Crop and Soil Sciences (BS): Crop Biotechnology
The Bachelor of Science in Crop and Soil Sciences听with a concentration in Crop Biotechnology听is a program that trains the next generation of plant scientists primarily focused on crop improvement. Through hands-on classes, students will learn how crops develop and improve as a result of biotechnology through increased food quality and quantity once introduced into agricultural production systems. Plant breeders graduating from this program will develop the seeds used by the next generation of food producers.
Contact Person
Undergraduate Programs Office
Crop & Soil Sciences Department
2234 Williams Hall
Campus Box 7620
919-515-5820
cropsoil-undergraduate-office@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131 | Calculus for Life and Management Sciences A | 3 | |
| 惭础听231 | Calculus for Life and Management Sciences B | 3 | |
| 厂罢听311 | Introduction to Statistics | 3 | |
| 叠滨翱听181 | Introductory Biology: Ecology, Evolution, and Biodiversity | 4 | |
| 叠滨翱听183 | Introductory Biology: Cellular and Molecular Biology | 4 | |
| 颁贬听101 | Chemistry - A Molecular Science | 3 | |
| 颁贬听102 | General Chemistry Laboratory | 1 | |
| 颁贬听221 | Organic Chemistry I | 3 | |
| 颁贬听222 | Organic Chemistry I Lab | 1 | |
| 颁贬听223 | Organic Chemistry II | 3 | |
| 颁贬听224 | Organic Chemistry II Lab | 1 | |
| 笔驰听131 | Conceptual Physics | 4 | |
| 叠颁贬听351 | General Biochemistry | 3 | |
| 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 | |||
| Required Courses within Major | |||
| 础搁贰听201 | Introduction to Agricultural & Resource Economics | 3 | |
| 叠滨罢听410 | Manipulation of Recombinant DNA | 4 | |
| 颁厂厂颁听290 | Professional Development in Crop & Soil Sciences | 1 | |
| 颁厂听213 | Crop Science 1 | 3 | |
| 颁厂听214 | Crop Science Laboratory 1 | 1 | |
| 颁厂听413 | Plant Breeding | 3 | |
| 颁厂听211 | Plant Genetics | 3 | |
| 笔叠听421 | Plant Physiology | 3 | |
| 笔叠听480 | Introduction to Plant Biotechnology | 3 | |
| 厂厂颁听200 | Soil Science 1 | 3 | |
| 厂厂颁听201 | Soil Science Laboratory 1 | 1 | |
| Concentration Electives | |||
| Foundation Elective (select one): | 3 | ||
| Technology in Society and Culture | |||
| Seeds, Biotechnology and Societies | |||
| Technology in Society and Culture | |||
| Contemporary Science, Technology and Human Values | |||
| Biotechnology Elective | 4 | ||
| Experiential Learning (select one): | 3 | ||
| Professional Internship Experience in Crop and Soil Sciences | |||
| Research Experience in Crop and Soil Sciences | |||
| Restricted Electives | 13 | ||
| General Education Program (GEP) Courses | |||
| 贰狈骋听101 | Academic Writing and Research 1 | 4 | |
| GEP Humanities | 6 | ||
| GEP Social Sciences | 3 | ||
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 2 | ||
| GEP Elective | 3 | ||
| GEP Interdisciplinary Perspectives | 2 | ||
| GEP Global Knowledge (verify requirement) | |||
| World Language Proficiency (verify requirement) | |||
| Free Electives | |||
| Free Electives (12 Hr S/U Lmt) 2 | 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.
