Natural Resources (BS): Soil, Water and Land Use Concentration
The Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources degree with a concentration in Soil, Water, and Land Use encompasses the study of soil, water, air, minerals, flora, fauna and people. In this degree, students acquire a solid foundation in resource management with a focus on soil properties and surface and groundwater hydrology. Graduates will use their understanding of earth's systems to help policy makers, government agencies, and private land managers make environmentally responsible decisions related to soil, water, and land use.
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 | ||
| 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 Advanced Writing courses: | 3 | ||
| Communication Methods and Media | |||
| Communication for Engineering and Technology | |||
| Communication for Business and Management | |||
| Communication for Science and Research | |||
| 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 | |
| 颁贬听101 &补尘辫;听颁贬听102 | Chemistry - A Molecular Science and General Chemistry Laboratory | 4 | |
| 叠滨翱听181 | Introductory Biology: Ecology, Evolution, and Biodiversity | 4 | |
| 础贰颁听360 | Ecology | 4 | |
| 惭贰础听101 &补尘辫;听惭贰础听110 | Geology I: Physical and Geology I Laboratory | 4 | |
| 笔驰听131 | Conceptual Physics | 4 | |
| 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 | |
| 狈搁听300 | Natural Resource Measurements | 4 | |
| 厂厂颁听200 &补尘辫;听厂厂颁听201 | Soil Science and Soil Science Laboratory 1 | 4 | |
| 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 | ||
| Water and the Environment | |||
| Conservation of Natural Resources | |||
| Land and Life | |||
| Advanced Chemistry Elective (select one): | 3 | ||
| Chemistry - A Quantitative Science and Quantitative Chemistry Laboratory | |||
| Introductory Organic Chemistry and Organic Chemistry I Lab | |||
| Soil and Environmental Biogeochemistry | |||
| 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 | |||
| Geospatial Technologies Elective | 3 | ||
| Land Use Electives | 6 | ||
| Plant Science Electives | 6 | ||
| Water, Wetlands & Ecology Electives | 6 | ||
| 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) | 4 | ||
| 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.
Economics, Management & Policy Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| 颁贰听478 | Energy and Climate | 3 | |
| 颁厂听418 | Introduction to Regulatory Science in Agriculture | 3 | |
| 颁厂听428 | Advanced Regulatory Science in Agriculture | 3 | |
| 狈搁听406 | Conservation of Biological Diversity | 3 | |
| 狈搁听460 | 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 |
Geospatial Technologies Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 叠础贰听325 | Introductory Geomatics | 3 | |
| 贵翱搁听353 | GIS and Remote Sensing for Environmental Analysis and Assessment | 3 | |
| 骋滨厂听280 | Introduction to GIS | 3 | |
| 骋滨厂听512 | Introduction to Environmental Remote Sensing | 3 | |
| SSC 440/540 | Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in Soil Science and Agriculture | 3 | |
| 厂厂颁听545 | Remote Sensing Applications in Soil Science and Agriculture | 3 |
Land Use Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 惭贰础听300 | Environmental Geology | 4 | |
| 惭贰础听481 | Geomorphology: Earth's Dynamic Surface | 3 | |
| NR 400/500 | Natural Resource Management | 4 | |
| 狈搁听484 | Environmental Impact Assessment | 4 | |
| 狈搁听510 | Military Land Sustainability | 3 | |
| 厂厂颁听410 | Soil Judging for Land Evaluation | 1 | |
| 厂厂颁听421 | 3 | ||
| 厂厂颁听427 | Biological Approaches to Sustainable Soil Systems | 3 | |
| 厂厂颁听455 | Soils, Environmental Quality and Global Challenges | 3 | |
| 厂厂颁听462 | Soil-Crop Management Systems | 3 |
Plant Science Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 颁厂听213 | Crop Science | 3 | |
| 颁厂听230 | Introduction to Agroecology | 3 | |
