Agricultural Studies
Undergraduate Study
For undergraduate curricula in agriculture and life sciences education, and agricultural studies, leading to the degree of bachelor of science, see College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Curricula.
The department offers two curricula for students desiring to enter careers in agriculture and related fields. These curricula are agriculture and life sciences education and agricultural studies. The agricultural and life sciences education curriculum prepares persons for careers as agricultural education instructors, and educational specialists for industry, nonprofit organizations, and governmental agencies. The agriculture and life sciences education curriculum has two options, teacher certification and communications. The agricultural studies curriculum prepares persons for careers in production agriculture and agricultural industry. Graduates of both curricula accept positions in agricultural business, industry, agencies, and production agriculture.
Graduates will have a broad base of agricultural knowledge, and will be skilled in decisionmaking, planning, organizing, presenting, and evaluating information. Through the successful completion of the required coursework, active participation in clubs and organizations, and the acquisition of technical skills and experiences associated with work experiences, internships, and international travel, graduates of our baccalaureate programs meet the university, college, and departmental outcomes in the following nine areas:
- professional, interpersonal, and cross-cultural communications
- problem solving and critical thinking
- leadership
- entrepreneurship
- life-long learning
- ethics
- environmental awareness
- U.S. diversity
- international perspectives.
More information regarding the departmental learning outcomes can be found at www.ageds.iastate.edu/.
Curriculum in Agricultural Studies
Administered by the Department of Agricultural Education and Studies. Students are encouraged to develop one or more areas of concentration in agricultural sciences and economics.
Total Degree Requirement: 128 cr.
Only 65 cr. from a two-year institution may apply which may include up to 16 technical cr.; 9 P-NP cr. of free electives; 2.00 minimum GPA.
International Perspective:
3 cr. from approved list.
U.S. Diversity:
3 cr. from approved list.
Communications Proficiency:
6 cr. of English composition with a C or better and 3 cr. of speech fundamentals with a C or better.
Communication/Library 13 cr.:
| ENGL 150 | Critical Thinking and Communication | 3 |
| ENGL 250 | Written, Oral, Visual, and Electronic Composition | 3 |
| AGEDS 311 | Presentation and Sales Strategies for Agricultural Audiences | 3 |
| AGEDS 327 | Advanced Communications for Agriculture and Life Sciences | 3 |
| LIB 160 | Information Literacy | 1 |
| Total Credits | 13 | |
Humanities and Social Sciences: 6 cr.
| ECON 101 | Principles of Microeconomics | 3 |
| Plus 3 credit hours from approved humanities list | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 6 | |
Ethics: 3 cr.
3 cr. from approved list.
Math Physical and Life Sciences: 17 crs.
| BIOL 101 | Introductory Biology | 3 |
| BBMB 221 | Structure and Reactions in Biochemical Processes | 3 |
| or PHYS 101 | Physics for the Nonscientist | |
| CHEM 163 | College Chemistry | 4 |
| or CHEM 177 | General Chemistry I | |
| CHEM 163L | Laboratory in College Chemistry | 1 |
| or CHEM 177L | Laboratory in General Chemistry I | |
| MATH 104 | Introduction to Probability | 3 |
| or MATH 150 | Discrete Mathematics for Business and Social Sciences | |
| STAT 104 | Introduction to Statistics | 3 |
| Total Credits | 17 | |
Agricultural Sciences and Economics: 44 cr.
| AGEDS 110B | Agricultural Studies (Fall only) | 1 |
| AGEDS 215 | Career Seminar | 1 |
| AGEDS 315 | Personal, Professional, and Entrepreneurial Leadership in Agriculture | 3 |
| AGEDS 450 | Farm Management and Operation | 3 |
| AGEDS 451 | Agricultural Law | 4 |
| AGRON 114 | Principles of Agronomy | 3 |
| AGRON 154 | Fundamentals of Soil Science | 3 |
| AGRON 212 | Crop Growth, Productivity and Management | 3 |
| AGRON 212L | Field Application and Problem Solving in Crop Production | 1 |
| AN S 101 | Working with Animals | 2 |
| AN S 114 | Survey of the Animal Industry | 2 |
| ECON 230 | Farm Business Management | 3 |
| ECON 235 | Introduction to Agricultural Markets | 3 |
| ECON 334 | Entrepreneurship in Agriculture | 3 |
| NREM 120 | Introduction to Renewable Resources | 3 |
| or NREM 130 | Natural Resources and Agriculture | |
| And 6 credit hours from AN S, any level. | 6 | |
| Total Credits | 44 | |
Other Required Course:
Electives: Select courses to get to 128 credits.
No more than 4 cr. of or 397 may count toward graduation.
Preveterinary Studies
Preparation for admission to veterinary medicine may be accomplished through the agricultural studies curriculum.
