College of Agriculture

Departments, Schools, and Curricula 

The dean, directors of schools, heads of departments, and members of the faculty of the college will consult with students on their choices of curricula. Requests for substitutions for required courses in any curricula in the college must have approval of the dean, upon recommendation of the head of the department or school. A maximum of six semester hours of basic ROTC and eight semester hours of advanced ROTC may be allowed for elective credit in any curriculum.

The College of Agriculture was established at LSU in 1908; however, its roots go back to the first graduation class that had, as one of its five graduates, a planter. The mission of today’s College of Agriculture is one rooted in business, science, and technology. The application of knowledge to meeting the world’s food and fiber needs remains the common thread that binds the college’s past to its future.

The college’s land-grant mission dates to 1862 and consists of three emphases: learning, discovery, and active engagement in our community. The discovery and engagement components of the college’s mission are often conducted in concert with the LSU Agricultural Center. Many faculty hold joint appointments with the Louisiana Agricultural Experimental Station or the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service−the research and education units of the LSU Agricultural Center. The interlinking of learning, discovery, and engagement are hallmarks of the land-grant system and are likewise the cornerstones of the College of Agriculture’s strategic agenda for the future.

The College of Agriculture is home to more than 40 majors and areas of concentration within 10 academic departments and schools. All of the programs provide an interdisciplinary educational experience that reflects the latest in science and technology and is built on the five focus areas that are core to the college’s strategic agenda.

Degree Programs

All undergraduate degrees in the College of Agriculture are Bachelor of Science degrees. The following programs are offered by the College of Agriculture:

• Agricultural Business
• Agricultural Education, Grades 6-12
• Plant & Soil Systems*
• Animal, Dairy & Poultry Sciences
• Nutrition & Food Sciences
• Textiles, Apparel & Merchandising
• Environmental Management Systems
• Natural Resource Ecology & Management

* The curriculum in plant and soil systems consolidates the curricula in the areas of agronomy, entomology, horticulture, plant pathology, and crop physiology. Students in this curriculum take core courses that provide a basic knowledge required for specialization in one of the ten areas of concentration: agricultural pest management (entomology emphasis), agricultural pest management (plant pathology emphasis), crop science, environmental horticulture, horticultural science, landscape management, soil science, sustainable production systems, turfgrass management, and urban entomology. Each area is further individualized by the addition of approved and free electives.

Vision

To be a leading college of agriculture, taking undergraduate and graduate students to the highest levels of intellectual and personal development in the milieu of a competitive research, service, and teaching land-grant university.

Mission

To provide programs of excellence to educate undergraduate and graduate students of agriculture, environmental sciences, renewable natural resource sciences, human resource sciences, quantitative sciences, and human sciences; to support and encourage research, public service, and other scholarly pursuits; to further the purposes of the land-grant college system for the benefit of the citizens of Louisiana, the nation, and the global community.

Strategic Agenda

To achieve our mission, the College of Agriculture has developed a strategic agenda focused on five interdisciplinary areas. These areas encompass broad fields of work and are, by their content, interdisciplinary and cross many administrative lines both within the college and in other administrative units. In particular, these areas coincide with and closely follow the research and development agenda of the LSU Agricultural Center.

• Environmental quality and renewable resource management
• Bioscience and technology in agriculture
• Processes and products for added value
• Agribusiness, consumer science, and global competitiveness
• Food quality, nutrition, and health

Coordination with the LSU Agricultural Center

The College of Agriculture, in coordination with the LSU Agricultural Center, offers students unique and unparalleled educational opportunities. The Louisiana Agricultural Experimental Station maintains research programs in Baton Rouge and at branch stations throughout Louisiana. The Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service disseminates knowledge throughout Louisiana through its network of specialists in Baton Rouge, county agents, and family and consumer sciences in every parish. A compressed video system that links all areas of the state greatly facilitates the delivery of educational programming.

Close cooperation between the college and the Agricultural Center provides an instructional program of exceptional quality, combining knowledge and the latest in technology and application. Because many faculty members in the college also hold appointments in the Agricultural Center, students are exposed to the latest in cutting-edge research and how that knowledge is disseminated to the field through the extension service.

The College of Agriculture and the Agricultural Center are actively involved in disseminating new knowledge and methods throughout the world. Internationally experienced faculty and staff bring their insights and experiences into the classroom to further enhance the learning experience. An active international program provides opportunities for students to gain valuable international experience that can assist them in future employment or study. The college and the Agricultural Center are currently active in Central and South America, Southeast Asia, West Africa, Europe, and countries of the former Soviet Union.

Facilities

Facilities for instructional purposes include more than 4,500 acres of farm and timber land and buildings for the care and study of crops and plants, livestock and poultry, and wildlife and forests.

Computer facilities, laboratories, and related research facilities are used for teaching purposes. Land and facilities at branch research stations throughout Louisiana also play a part in the teaching program, particularly at the graduate level. The state’s land and water resources; plant, animal, and aquatic life; and its communities and people strengthen instruction through a constantly changing complex of hundreds of research projects throughout the state that are coordinated with the teaching program. Similarly, research, teaching, and extension activities in foreign countries are made an active part of the classroom instruction.

