Option
Students must select and complete at least one option (Business/Marketing, International Agri-Business, Integrated Farm Management, Integrated Ranch Management, Natural Resource Management, Range Management, Soil Science, Equine, General Agriculture, or Agricultural Communications) to complete the Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Studies degree.
Business/Marketing Option
Students pursuing the Business/Marketing option combine business techniques with knowledge of agricultural production to prepare for employment managing an agriculturally related business or in agricultural banking and finance.
Students will be required to take BOTE 210 – Business Communication and GIS 381 – GIS for Business as part of the Agricultural Studies core curriculum.
| AGEC 244 | Introduction to Agricultural Marketing | 3 |
| AGEC 246 | Introduction to Agricultural Finance | 3 |
| AGEC 375 | Applied Agricultural Law | 3 |
| AGEC 387 | Commodity Futures and Options | 3 |
| AGEC 474 | Cooperatives | 3 |
| | | |
| AGRI 297 | Agricultural Management Internship; Externship; Cooperative Education | 1-6 |
| | Two Credits Required | |
| | | |
| BADM 369 | Business Ethics and Critical Thinking | 3 |
| BADM 455 | International Business | 3 |
| ECON 202 | Principles Of Macro-Economics | 3 |
| MATH 146 | Applied Calculus I | 3 |
One course from the following two courses (3 credits):
One course from the following two courses (3 credits):
| AGEC 422 | Resource Economics and Environmental Protection | 3 |
| AGEC 442 | Advanced Farm Management | 3 |
One course from the following two courses (3 credits):
One course from the following four courses (3 credits):
Two courses from the following five choices (6 credits):
| RNG 458 | Rangeland Ecology | 3 |
| SOIL 321 | Soil Management and Conservation | 3 |
| SOIL 322 | Soil Fertility and Fertilizers | 3 |
| VETS 339 | Animal Health | 3 |
| | Approved Agriculture elective(s) | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 47 |
International Agri-Business Option
Students pursuing the International Agri-Business option combine business and supply-chain techniques with knowledge of agricultural production to prepare for employment developing, maintaining and expanding export opportunities for agricultural goods and services.
Students will be required to take GIS 381 - GIS for Business as part of the Agricultural Studies core curriculum. Students will also be required to take Foreign Language 101 or higher as part of the General Education requirements.
| | Foreign Language 102 or higher | 4 |
| ACCT 200 | Elements Of Accounting I | 3 |
| ACCT 201 | Elements Of Accounting II | 3 |
| AGEC 244 | Introduction to Agricultural Marketing | 3 |
| AGEC 387 | Commodity Futures and Options | 3 |
| | | |
| AGRI 497 | Agricultural Management Internship; Externship; Cooperative Education | 1-6 |
| | Three Credits Required | |
| | | |
| BADM 376 | Production/Operations Management | 3 |
| BADM 455 | International Business | 3 |
| ECON 106 | Global Economics | 3 |
| ECON 202 | Principles Of Macro-Economics | 3 |
| FIN 300 | Financial Institutions and Markets | 3 |
| FIN 326 | Managerial Finance | 3 |
| MATH 146 | Applied Calculus I | 3 |
One course from the following three courses (3 credits):
Two courses from the following four courses (6 credits):
| BADM 420 | International Management | 3 |
| BADM 456 | International Business Strategy | 3 |
| FIN 430 | International Finance | 3 |
| MRKT 357 | International Marketing | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 49 |
Integrated Farm Management Option
Students pursuing the Integrated Farm Management option combine a strong foundation in agricultural production with business and resource management techniques necessary to operate a successful farming operation in the Northern Great Plains.
Students will be required to take GIS 380 – Applied Arc GIS as part of the Agricultural Studies core curriculum.
Choose course not taken in agricultural core curriculum (3 credits):
Choose courses from the following (5-7 credits):
| ANSC 220 | Livestock Production | 3 |
| GIS 480 | GPS/GIS II | 3 |
| PLSC 486 | Forages and Forage Systems | 3 |
| RNG 350 | Range Plants and Communities | 3 |
| RNG 436 | Range and Pasture Management | 3 |
| RNG 458 | Rangeland Ecology | 3 |
| SOIL 444 | Soil Genesis and Survey | 4 |
| SOIL 455 | Soil Microbiology | 3 |
| | Approved Agriculture elective(s) | 1-3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 49-51 |
Integrated Ranch Management Option
Students pursuing the Integrated Ranch Management option combine a strong foundation in agricultural production with business and resource management techniques necessary to operate a successful ranching operation in the Northern Great Plains.
Students will be required to take GIS 380 – Applied Arc GIS as part of the Agricultural Studies core curriculum.
Choose course not taken in agricultural core curriculum (3 credits):
Two courses from the following four courses (6 credits):
Two courses from the following nine choices (5-6 credits):
| AGEC 442 | Advanced Farm Management | 3 |
| ANSC 260 | Introduction to Equine Studies | 3 |
| GIS 382 | Applied GPS | 3 |
| GIS 480 | GPS/GIS II | 3 |
| PLSC 225 | Principles of Crop Production | 3 |
| SOIL 321 | Soil Management and Conservation | 3 |
| SOIL 322 | Soil Fertility and Fertilizers | 3 |
| SOIL 455 | Soil Microbiology | 3 |
| | Approved Agriculture elective(s) | 2-3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 48-49 |
Natural Resource Management Option
Students pursuing the Natural Resource Management option combine a strong science foundation with an understanding of agriculture and resource management to prepare for employment as a soil conservationist in government service, such as the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS).
