Agricultural Science
About the Major
Agricultural Science majors learn to prepare and implement all facets of the agriculture industry to the public through education, sales and services, government affairs, leadership roles, marketing and public relations. Graduates are skilled educators and communicators who advance and advocate for the agricultural industry in a global economy.
Degree Information
Coursework:
With a flexible and diverse curriculum, AGSC students take introductory and advanced coursework throughout the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences, College of Liberal Arts, and the College of Science and Math. They have ample opportunity to dive deeply into a specialty agriculture area while gaining a broad understanding of animal and plant science, agriculture production, education methods and presentation styles, sustainability and holistic management, and how to navigate issues impacting agriculture. Click here to see the AGSC major curriculum.
Labs:
Students take a variety of lab courses. Labs are designed to engage with agriculture through hands-on Learn by Doing and expand the student’s level of connection to agriculture.
Agricultural science majors take labs including animal science, education methods, holistic management, agricultural engineering, dairy science, soil science, plant science, food processing and food safety.
Minors:
The Agricultural Science major provides 28 units of Career Area units and an additional 24 units within the Emphasis Area. With so many flexible elective units, many agricultural science majors successfully complete one and sometimes two minors in one of several areas: Agricultural Education, Crop Science, Agribusiness, Law and Society, Event Planning and Experience Management, and Agricultural Leadership.
Career Opportunities
Alumni have become award winning educators, hired as social media directors, sales coordinators, school principals, harvest supervisors, marketing specialists, attorneys and commodity board staff.
Companies where graduates are applying their skills and passions include Corteva Science, California Department of Education, Valent, Mulholland Citrus Delite, Driscoll’s, Advantis Global, and the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
Graduates who furthered their education earned master’s degrees from Chico State, Fresno State, Kansas State, University of Florida, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma State University. They studied agricultural education, journalism, agricultural communication and leadership development.
Agricultural Science majors have also completed terminal degrees with their doctoral degrees in agricultural education, leadership and communication.
Our Program
The mission and vision of the Agricultural Education and Communication Department is to develop leaders, educators, and communicators to advance and advocate for the agricultural industry in a global economy. Students pursuing the agricultural science major earn a Bachelor of Science degree.
As a capstone experience, agricultural science majors log hours of hands-on labs to complement their coursework. From livestock and plant enterprises to time with industry professionals as an intern, their senior project highlights agriculture skills obtained, and passions developed. Internships and senior projects range from providing marketing materials about the application of science, management, fiber and natural resource systems to partnering with commodity boards. Our graduates help shape and educate the public about this billion-dollar industry.
The department has a long history of leadership and service to the agricultural education profession and unique Learn by Doing opportunities. Students gain the necessary knowledge to be effective educators, communicators and leadership developers who are fully equipped to promote agriculture and serve the needs of the industry.