Description

The Agroecology minor is open to all baccalaureate students. It is designed for students majoring in the biological sciences, agronomy, horticulture and animal sciences, but will be of interest to a wide array of students as agriculture has broad implications in the life sciences, economics, and sociology. Agroecology instruction provides students a fundamental understanding of agriculture and its interaction with natural and social systems. Students selecting the Agroecology minor will gain an understanding of modern production agriculture from an ecological and sociological perspective, obtain new skills in analyzing agricultural systems, and the knowledge to design a plan for change. This knowledge will improve a student's ability to work with agricultural professionals to implement a system that meets ecological and social needs while remaining profitable for farmers.

Requirements

• Completion of a minimum of 17 credit hours; 11 required credits and 6 elective credits.
• Must receive a minimum grade of "C-" in all courses counted for the minor..

Required Courses (11 credit hours)

BO 360 Introduction to Ecology AND BO 365 Ecology Lab 3/1 OR ZO 260 Evolution, Behavior, and Ecology (4 cr)
CS 230 Introduction to Agroecology (3 cr)
CS 430 Advanced Agroecology (4 cr)

Elective Courses (6 credit hours)

Choose 1 course from at least two different groups

Group I: Ecology and Agricultural Production
ANS 150 Introduction to Animal Science (4 cr)
BAE 323 Water Management (3 cr)
BAE 442 Systems Approach to Agricultural and Environmental Issues (3 cr)
BO 200 Plant Life (4 cr)
BO 213 Plants and Civilization (3 cr)
BO 250 Plant Biology (4 cr)
CS 213 Crops: Adaptation & Production (4 cr)
CS 411 Crop Ecology (3 cr)
CS 415 Integrated Pest Management (3 cr)
ENT 201 Insects and People (3 cr)
ENT 425 General Entomology (3 cr)
FOR/FW/ZO 221 Conservation of Natural Resources (3 cr)
FOR 260 Forest Ecology (3 cr)
HS 432 Introduction to Permaculture (3 cr)
NR 300 Natural Resource Measurements (4 cr)
NR 406 Conservation of Biological Diversity (3 cr)
SSC 200 Soil Science (4 cr)

Group 2: Social Science
HI 340 Perspectives in Agricultural History (3 cr)
IDS 201 Environmental Ethics (3 cr)
STS 303 Humans and the Environment (3 cr)
SOC 241 Sociology of Agriculture and Rural Societies (3 cr)
SOC 450 Environmental Sociology (3 cr)

Group 3: Economics
ARE 309 Environmental Law and Economic Policy (3 cr)
ARE 336 Environmental Economics (3 cr)
ARE 433 US Agricultural Policy (3 cr) 

Admissions and Certification of Minor

Admissions
Students wishing to complete an academic minor in Agroecology must complete the Application for Agroecology Minor form available from the minor program administrator listed below or a form can be emailed upon request. A minor adviser will be assigned to all students interested in completing the Agroecology minor. Students enrolled in the minor must consult with their minor advisers during each registration period.

Certification
As the student nears completion of the minor, the student’s minor adviser will submit the student’s minor coursework and a recommendation for certification of the minor to the program administrator as listed below. The program administrator will verify if the requirements of the minor have been fulfilled. The signed minor form will be submitted to the Academic Programs Office in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences by the department head and recorded on the student’s official transcript. Certification must be submitted no later than the registration period for the student's final semester at NC State. The minor must be completed no later than the semester in which the student expects to graduate from his or her degree program.

Contact Person

Date Posted:  June 5, 2012
SIS Code: 11AGECM