Administered by the Departments of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Agronomy, Horticulture, and Plant Pathology.
Seed Science must be taken as a secondary major in conjunction with a primary major. The seed science program is designed for students with career interests in one or more aspects of the seed industry. Areas of study focus on seeds including production, conditioning, pathology, physiology, quality control, marketing, and seed plant designs.
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon graduation, students should be able to:
- Demonstrate understanding of the science and principles of seed production systems, including seed quality assessment and conditioning, and clearly communicate the importance of seeds to our society.
- Articulate the opportunities in the seed industry for seed-related careers.
- Apply seed science and technology knowledge for solving seed quality and production problems encountered in the seed industry.
CURRICULUM IN SEED SCIENCE (SECONDARY MAJOR)
Total Degree Requirement: 128 cr.
COMPLETE COMMUNICATION AND LIBRARY REQUIREMENTS OF PRIMARY MAJOR AND 3 CR. FROM THE FOLLOWING:
| ENGL 302 | Business Communication | 3 |
| ENGL 309 | Proposal and Report Writing | 3 |
| ENGL 312 | Communicating Science and Public Engagement | 3 |
| ENGL 314 | Technical Communication | 3 |
| SP CM 312 | Business and Professional Speaking | 3 |
BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES: 7 CR.
| BIOL 211 & 211L | Principles of Biology I and Principles of Biology Laboratory I | 4 |
| or BIOL 212 & 212L | Principles of Biology II and Principles of Biology Laboratory II | |
| AGRON 320 | Genetics, Agriculture and Biotechnology | 3 |
| or BIOL 313 | Principles of Genetics | |
PHYSICAL SCIENCES: 8-9 CR.
| CHEM 163 & 163L | College Chemistry and Laboratory in College Chemistry | 5 |
| or CHEM 177 & 177L | General Chemistry I and Laboratory in General Chemistry I | |
| One of the following: | ||
| AGRON 259 | Organic Compounds in Plants and Soils | 3 |
| BBMB 221 | Structure and Reactions in Biochemical Processes | 3 |
| CHEM 231 & 231L | Elementary Organic Chemistry and Laboratory in Elementary Organic Chemistry | 4 |
MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES 6 CR.
| MATH 140 | College Algebra | 3 |
| or MATH 150 | Discrete Mathematics for Business and Social Sciences | |
| Statistics course | 3 | |
AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES: 28-29 CR.
| AGRON 181 | Introduction to Crop Science | 3 |
| or HORT 221 | Principles of Horticulture Science | |
| AGRON 182 | Introduction to Soil Science | 3 |
| AGRON 206 | Introduction to Weather and Climate | 3 |
| AGRON 217 | Weed Identification | 1-2 |
| or AGRON 331 | Crops Practicum | |
| AGRON 316 | Crop Structure-Function Relationships | 3 |
| or HORT 321 | Horticulture Physiology | |
| AGRON 354 | Soils and Plant Growth | 3 |
| 9 credits from AGRON, HORT, or TSM (6 credits at 300-400 level) | 9 | |
ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS: 9 CR.
| ECON 101 | Principles of Microeconomics | 3 |
| Six credits from the following: | 6 | |
| Financial Accounting | ||
| Principles of Macroeconomics | ||
| Farm Business Management | ||
| Small Business Management | ||
| Introduction to Agricultural Markets | ||
| Agricultural Selling | ||
| Entrepreneurship in Agriculture | ||
| Managing Organizations | ||
| Principles of Marketing | ||
SEED SCIENCE: 16 CR.
| AGRON 317 | Principles of Weed Science | 3 |
| AGRON 338 | Seed Science and Technology | 3 |
| AGRON 421 | Introduction to Plant Breeding | 3 |
| ENT 376 | Fundamentals of Entomology and Pest Management | 3 |
| PL P 408 | Principles of Plant Pathology | 3 |
| One of the following: | ||
| AGRON 311 | Professional Internship in Agronomy (seed related) | 1 |
| AGRON 491 | Seed Science Internship Experience | 1-2 |
| HORT 391 | Horticultural Management Experience | 1 |
HUMANITIES: 3 CR.
3 cr. from approved humanities list: http://www.cals.iastate.edu/student-services/humanities
SOCIAL SCIENCES: 3 CR.
3 cr. from approved social sciences list: http://www.cals.iastate.edu/student-services/social-sciences
ETHICS: 3 CR.
3 cr. from approved ethics list: http://www.cals.iastate.edu/student-services/ethics
REMAINING CREDITS (STUDENT CHOICE).
Because seed science is a secondary major, the courses taken by the student during the first year will vary, depending on the primary major (see typical program for the primary major).