Students will be required to take GIS 380 – Applied Arc GIS as part of the Agricultural Studies core curriculum. Students will be required to take GEOL 105, GEOL 105L – Physical Geology and Lab as the General Education science elective. If not taken as a General Education class, it must be taken to fulfill the Natural Resource Management option requirements.
Two pairs from the following three choices (9-10 credits):
At least five to six credits from the following choices:
Range Management Option
Students pursuing the Range Management option combine a strong science foundation with an understanding of agriculture and resource management to prepare for employment as a range conservationist in government service of perennial grasslands, such as the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS).
Students will be required to take GIS 380 – Applied Arc GIS as part of the Agricultural Studies core curriculum. They will be required to take GEOL 105, GEOL 105L – Physical Geology and Lab in the General Education requirements. If not taken as a General Education class, it must be taken to fulfill the Range Management option requirements.
One course from the following two courses (3 credits):
One course from the following two courses (1 credit):
| RNG 451 | Range Monitoring Techniques | 1 |
| | | |
| RNG 496 | Summer Field Study | 1-6 |
| | One Credit Required | |
| | | |
Two courses from the following four courses (6 credits):
| SOIL 321 | Soil Management and Conservation | 3 |
| SOIL 350 | Soil Health and Productivity | 3 |
| SOIL 444 | Soil Genesis and Survey | 4 |
| SOIL 455 | Soil Microbiology | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 49-51 |
Soil Science Option
Students pursuing the Soil Science option combine a strong science foundation with an understanding of soils, agriculture and resource management to prepare for employment as a soil scientist in government service.
Students will be required to take GIS 380 – Applied Arc GIS as part of the Agricultural Studies core curriculum. They will be required to take GEOL 105, GEOL 105L – Physical Geology and Lab as the General Education science elective. If not taken as a General Education class, it must be taken to fulfill the Soil Science option requirements.
Select four of the five following courses (12-13 credits):
One course from the following two courses (3 credits):
One course from the following two courses (3 credits):
| PLSC 225 | Principles of Crop Production | 3 |
| RNG 350 | Range Plants and Communities | 3 |
Two pairs of courses from the following choices (8 credits):
Equine Option
Students pursuing the Equine option combine business, production and resource management as they relate to horses and horse production to prepare for employment managing an equine-related business.
Some of the classes in this option are only available in an online format. Additional fees will apply for the delivery of these online courses.
One course from the following two courses (2-3 credits):
Two courses from the following five courses (4 credits):
One course from the following two courses (2-3 credits):
| ANSC 163 | Equine Health and Disease | 2 |
| VETS 339 | Animal Health | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 48-50 |
General Agriculture Option
Students pursuing the General Agriculture option combine business, production and resource management as they relate to agriculture in the North Great Plains. Employment opportunities include agricultural education and extension.
Students will be required to take GIS 380 – Applied Arc GIS and COMM 216 – Intercultural Communication as part of the Agricultural Studies core curriculum. Students will be required to take BIOL 111/BIOL 111L – Concepts of Biology and Lab, CHEM 115/CHEM 115L – Introduction to Chemistry and Lab, and PSYC 111 – Introduction to Psychology as part of General Education curriculum. If not taken as a General Education class, it must be taken to fulfill the General Agriculture option requirements. Students pursuing a Masters of Education in Agricultural Education from NDSU must also complete the Agricultural Education minor.
If pursuing a Masters of Education in Agricultural Education from NDSU, the following three courses are required. If not, seven additional credits of agricultural electives are required, of which three must be at the 300- or 400- level.
| EDUC 250 | Introduction to Education with Field Experience | 4 |
| H&CE 232 | Philosophy and Policy | 3 |
| H&CE 322 | Agriculture Educational Psychology | 3 |
Choose course not taken in agricultural core curriculum (3 credits):
Choose ASM or GIS Electives (6 credits):
Select six credits of electives in ASM (Agricultural Systems Management) or GIS (Geographical Information Systems) courses. Three of these credits must be at the 300- or 400- course level.
Choose Agricultural Electives (15 Credits):
Select 15 credits of electives in AGEC (Agricultural Economics), ANSC (Animal Science), PLSC (Plant Science), RNG (Range Science), SOIL (Soil Science) or VETS (Veterinary Science) courses. All of these credits must be at the 300- or 400-course level. No more than six credits of agricultural electives can be taken from any one prefix.
Agricultural Communication Option
Students pursuing the Agricultural Communication option combine a strong foundation in agricultural production, business, and resource management with the communication skills necessary to become effective in public relations and advocacy regarding agriculture and natural resource issues in the Northern Great Plains.
Students will be required to take BIOL 111/BIOL 111L - Concepts of Biology and Lab, BIOL 150/BIOL 150L - General Biology I and Lab or BIOL 151/BIOL 151L - General Biology II and Lab as part of General Education curriculum. If not taken as a General Education class, it must be taken to fulfill the Agricultural Communication option requirements.
A Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Studies with an option in Agricultural Communication requires students to complete a minor in some form of communication (e.g. Communication minor).
Choose course not taken in agricultural core curriculum (3 credits):
Choose agricultural electives (12 credits):
Select 12 credits of 300- or 400- course level electives in AGEC (Agricultural Economics), ANSC (Animal Science), GIS (Geographic Information Systems), PLSC (Plant Science), RNG (Range Science), SOIL (Soil Science), or VETS (Veterinary Science) courses. No more than six credits of agricultural electives can be taken from any one prefix.