| 颁厂听251 | Production of Forage Crops | 3 | |
| 笔叠听200 | Plant Life | 4 | |
| 贵翱搁听252 | Introduction to Forest Science | 4 | |
| 贵翱搁听339 | 4 | ||
| 笔叠听220 | Local Flora | 3 | |
| 笔叠听321 | Introduction to Whole Plant Physiology | 3 | |
| 笔叠听421 | Plant Physiology | 3 |
Water, Wetlands & Ecology Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 础贰颁听400 | Applied Ecology | 3 | |
| 础贰颁听419 | Freshwater Ecology | 4 | |
| 叠础贰罢听323 | Water Management | 3 | |
| 贵翱搁听260 | Forest Ecology | 4 | |
| NR/FOR 420 | Watershed and Wetlands Hydrology | 4 | |
| NR 421/521 | Wetland Science and Management | 3 | |
| 厂厂颁听332 | Environmental Soil Microbiology | 3 | |
| SSC 470/570 | Wetland Soils | 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 | ||
| 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 Humanities | 3 | |
| 础贰颁听360 | Ecology | 4 |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| 听 | Hours | 15 |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| 础搁贰听201 | Introduction to Agricultural & Resource Economics | 3 |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| 厂厂颁听200 | Soil Science | 3 |
| 厂厂颁听201 | Soil Science Laboratory | 1 |
| 厂罢听311 | Introduction to Statistics | 3 |
| Plant Science Elective | 3 | |
| 颁翱惭听110 or 颁翱惭听112 | Public Speaking or Interpersonal Communication | 3 |
| 听 | Hours | 17 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| 惭贰础听101 | Geology I: Physical | 3 |
| 惭贰础听110 | Geology I Laboratory | 1 |
| 笔驰听131 | Conceptual Physics | 4 |
| 厂厂颁听341 | Soil Fertility and Nutrient Management | 3 |
| Economics, Management and Policy Elective | 3 | |
| GEP Interdisciplinary Perspectives | 2 | |
| 听 | Hours | 16 |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| 厂厂颁听342 | Soil and Plant Nutrient Analysis | 1 |
| 厂厂颁听461 | Soil Physical Properties and Plant Growth | 3 |
| Advanced Chemistry Elective | 3 | |
| Land Use Elective | 3 | |
| Economics, Management and Policy Elective | 3 | |
| 听 | Hours | 13 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| 狈搁听300 | Natural Resource Measurements | 4 |
| 厂厂颁听452 | Soil Classification | 4 |
| Geospatial Technologies Elective | 3 | |
| Water, Wetlands, and Ecology Elective | 3 | |
| 听 | Hours | 14 |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| Experiential Learning Elective | 3 | |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Communication for Engineering and Technology | ||
| Communication for Business and Management | ||
| Communication for Science and Research | ||
| GEP Humanities | 3 | |
| GEP Elective | 3 | |
| GEP Social Sciences | 3 | |
| 听 | Hours | 15 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| Free Elective | 4 | |
| 颁厂厂颁听490 | Senior Seminar in Crop Science and Soil Science | 1 |
| Land Use Elective | 3 | |
| Water, Wetlands, and Ecology Elective | 3 | |
| Plant Science Elective | 3 | |
| 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
- Nutrient Management/ Waste Management Specialist听
- Precision Agriculture Specialist
- 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
- Climate Change Policy Analysts
- Conservation Scientist
- Environmental Engineer
- Environmental Planner
- Environmental Research Analyst
- Forest and Conservation Technician
- Forest and Conservation Workers
- Forester
- Forestry and Conservation Science Professor
- Park Naturalist
- Range Manager
- Soil Conservationist
- Wildlife Control Agent
- Natural Resources Management and Policy
- Conservation Scientist
- Environmental Engineer
- Environmental Planner
- Environmental Research Analyst
- Fish and Game Warden
- Forest and Conservation Workers
- Forester
- Landfill Inspectors
- Range Manager
- Soil Conservationist
- Wind Energy Operations Managers
- Wind Energy Project Managers
Learn More About Careers
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