College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences

aces.uiuc.edu

104 Mumford Hall
1301 West Gregory Drive
Urbana, IL 61801
(217) 333-3380

The mission of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) is to enhance the quality of life for rural and urban people through teaching, research, and outreach programs focused on human activity, food, fiber, and natural resource systems. The ACES College enrolls more than 2,200 students in the seven departments leading to a bachelor of science degree. Students can select from majors and concentrations that direct the focus of study to their specific interests. Since its establishment, the ACES College has awarded over 25,000 baccalaureate degrees. It enjoys a rich history of scholarship, research, and outreach related to human interactions, natural resources, and environmental systems.

Teaching, research, and outreach opportunities are supported by excellent resources. The College of ACES Library and Information Center houses the college Microcomputer Facility and the college collection of educational resources. This facility also houses the College of ACES career development and placement office, which assists students in personal and career development through internships and work experiences, and placement after graduation. The Child Development Laboratory, the Edward R. Madigan Laboratory, and extensive research centers in Champaign-Urbana and across the state are other examples of unique and excellent college resources. For instance, the Morrow Plots, a national historic landmark established in 1876, are the oldest agronomic research plots in the United States. The Morrow Plots are located on campus next to the undergraduate library.

Programs such as the ACES James Scholar Honors Program and the Jonathan Baldwin Turner Undergraduate Research Program offer excellent opportunities for students to be involved in cutting edge research and solving contemporary challenges. Research is conducted in the broad areas of consumer behavior, crop production, vegetable production, ornamental horticulture, forest production and protection, food science, human nutrition, natural resource systems, environmental quality, marketing and utilization of agricultural products, individual and family well-being, and agroecology.

Increasing the international knowledge and experience of students and faculty helps meet the growing demand for graduates who are internationally literate and able to work effectively in different countries, in different languages and with people of different cultures. The academic programs office provides initiative and focus to College international study abroad programs as well as integrating an international dimension to the educational experience.

The distinguished faculty, innovative programs, and pioneering achievements in teaching, research, and outreach activities, together with an enthusiastic and competitive student body, place the College of ACES among the top institutions in the country in a survey of peers.

Departments and Curricula

The Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering offers courses in agricultural engineering and technical systems management. The agricultural engineering courses cover the principles of engineering science and design used to solve a broad spectrum of engineering problems related to agriculture. Areas of specialization include food and process engineering, off-road equipment design, bioenvironmental engineering of plant and animal facilities, and the protection of soil and water resources and of soil and water quality. The technical systems management courses cover agricultural technology and agribusiness management and focus on such technical specialties as machinery, electronics, computers, automatic controls, materials handling, buildings, waste management, grain and food processing, ventilation and heating, and soil conservation.

The Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics offers core programs and specialized courses of study to prepare students in the following areas: agri-accounting, agri-finance, farm management, agribusiness markets and management, consumer economics and finance, environmental and natural resource management, individually planned curricula, policy, and international trade and development.

The Department of Animal Sciences offers courses in the areas of animal evaluation, behavior, genetics, nutrition, physiology and meat science, and other courses related to the application of scientific principles to animal agriculture. Courses involve studies with beef and dairy cattle, horses, poultry, sheep, swine, and companion animals.

The Department of Crop Sciences offers courses in plant breeding and genetics, biotechnology and genetic engineering, crop evaluation, crop protection, plant pathology, design of field experiments, weeds and their control, and production and pathology of cereals, corn, soybeans, and forage crops.

The Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition offers courses in foods and nutrition, dietetics, and hospitality management, as well as courses applying biology, engineering, chemistry, physics, and microbiology to the processing, formulation, packaging, and distribution of food.

The Department of Human and Community Development includes courses in agricultural communication, agricultural education, child and adolescent development, family studies, extension education, youth programs, and rural sociology.

The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences provides courses for those interested in forest management and floriculture, landscape horticulture, production of fruits and vegetables, turf management, and wildlife habitat and recreation. The department also offers courses focusing on the study and understanding of natural resources and environmental sciences including soil and water conservation, soil physics and chemistry, soil fertility and management, and soil microbiology.

Requirements

Admission

Besides meeting the general admission requirements of the University, students entering the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences as freshmen must have taken, prior to entry, eight semesters of English, four semesters of algebra, two semesters of plane geometry, four semesters of laboratory science, four semesters of social studies, and four semesters of the same foreign language.

Applicants for freshman admission are evaluated on the basis of their ACT scores, high school percentile rank, and statements of personal and professional interest, among other factors. Detailed information on the admission process may be obtained from the Office of Admissions and Records.

Applicants who have earned 60 semester hours of transferable baccalaureate credit at other institutions may be considered for transfer admission. Such applicants are evaluated on the basis of their transfer grade point averages and completion of core requisites including quantitative reasoning (mathematics). Transfer applicants to the Dietetics and Human Nutrition major must have a grade point average of at least 3.0, and all other curricula require a minimum grade point average of 2.5. Applicants are encouraged to consult the Office of Admissions and Records for specific course requirements.

Graduation

The number of hours required for graduation varies between 126 and 130 for all curricula within the college. Included in the total must be all courses prescribed in the given curriculum and a sufficient number of electives to obtain the total number. The student should consult the College of ACES Student Handbook for a listing of credit restrictions that apply in evaluating elective credits toward graduation.

A transfer student from a four-year college must also complete the senior year, not less than 30 semester hours, in residence at the University. A transfer student from a community college must complete at least 60 semester hours at a senior college and at least the last 30 semester hours at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Each candidate for graduation must have a grade point average of not less than 2.0 (A = 4.0), including grades in courses transferred from other institutions, and a grade point average of not less than 2.0 in all courses taken at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Statement on Academic Progress

In addition to maintaining prescribed academic performance levels, a student in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences is also expected to make progress in courses required in his or her academic major. Each student is required to have at least one College of ACES course in their schedule each semester, except when the specific curriculum does not make that desirable. Students not complying will be denied continuing enrollment.