Biotechnology Elective
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| BEC 463/563 | Fermentation of Recombinant Microorganisms | 2 | |
| 叠滨翱听572 | Proteomics | 3 | |
| 叠滨罢听100 | Current Topics in Biotechnology | 4 | |
| 叠滨罢听200 | Early Research in Biotechnology | 4 | |
| 叠滨罢听210 | Phage Hunters | 3 | |
| 叠滨罢听211 | Phage Genomics | 2 | |
| 叠滨罢听295 | Special Topics in Biotechnology | 1-3 | |
| BIT 462/562 | 2 | ||
| BIT 463/563 | Fermentation of Recombinant Microorganisms | 2 | |
| BIT 464/564 | Protein Purification | 2 | |
| BIT 465/565 | Real-time PCR Techniques | 2 | |
| BIT 466/566 | Animal Cell Culture Techniques | 2 | |
| BIT 467/567 | PCR and DNA Fingerprinting | 2 | |
| BIT 468/568 | 2 | ||
| BIT 471/571 | RNA Interference and Model Organisms | 2 | |
| BIT 473/573 | Protein Interactions | 2 | |
| BIT 474/574 | Plant Genetic Engineering | 2 | |
| 叠滨罢听476 | Applied Bioinformatics | 2 | |
| 叠滨罢听477 | Metagenomics | 2 | |
| BIT 478/578 | 2 | ||
| BIT 479/579 | High-Throughput Discovery | 2 | |
| BIT 480/580 | Yeast Metabolic Engineering | 2 | |
| BIT 481/581 | Plant Tissue Culture and Transformation | 2 | |
| 叠滨罢听492 | External Learning Experience | 1-6 | |
| 叠滨罢听493 | Special Problems in Biotechnology | 1-6 | |
| 叠滨罢听495 | Special Topics in Biotechnology | 1-3 | |
| 叠滨罢听501 | Ethical Issues in Biotechnology | 1 | |
| 叠滨罢听502 | Biotechnology Networking and Professional Development | 1 | |
| 叠滨罢听510 | Core Technologies in Molecular and Cellular Biology | 4 | |
| 叠滨罢听569 | 2 | ||
| 叠滨罢听590 | Independent Study in Biotechnology | 1-3 | |
| 叠滨罢听595 | Special Topics | 1-6 | |
| 颁贬听572 | Proteomics | 3 | |
| 颁贬贰听463 | Fermentation of Recombinant Microorganisms | 2 | |
| 颁贬贰听563 | Fermentation of Recombinant Microorganisms | 2 | |
| 惭叠听210 | Phage Hunters | 3 | |
| 惭叠听211 | Phage Genomics | 2 | |
| 笔叠听481 | Plant Tissue Culture and Transformation | 2 | |
| PO 466/566 | Animal Cell Culture Techniques | 2 |
Restricted Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 础贰颁听360 | Ecology | 4 | |
| 叠滨翱听330 | Evolutionary Biology | 3 | |
| 叠滨翱听414 | Cell Biology | 3 | |
| 叠滨罢听476 | Applied Bioinformatics | 2 | |
| BIT 481/581 | Plant Tissue Culture and Transformation | 2 | |
| 颁厂听211 | Plant Genetics | 3 | |
| 颁厂听216 | Southern Row Crop Production - Cotton, Peanuts, and Tobacco | 3 | |
| 颁厂听218 | Southern Row Crop Production - Corn, Small Grains and Soybeans | 3 | |
| 颁厂听224 | Seeds, Biotechnology and Societies | 3 | |
| 颁厂听230 | Introduction to Agroecology | 3 | |
| 颁厂听251 | Production of Forage Crops | 3 | |
| 颁厂听411 | Crop Ecology | 3 | |
| 颁厂听414 | Weed Science | 4 | |
| 颁厂听415 | Integrated Pest Management | 3 | |
| CS 418/518 | Introduction to Regulatory Science in Agriculture | 3 | |
| CS 428/528 | Advanced Regulatory Science in Agriculture | 3 | |
| CS 424/524 | Seed Physiology | 3 | |
| CS 430/530 | Advanced Agroecology | 4 | |
| 颁厂听480 | Sustainable Food Production (capstone) | 1 | |
| 颁厂厂颁听490 | Senior Seminar in Crop Science and Soil Science | 1 | |
| 颁厂厂颁听495 | Special Topics in Crop and Soil Sciences | 1-6 | |
| 贰狈罢听425 | General Entomology | 3 | |
| 骋狈听311 | Principles of Genetics | 4 | |
| 骋狈听312 | Elementary Genetics Laboratory | 1 | |
| GN 421/521 | Molecular Genetics | 3 | |
| 骋狈听423 | Population, Quantitative and Evolutionary Genetics | 3 | |
| 惭叠听200 | The Fourth Horseman: Plagues that Changed the World | 3 | |
| 惭叠听351 | General Microbiology | 3 | |
| 惭叠听575 | Introduction to Mycology | 4 | |
| 笔叠听200 | Plant Life | 4 | |
| 笔叠听250 | Plant Biology | 4 | |
| 笔叠听295 | Special Topics in Botany | 1-4 | |
| 笔叠听345 | Economic Botany | 3 | |
| 笔叠听346 | Economic Botany Lab | 1 | |
| 笔叠听360 | Ecology | 4 | |
| 笔叠听400 | Plant Diversity and Evolution | 4 | |
| 笔叠听403 | Systematic Botany | 4 | |
| 笔叠听413 | Plant Anatomy | 2 | |
| 笔叠听481 | Plant Tissue Culture and Transformation | 2 | |
| 笔叠听495 | Special Topics in Plant Biology | 1-6 | |
| 笔叠听503 | Systematic Botany | 4 | |
| 笔叠听513 | Plant Anatomy | 2 | |
| 笔叠听570 | Plant Functional Ecology | 3 | |
| 笔叠听575 | Introduction to Mycology | 4 | |
| 笔笔听315 | Principles of Plant Pathology | 4 | |
| 笔笔听495 | Special Topics in Plant Pathology | 1-3 | |
| 笔笔听575 | Introduction to Mycology | 4 | |
| 厂厂颁听185 | Land and Life | 3 | |
| 厂厂颁听332 | Environmental Soil Microbiology | 3 | |
| 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421 | 3 | ||
| 厂厂颁听427 | Biological Approaches to Sustainable Soil Systems | 3 | |
