110 | Public Speaking | 3 | |
| 辞谤听颁翱惭听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 | |||
| Major Requirements | |||
| 颁厂听230 | Introduction to Agroecology | 3 | |
| 颁厂听415 | Integrated Pest Management | 3 | |
| 颁厂听430 | Advanced Agroecology | 4 | |
| 贬厂听410 | Community Food Systems | 3 | |
| 贬厂听480 | Sustainable Food Production (capstone) | 1 | |
| 础搁贰听201 | Introduction to Agricultural & Resource Economics | 3 | |
| 厂厂颁听200 | Soil Science | 3 | |
| 厂厂颁听201 | Soil Science Laboratory | 1 | |
| 厂罢厂听323 | World Population and Food Prospects | 3 | |
| 厂厂颁听427 | Biological Approaches to Sustainable Soil Systems | 3 | |
| 辞谤听厂厂颁听332 | Environmental Soil Microbiology | ||
| 厂翱颁听241 | Sociology of Agriculture and Rural Society | 3 | |
| 厂厂颁听428 | Service-Learning in Urban Agriculture Systems | 1 | |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | ||
| Environmental Ethics | |||
| Eating through American History | |||
| Humans and the Environment | |||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | ||
| Professional Internship Experience in Crop and Soil Sciences | |||
| Research Experience in Crop and Soil Sciences | |||
| Horticulture Internship | |||
| Research Experience in Horticultural Science | |||
| 颁厂厂颁听290 | Professional Development in Crop & Soil Sciences | 1 | |
| Concentration Electives | |||
| Foundational Electives | 11 | ||
| Restricted Electives | 21 | ||
| GEP Courses | |||
| 贰狈骋听101 | Academic Writing and Research 1 | 4 | |
| GEP Humanities | 6 | ||
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 2 | ||
| GEP Additional Breadth (Humanities/Social Sciences/Visual and Performing Arts) | 3 | ||
| GEP U.S. Diversity (verify requirement) | |||
| GEP Global Knowledge (verify requirement) | |||
| Foreign Language Proficiency (verify requirement) | |||
| Free Electives | |||
| Free Electives (12 Hr S/U Lmt) | 6 | ||
| 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. |
Foundational Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group I (Max: 4 Units ) | |||
| 颁贬听220 | Introductory Organic Chemistry | 3 | |
| 颁贬听221 | Organic Chemistry I | 3 | |
| 颁贬听222 | Organic Chemistry I Lab | 1 | |
| Group II (Max: 4 Units ) | |||
| 颁厂听213 | Crop Science | 3 | |
| 贬厂听431 | Vegetable Production | 4 | |
| Group III (Max: 4 Units ) | |||
| 笔驰听131 | Conceptual Physics | 4 | |
| 笔驰听211 | College Physics I | 4 | |
| 厂罢听311 | Introduction to Statistics | 3 | |
Restricted Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 300+ Level Electives | |||
| 础贰颁听380 | Water Resources: Global Issues in Ecology, Policy, Management, and Advocacy | 3 | |
| 础贰颁听400 | Applied Ecology | 3 | |
| 础狈厂听408 | Small Ruminant Management | 3 | |
| 颁厂听312 | Grassland Management for Natural Resources Conservation | 3 | |
| 颁厂听411 | Crop Ecology | 3 | |
| 贰狈罢听425 | General Entomology | 3 | |
| 贰狈罢听526 | Organic Agriculture: Principles and Practices | 3 | |
| 贰厂听300 | Energy and Environment | 3 | |
| 贵厂听462 | Postharvest Physiology | 3 | |
| 贵厂听520 | Pre-Harvest Food Safety | 3 | |
| 贵厂听530 | Post-Harvest Food Safety | 3 | |
| 贵厂听562 | Postharvest Physiology | 3 | |
| 贵厂础听520 | Pre-Harvest Food Safety | 3 | |
| 贵厂础听530 | Post-Harvest Food Safety | 3 | |
| 贬厂听431 | Vegetable Production | 4 | |
| 贬厂听432 | Introduction to Permaculture | 3 | |
| 贬厂听451 | Plant Nutrition | 3 | |
| 贬厂听462 | Postharvest Physiology | 3 | |
| 贬厂听532 | Introduction to Permaculture | 3 | |
| 贬厂听551 | Plant Nutrition | 3 | |
| 贬厂听562 | Postharvest Physiology | 3 | |
| 笔叠听321 | Introduction to Whole Plant Physiology | 3 | |
| 笔叠听345 | Economic Botany | 3 | |
| 笔叠听346 | Economic Botany Lab | 1 | |
| 厂厂颁听341 | Soil Fertility and Nutrient Management | 3 | |
| 厂厂颁听342 | Soil and Plant Nutrient Analysis | 1 | |
| 厂厂颁听461 | Soil Physical Properties and Plant Growth | 3 | |
| 厂厂颁听462 | Soil-Crop Management Systems | 3 | |
| 贵翱搁听318 | Forest Pathology | 3 | |
| 笔笔听315 | Principles of Plant Pathology | 4 | |
