Major in Agronomy

NOTE: See also the Department of Agronomy's WWW site.
NOTE: This document was generated from the 1995-1997 UIUC Programs of Study. Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, but be advised that requirements may have changed since this book was published. Errors may have also been introduced in the conversion to a WWW document. Thus for items of importance, it might be wise to seek confrmation in the paper version or from a live human being.

Department of Agronomy
AW101 Turner
1102 S. Goodwin
Urbana, IL 61801
(217) 333-3420
FAX: (217) 333-9871

The major in agronomy is designed for students with an interest in agronomic crops or soils. The crops option prepares students for careers in crop production and marketing, crop systems management, plant breeding, biotechnology, and seed merchandising. The soils option is designed for students having an interest in soil management and conservation, soil survey, water quality, and plant nutrient merchandising. The crop protection option provides a broad selection of courses in crops and soils, plant diseases, insects and weeds, the physical sciences, and communications. The agroecology option addresses ecologically based management of cropping systems, stewardship of the environment, and sustainable food production systems. The latter two options are designed to prepare students for careers in integrated pest management, crop consulting, agrichemical management, and merchandising. Students who wish to pursue graduate work can supplement the major with suitable choices of electives, or they may select the agr icultural science major.

For common core requirements of this major, see Core Curricula in Agriculture. Other courses required for this major are:

HOURS PRESCRIBED COURSES IN AGRICULTURE
4 SOILS 101--Introductory Soils
4 AGRON 121--Principles of Field Crop Science
1 AGRON 290--Undergraduate Agronomy Seminar
4 AG EC 100--Introductory Agricultural Economics
40 Required and elective courses in agriculture to yield this minimum total (see below)

Crops Option

HOURS REQUIRED AGRICULTURE COURSES
3 PL PA 204--Introductory Plant Pathology
12 Select from the following:
AGRON 220--Plant and Animal Genetics
AGRON 315--Genetics of Higher Organisms
AGRON 318--Crop Growth and Production
AGRON 319--Environment and Plant Ecosystems
AGRON 322--Forage Crops and Pastures
AGRON 323--Principles of Plant Breeding
AGRON 324--Plant Breeding Methods
AGRON 326--Weeds and Their Control
AGRON 330--Plant Physiology
AGRON 336--Perennial Grass Ecosystems
AGRON 337--Ecology of Cropping Systems
AGRON 350--Crops and Society
AGRON 377--Diseases of Field Crops
6 Select from the following:
SOILS 301--Pedology
SOILS 302--Soil Testing Practicum
SOILS 303--Soil Fertility and Fertilizers
SOILS 304--Soil Conservation and Management
SOILS 305--Soil Microbiology
SOILS 306--Field Pedology
SOILS 307--Soil Chemistry
SOILS 308--Physics of the Plant Environment
SOILS 311--Laboratory Method for Soils Research
SOILS 313--Soil Mineralogy

Soils Option

HOURS REQUIRED AGRICULTURE COURSES
3 AGRON 330--Plant Physiology
18 Select from the following:
SOILS 301--Pedology
SOILS 302--Soil Testing Practicum
SOILS 303--Soil Fertility and Fertilizers
SOILS 304--Soil Conservation and Management
SOILS 305--Soil Microbiology
SOILS 306--Field Pedology
SOILS 307--Soil Chemistry
SOILS 308--Physics of the Plant Environment
SOILS 311--Laboratory Method for Soils Research
SOILS 313--Soil Mineralogy
6-7 Select two courses from:
AGRON 220--Plant and Animal Genetics
AGRON 318--Crop Growth and Production
AGRON 319--Environment and Plant Ecosystems
AGRON 322--Forage Crops and Pastures
AGRON 326--Weeds and Their Control

Crop Protection Option

HOURS REQUIRED AGRICULTURE COURSES
3-4 AGRON 220--Plant and Animal Genetics, or AGRON 330--Plant Physiology
3 AGRON 326--Weeds and Their Control
3 ENTOM 120--Introduction to Applied Entomology
4 ENTOM 319--Fundamentals of Insect Pest Management
3 HORT 100--Introduction to Horticulture
3 Choose from:
HORT 242--Commercial Vegetable Production
HORT 261--Small Fruit and Viticulture Science
HORT 262--Tree Fruit Science
3 PL PA 204--Introductory Plant Pathology
3 PL PA 305--Principles of Plant Disease Control, or PL PA 377--Diseases of Field Crops
3 SOILS 301--Pedology, or SOILS 303--Soil Fertility and Fertilizers

Agroecology Option

HOURS REQUIRED AGRICULTURE COURSES
2 AGRON 321--Biological Control of Insect Pests
3 AGRON 326--Weeds and Their Control
3 AGRON 337--Ecology of Cropping Systems
3 ENTOM 120--Introduction to Applied Entomology
3 PL PA 204--Introductory Plant Pathology
3 SOILS 304--Soil Conservation and Managment, or SOILS 305--Soil Microbiology
3-4 SOILS 307--Soil Chemistry, or SOILS 308--The Physics of the Plant Environment
6 Select two courses from:
AGRON 318--Crop Growth and Production
AGRON 319--Environment and Plant Ecosystems
AGRON 322--Forage Crops and Pastures
SOILS 301--Pedology
HOURS OTHER PRESCRIBED COURSES (all options except where noted)
3 Choose from:
B&T W 250--Principles of Business Writing
B&T W 252--Technical Communications
B&T W 253--Business and Administrative Communication
3 Statistics
3 CHEM 231--Elementary Organic Chemistry
4 GEOL 101--An Introduction to the Study of the Earth, or GEOL 107--General Geology, I
3 CHEM 122--Quantitative Chemistry (Soils only)
5 PHYCS 101--General Physics (Soils only)
5 EEE 212--Basic Ecology (Agroecology only)
6 Humanities (see Agriculture General Education Requirements)
9 Social sciences (see Agriculture General Education Requirements)
126 Core courses and open electives to yield this total

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