| SSC 440/540 | Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in Soil Science and Agriculture | 3 | |
| 厂厂颁听442 | Soil and Environmental Biogeochemistry | 3 | |
| 厂厂颁听452 | Soil Classification | 4 | |
| 厂厂颁听455 | Soils, Environmental Quality and Global Challenges | 3 | |
| 厂厂颁听461 | Soil Physical Properties and Plant Growth | 3 | |
| 厂厂颁听462 | Soil-Crop Management Systems | 3 | |
| SSC 470/570 | Wetland Soils | 3 | |
| 厂罢听371 | Introduction to Probability and Distribution Theory | 3 | |
| 厂罢厂听302 | Contemporary Science, Technology and Human Values | 3 | |
| 厂罢厂听323 | World Population and Food Prospects | 3 |
Semester Sequence
This is a sample.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Hours | |
| 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 |
| 叠滨翱听181 | Introductory Biology: Ecology, Evolution, and Biodiversity | 4 |
| 贰狈骋听101 | Academic Writing and Research | 4 |
| 惭础听131 | Calculus for Life and Management Sciences A | 3 |
| Foundation Elective | 3 | |
| 颁厂厂颁听290 | Professional Development in Crop & Soil Sciences | 1 |
| 听 | Hours | 16 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| 叠滨翱听183 or 笔叠听200 | Introductory Biology: Cellular and Molecular Biology or Plant Life | 4 |
| 颁贬听101 | Chemistry - A Molecular Science | 3 |
| 颁贬听102 | General Chemistry Laboratory | 1 |
| 惭础听231 | Calculus for Life and Management Sciences B | 3 |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| GEP Humanities | 3 | |
| 听 | Hours | 15 |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| 颁贬听221 | Organic Chemistry I | 3 |
| 颁贬听222 | Organic Chemistry I Lab | 1 |
| 颁厂听213 | Crop Science | 3 |
| 颁厂听214 | Crop Science Laboratory | 1 |
| 厂厂颁听200 | Soil Science | 3 |
| 厂厂颁听201 | Soil Science Laboratory | 1 |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| Restrictive Electives | 3 | |
| 听 | Hours | 16 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| 颁贬听223 | Organic Chemistry II | 3 |
| 颁贬听224 | Organic Chemistry II Lab | 1 |
| 颁翱惭听110 | Public Speaking | 3 |
| 颁厂听211 | Plant Genetics | 3 |
| Restricted Electives | 3 | |
| GEP Interdisciplinary Perspectives | 2 | |
| 听 | Hours | 15 |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| 础搁贰听201 | Introduction to Agricultural & Resource Economics | 3 |
| 笔驰听131 | Conceptual Physics | 4 |
| 笔叠听421 | Plant Physiology | 3 |
| 厂罢听311 | Introduction to Statistics | 3 |
| GEP Social Sciences | 3 | |
| 听 | Hours | 16 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| 叠颁贬听351 | General Biochemistry | 3 |
| 叠滨罢听410 | Manipulation of Recombinant DNA | 4 |
| GEP Humanities | 3 | |
| Restrictive Elective | 3 | |
| 听 | Hours | 13 |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| Biotechnology Elective | 4 | |
| 笔叠听480 | Introduction to Plant Biotechnology | 3 |
| GEP Elective | 3 | |
| Experiential Learning Elective | 3 | |
| 听 | Hours | 13 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| 颁厂听413 | Plant Breeding | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Communication for Engineering and Technology | ||
| Communication for Business and Management | ||
| Communication for Science and Research | ||
| Restrictive Elective | 4 | |
| Free Elective | 6 | |
| 听 | Hours | 16 |
| 听 | Total Hours | 120 |
Career Opportunities
The breadth and depth of education and experiences you will gain from our department will set you on a path toward a rewarding career in one of the following specialties:
- Crop Geneticist
- Crops Systems Specialist
- Plant Breeder
- Plant Protection Specialist
- Regulatory Scientist
鈥�Learn more about future job prospects, representative salaries, and major employers for each of the above listed careers at
Career Titles
- Food & Drug Inspector
- Landscape Architect
- Soil Conservation Technician
- Soil Conservationist
- Soil Engineer
- Soil Scientist
- Winemaker / Vinter
Learn More About Careers
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听(Available to prospective students)
A career assessment tool designed to support prospective students in exploring and choosing the right major and career path based on your unique personality, interests, skills and values. Get started with Focus 2 Apply and see how it can guide your journey at NC State.
A career assessment tool designed to support prospective students in exploring and choosing the right major and career path based on your unique personality, interests, skills and values. Get started with Focus 2 Apply and see how it can guide your journey at NC State.