| 辞谤听笔笔听318 | Forest Pathology | ||
Semester Sequence
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Hours | |
| 叠滨翱听181 | Introductory Biology: Ecology, Evolution, and Biodiversity | 4 |
| 础尝厂听103 or 础尝厂听303 | Freshman Transitions and Diversity in Agriculture & Life Sciences or Transfer Transitions and Diversity in Agriculture & Life Sciences | 1 |
| 贰狈骋听101 | Academic Writing and Research | 4 |
| 惭础听107 | Precalculus I | 3 |
| Foundation Elective | 3 | |
| 听 | Hours | 15 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| 叠滨翱听183 or 笔叠听200 | Introductory Biology: Cellular and Molecular Biology or Plant Life | 4 |
| Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Elements of Calculus | 听 | |
| Calculus for Life and Management Sciences A | 听 | |
| Calculus I | 听 | |
| GEP Humanities | 3 | |
| 颁翱惭听110 or 颁翱惭听112 | Public Speaking or Interpersonal Communication | 3 |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| 听 | Hours | 14 |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| 颁厂厂颁听290 | Professional Development in Crop & Soil Sciences | 1 |
| 颁贬听101 &听颁贬听102 | Chemistry - A Molecular Science and General Chemistry Laboratory | 4 |
| 颁厂听230 | Introduction to Agroecology | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Environmental Ethics | 听 | |
| Eating through American History | 听 | |
| Humans and the Environment | 听 | |
| GEP Humanities | 3 | |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| 听 | Hours | 15 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| 础搁贰听201 | Introduction to Agricultural & Resource Economics | 3 |
| AEC/PB 360 | Ecology | 4 |
| 厂厂颁听200 | Soil Science | 3 |
| 厂厂颁听201 | Soil Science Laboratory | 1 |
| Foundation Elective | 4 | |
| 听 | Hours | 15 |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| 厂翱颁听241 | Sociology of Agriculture and Rural Society | 3 |
| 厂厂颁听427 or 厂厂颁听332 | Biological Approaches to Sustainable Soil Systems or Environmental Soil Microbiology | 3 |
| CS/HS 410 | Community Food Systems | 3 |
| Foundation Elective | 4 | |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Communication for Engineering and Technology | 听 | |
| Communication for Business and Management | 听 | |
| Communication for Science and Research | 听 | |
| Communication Methods and Media | 听 | |
| 听 | Hours | 16 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| 颁厂听430 | Advanced Agroecology | 4 |
| SSC/HS 428 | Service-Learning in Urban Agriculture Systems | 1 |
| 厂罢厂听323 | World Population and Food Prospects | 3 |
| Restricted Elective | 3 | |
| Restricted Elective | 3 | |
| 听 | Hours | 14 |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| CS/HS 480 | Sustainable Food Production (capstone) | 1 |
| Restricted Elective | 3 | |
| Restricted Elective | 3 | |
| Restricted Elective | 3 | |
| 颁厂厂颁听492 or 颁厂厂颁听493 | Professional Internship Experience in Crop and Soil Sciences or Research Experience in Crop and Soil Sciences | 3 |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| 听 | Hours | 16 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| 颁厂听415 | Integrated Pest Management | 3 |
| GEP Additional Breadth | 3 | |
| Restricted Elective | 3 | |
| Restricted Elective | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| 听 | Hours | 15 |
| 听 | Total Hours | 120 |
Career Opportunities
Interested in the deeper science of sustainable agriculture production, research, and graduate school opportunities in agriculture, entomology, horticulture, soil sciences and related sciences? Then Agroecology Research and Production is for you. Career tracks include:
- Agriculture and environmental science research
- Farm management
- Governmental (USDA, NRCS, EPA) research and education
- International agricultural work
- Plant Breeder
- Weed Ecologist
- Environmental Scientist
- Ecologist
- Conservationist
- Community Garden Director
- Agriculture policy and education specialist
- Farmer/farm worker advocacy professional