Crop and Soil Sciences (BS): Soil Science
The Bachelor of Science in Crop and Soil Sciences degree with a concentration is Soil Science is an interdisciplinary program that goes way beyond agriculture. The program bridges geology, chemistry, biology, physics and statistics. As the human population expands, making wise choices on land use impacts the entire world. If you enjoy the diversity of earthly places and are interested in land stewardship, Soil Science is an exceptional path to a rewarding career.听
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121 | Elements of Calculus | 3 | |
| 厂罢听311 | Introduction to Statistics | 3 | |
| 叠滨翱听181 | Introductory Biology: Ecology, Evolution, and Biodiversity | 4 | |
| 颁贬听101 | Chemistry - A Molecular Science | 3 | |
| 颁贬听102 | General Chemistry Laboratory | 1 | |
| 惭贰础听101 | Geology I: Physical | 3 | |
| 惭贰础听110 | Geology I Laboratory | 1 | |
| 笔叠听321 | Introduction to Whole Plant Physiology | 3 | |
| 笔驰听131 | Conceptual Physics | 4 | |
| 叠滨翱听183 | Introductory Biology: Cellular and Molecular Biology | 4 | |
| 辞谤听笔叠听200 | Plant Life | ||
| 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 | |
| 颁厂厂颁听290 | Professional Development in Crop & Soil Sciences | 1 | |
| 厂厂颁听200 | Soil Science 1 | 3 | |
| 厂厂颁听201 | Soil Science Laboratory 1 | 1 | |
| 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442 | Soil and Environmental Biogeochemistry | 3 | |
| 厂厂颁听452 | Soil Classification | 4 | |
| 厂厂颁听461 | Soil Physical Properties and Plant Growth | 3 | |
| 颁厂厂颁听490 | Senior Seminar in Crop Science and Soil Science | 1 | |
| Concentration Electives | |||
| Foundation Elective (select one): | 3 | ||
| Conservation of Natural Resources | |||
| Land and Life | |||
| Soil Science Electives | 6 | ||
| Economics, Management & Policy Electives | 6 | ||
| Experiential Learning (select one): | 3 | ||
| Professional Internship Experience in Crop and Soil Sciences | |||
| Research Experience in Crop and Soil Sciences | |||
| Restricted Electives | 15 | ||
| 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 | 5 | ||
| 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.
Soil Science Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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455 | Soils, Environmental Quality and Global Challenges | 3 | |
| 厂厂颁听462 | Soil-Crop Management Systems | 3 | |
| SSC 470/570 | Wetland Soils | 3 |
Economics, Management & Policy Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 础颁颁听280 | Survey of Financial and Managerial Accounting | 3 | |
| 础贰颁听380 | Water Resources: Global Issues in Ecology, Policy, Management, and Advocacy | 3 | |
| 础搁贰听215 | Small Business Accounting | 3 | |
| 础搁贰听306 | Agricultural Law | 3 | |
| 础搁贰听309 | Environmental Law & Economic Policy | 3 | |
| 础搁贰听312 | Agribusiness Marketing | 3 | |
| 础搁贰听332 | Human Resource Management for Agribusiness | 3 | |
| 础搁贰听336 | Introduction to Resource and Environmental Economics | 3 | |
| CS 418/518 | Introduction to Regulatory Science in Agriculture | 3 | |
| CS 428/528 | Advanced Regulatory Science in Agriculture | 3 | |
| NR 460/560 | Renewable Natural Resource Management and Policy | 3 | |
| 笔厂听201 | American Politics and Government | 3 | |
| 笔厂听202 | State and Local Government | 3 | |
| 笔厂听320 | U.S. Environmental Law and Politics | 3 | |
| 厂厂颁听455 | Soils, Environmental Quality and Global Challenges | 3 |
Restricted Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 础贰颁听380 | Water Resources: Global Issues in Ecology, Policy, Management, and Advocacy | 3 | |
| 叠础贰听325 | Introductory Geomatics | 3 | |
| 叠础贰罢听323 | Water Management | 3 | |
| 颁厂听200 | Introduction to Turfgrass Management | 4 | |
| 颁厂听211 | Plant Genetics | 3 | |
| 颁厂听216 | Southern Row Crop Production - Cotton, Peanuts, and Tobacco | 3 | |
| 颁厂听213 | Crop Science | 3 | |
| 颁厂听214 | Crop Science Laboratory | 1 | |