General Education

The categories currently included in campus General Education requirements are noted below. See the GenEd Requirements for up-to-date information.

A. English Composition

Composition I. This requirement may be fulfilled by the satisfactory completion of one of the following selections or an equivalent: RHET 105, or RHET 108, or RHET 100 and 101 in addition to RHET 100 and 102 or RHET 103 and 104, or SPCM 111 and 112, or ESL 114 and 115. The SPCM 111 and 112 sequence also fulfills the speech requirement of all College of ACES curricula.
Advanced Composition. This requirement is met by completing an approved writing-intensive course. Some College of ACES curricula require specific courses from the list. These courses may also fulfill other curricular requirements.

B. Quantitative Reasoning

Quantitative Reasoning I is fulfilled by a mathematics course in the College of ACES. Students should consult the specific curriculum to identify the appropriate course.
Quantitative Reasoning II will be satisfied in many curricula by completing a required statistics course. When no specific course or choice of courses is required, students may select from the campus approved list of courses.

C. Cultural Studies

The campus requires that a minimum of two courses must be completed in the Cultural Studies area. One course must be approved and designated as concentrating on Western culture and one of either non-Western culture or American subcultures and minority groups.

D. Natural Sciences

Six hours minimum. See individual curriculum.

E. Humanities and Arts

Six hours minimum. See individual curriculum for specific requirements.

F. Social and Behavioral Sciences

Six hours minimum. See individual curriculum for specific requirements.

Special Programs

Scholarship Information

The College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences recognizes entering students who have outstanding scholastic records with scholarship assistance not based on financial need. Entering freshmen are eligible to compete for $4,000 Jonathan Baldwin Turner Scholarships. A student who ranks in the upper 10 percent of his or her high school class at the end of the junior year or who has an ACT composite score of 27 or better is encouraged to submit a scholarship application. Interviews are conducted between the junior and senior year in high school. Transfer students with the most outstanding academic records at the institutions of previous attendance are recognized each year with $500 transfer student scholarships. Additional information and scholarship application forms may be obtained from the Associate Dean for Academic Programs, 101 Mumford Hall, 1301 West Gregory Drive, Urbana, IL 61801.

Additional scholarships to recognize academic merit are awarded within the college to continuing students based on their record earned at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. See the financial aid section for a description of financial assistance available based on demonstrated financial need.

ACES International Minor

This minor will help students prepare for life and work in a global society and will provide the international skills employers expect of our graduates. While it is the intent of this minor to encourage students to spend time abroad and to develop proficiency in a foreign language, neither is required.

Students enrolled in this minor will be able to draw on resources outside the college as well as select from courses offered by the seven departments in the College of ACES. At least 12 of the total 21 credit hours required for this minor must be College of ACES courses. At least 6 credit hours (ACES or non-ACES must come from 400-level courses. Courses in the minor cannot be completed Credit/No Credit.

This minor is administratively based in ACES Academic Programs. Student advising will take place in this unit. Assistant Dean Andrea Bohn will work with each student to plan a program of study that consists of a coherent pattern of coursework and other experiences, usually having a geographic or disciplinary focus.

Required Courses for the ACES International Minor

Hours	Global Study in the Social Science Disciplines
3-9	One or more courses from:
	ACE 251—The World Food Economy
	ACE 286—Cultural Analysis of Textiles
	ACE 387—Textiles in the Global Economy
	ACE 411—Environment and Development
	ACE 435—Global Agribusiness Management
	ACE 451—Agriculture in Intl Development
	ACE 455—Intl Trade in Food and Agr
	AGCM 320—Educational Campaign Planning
	ANTH 260—Anthropology
	ANTH 262—Women's Lives
	ECON 420—International Economics
	ECON 450—Development Economics
	EPS 426—Comparative Education
	FSHN 145—Intro Hospitality Management
	GEOG 110—Geography of Intl Conflicts
	GEOG 204—Cities of the World
	GEOG 210—Contemp Social and Env Problems
	GEOG 410—Geography of Dev and Underdev
	GWS 480—Gender Roles and Intl Dev
	HDFS 220—Comparative Family Org
	HDFS 470—International Families
	HIST 258—Contemp Politics Ideology
	HIST 259—Contemp Econ Soc Culture
	NRES 287—Nature Society and Democracy
	NRES 449—Science Technology and Policy
	PS 241—Comp Politics in Dev Nations
	PS 280—Intro to Intl Relations
	PS 382—Intl Political Economy
	PS 389—International Communications
	PS 389—International Communications
	RLST 110—World Religions
	RSOC 443—Social Change in Dev Areas
	RSOC 423—Intro International Planning

Hours	Global Study in the Natural Science Disciplines

Hours	Regional Specialization
3-9	The following four approaches/options can be used (separately or in combinations) to complete this portion of the minor.
	Academic credit earned through study or supervised activities outside the U.S. through: ACES 293—International Internship ACES 298—International Experience ACES 299—ACES Study Abroad
	Completion of one or more of the following courses offered by the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics ACE 254—Economic Systems in Africa ACE 452—The Latin America Economies ACE 453—Econ Dev in S and SE Asia ACE 454—Econ Dev of Tropical Africa
	Completion of courses that are approved by Area Studies Programs (see minor advisor) Center for African Studies Center for East Asian and Pacific Studies Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies Program in South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies European Union Center
	Foreign language courses that exceed College of ACES graduation requirements.