| 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312 | 3 | ||
| CS/HS 410 | Community Food Systems | 3 | |
| 颁厂听411 | Crop Ecology | 3 | |
| 颁厂听414 | Weed Science | 4 | |
| 颁厂听415 | Integrated Pest Management | 3 | |
| CS 424/524 | Seed Physiology | 3 | |
| CS 418/518 | Introduction to Regulatory Science in Agriculture | 3 | |
| CS 428/528 | Advanced Regulatory Science in Agriculture | 3 | |
| CS 430/530 | Advanced Agroecology | 4 | |
| 贰厂听100 | Introduction to Environmental Sciences | 3 | |
| 贰厂听150 | Water and the Environment | 3 | |
| 贰罢听201 | Environmental Technology Laboratory I | 1 | |
| 贰罢听202 | Environmental Technology Laboratory II | 1 | |
| 贰罢听203 | Pollution Prevention | 1 | |
| FOR 420/520 | Watershed and Wetlands Hydrology | 4 | |
| 骋滨厂听280 | Introduction to GIS | 3 | |
| 惭贰础听300 | Environmental Geology | 4 | |
| 狈搁听300 | Natural Resource Measurements | 4 | |
| NR 400/500 | Natural Resource Management | 4 | |
| NR 420/520 | Watershed and Wetlands Hydrology | 4 | |
| NR 421/521 | Wetland Science and Management | 3 | |
| NR 460/560 | Renewable Natural Resource Management and Policy | 3 | |
| 厂厂颁听410 | Soil Judging for Land Evaluation | 1 | |
| 厂厂颁听427 | Biological Approaches to Sustainable Soil Systems | 3 | |
| 厂厂颁听428 | Soil Management Principles for Sustainable Agriculture | 1 | |
| 厂厂颁听455 | Soils, Environmental Quality and Global Challenges | 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121 | Elements of Calculus | 3 |
| Foundation Elective (select one): | 3 | |
| Conservation of Natural Resources | ||
| Land and Life | ||
| 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 |
| 惭贰础听101 | Geology I: Physical | 3 |
| 惭贰础听110 | Geology I Laboratory | 1 |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| GEP Humanities | 3 | |
| 听 | Hours | 16 |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| 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 |
| 颁翱惭听110 or 颁翱惭听112 | Public Speaking or Interpersonal Communication | 3 |
| 厂罢听311 | Introduction to Statistics | 3 |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| 听 | Hours | 14 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| 厂厂颁听332 | Environmental Soil Microbiology | 3 |
| 厂厂颁听452 | Soil Classification | 4 |
| Restricted Elective | 6 | |
| 听 | Hours | 13 |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| 厂厂颁听461 | Soil Physical Properties and Plant Growth | 3 |
| Soil Science Elective | 3 | |
| Economics, Management and Policy Elective | 3 | |
| GEP Elective | 3 | |
| 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 | ||
| 听 | Hours | 15 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| 厂厂颁听341 | Soil Fertility and Nutrient Management | 3 |
| 厂厂颁听442 | Soil and Environmental Biogeochemistry | 3 |
| 笔驰听131 | Conceptual Physics | 4 |
| Economics, Management and Policy Elective | 3 | |
| Restricted Elective | 3 | |
| 听 | Hours | 16 |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| 厂厂颁听342 | Soil and Plant Nutrient Analysis | 1 |
| GEP Social Sciences | 3 | |
| Soil Science Elective | 3 | |
| Restricted Elective | 3 | |
| Experimental Learning Elective | 3 | |
| GEP Humanities | 3 | |
| 听 | Hours | 16 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| 笔叠听321 | Introduction to Whole Plant Physiology | 3 |
| 颁厂厂颁听490 | Senior Seminar in Crop Science and Soil Science | 1 |
| Restrictive Elective | 3 | |
| GEP Interdisciplinary Perspectives | 2 | |
| Free Elective | 5 | |
| 听 | Hours | 14 |
| 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:
- Conservationist
- Ecologist
- Environmental Scientist and Specialist
- Extension Agent
- Hydrologist
- Land Use Planner
- Nutrient Management/ Waste Management Specialist听
- Restoration Specialist
- Soil Scientist听
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
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