Livestock include purebred herds of Angus, Brahman, and Hereford cattle that are used in teaching and research studies. Artificial insemination and embryo transfer are used to incorporate current genetics from leading herds in Louisiana and throughout the U.S. Other herds of beef cattle near the campus include breeds and crosses representative of the southern beef cattle industry. Brahman-British cow herds are bred to either British or heavy muscled terminal sire breeds such as Charolais or Braford bulls to produce a broad range of cattle types for research and teaching purposes. The dairy herd is composed of the Holstein breed.

A number of Quarter Horses and grade mares are maintained for research and instruction. The Dairy Improvement Center cooperates with Genex in the operation of a commercial artificial breeding program. Commercial strains of poultry are used in instruction and research. Research and teaching with poultry are conducted at a modern state-of-the-art facility. Totally enclosed tunnel-ventilated houses are designed to conduct research with broilers, layers, and broiler-breeders.

Admission Requirements

Within the framework of university regulations, students may be admitted to the college according to the following policies:

• Entering freshmen who meet the university admissions standards and have a declared major within the College of Agriculture will be directly admitted to the College of Agriculture.
• Students transferring from another academic unit on the LSU campus will be admitted to the College of Agriculture after they have earned at least a 2.00 cumulative and in major (all courses accepted towards degree requirements) grade-point average, and a “C” or better in MATH 1021  or higher and ENGL 1001  (ENGL 1004  for international students).
• Students transferring from another institution must also meet university transfer admission requirements as detailed in this catalog under “Undergraduate Admissions ”.
• On recommendation of the appropriate department head/school director and the dean of the college, probationary admission may be granted in special cases.
• Students not meeting requirements may appeal their admission by contacting the College of Agriculture’s Office of Student Services.

Degree Requirements of the College

The baccalaureate degree is conferred on students who fulfill the following requirements:

• Students must complete their curricula with at least a 2.00 grade point average on all work taken not resulting in grades of “P,” “W,” or “I.” Students must have a 2.00 average on work taken at this university, as well as a 2.00 average on the entire college record.
• Teacher Education Program only: Minimum grade point average of 2.50, cumulative and LSU; passage of all state-required sections of the PRAXIS II Series; minimum grade of “C” in coursework as specified by the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.
• The last 30 semester hours of the degree program must be taken in residence in the College of Agriculture. Independent and Distance Learning courses taken in the last 30 hours will not be considered residence credit without prior approval of the department head concerned and the dean of the college.
• Graduation check-out must be completed and approved by the Dean’s Office during the semester prior to graduation.

Enrollment in Two Degree Programs

With the dean’s approval, a student may be enrolled in two degree programs concurrently. A student can enroll as a dual registrant using one of the following procedures:

• Dual Enrollment within the College of Agriculture−By completing residence and academic requirements for two degree programs, a student may earn one bachelor of science degree with two majors. By completing residence and academic requirements and earning 30 hours over the degree requiring the fewer number of hours, a student may earn two separate bachelor’s degrees.
• Dual Enrollment in the College of Agriculture and a Second Academic College−By completing residence and academic requirements for two degree programs and earning 30 hours more than the degree requiring the fewer number of hours, a student may earn two bachelor’s degrees. The student must be accepted for admission to both colleges and must adhere to the regulations of both colleges. In addition, the student must declare a home college where registration will be initiated and permanent files maintained. It is the student’s responsibility, however, to maintain contact with the second college to ensure that satisfactory progress is being made toward that degree.

Scholastic Requirements

In addition to university requirements, the College of Agriculture has additional scholastic requirements:

• Students must complete at least one general education English composition course and one general education analytical reasoning course with a “C” or better within the first 30 hours of study.
• Students who fail to earn a 2.00 average in each of two consecutive regular semesters and whose LSU or cumulative grade point average is below a 2.00 will be declared ineligible to continue in the College of Agriculture for one regular semester.
• Seniors who have completed the first semester of the senior year, are degree candidates, and are under scholastic suspension from the university may be placed on probation for one additional semester at the discretion of the dean of the College of Agriculture.

Readmission to the College

Students who have completed terms of scholastic suspension from the university may apply for readmission through the Office of Enrollment Management. They may be readmitted only with the approval of the head of the appropriate department/school and the dean of the College of Agriculture. Readmission is not guaranteed.

Distance Program Courses

Up to one-fourth of the number of hours required for the baccalaureate degree may be taken through distance program courses. Before scheduling such work, however, students should obtain approval from the dean of the college.

Graduate Programs

Through the Graduate School, the college offers master’s and doctoral degrees in the fields of agricultural economics, animal and dairy sciences, entomology, food science, human ecology, plant, environmental management, and soil sciences, plant health, and renewable natural resources. In addition, a master’s degree is offered in applied statistics. For further details, consult “The Graduate School ” section of this catalog.

Louisiana Consortium of Public Agricultural Colleges (LCPAC)

Louisiana State University is a member of the Louisiana Consortium of Public Agricultural Colleges (LCPAC). The consortium has developed a 60-hour, two-year core curriculum to facilitate the transfer of agricultural students among Louisiana public colleges and universities. The articulation policy for the LSU College of Agriculture is shown below.

Click here  to view the LSU Course Equivalencies for the LCPAC Core.

Minor Field Requirements (Optional)

Students in the College of Agriculture are not required to pursue a minor. They may choose to do so by the guidelines outlined below:

• A minor is the student’s field of secondary academic emphasis. A minor consists of a minimum of 18 hours of related coursework designed to provide breadth and depth in a student’s undergraduate program
• At least nine hours must be taken at the 3000- and/or 4000-level on this campus
• A minimum GPA of 2.00 is required in the minor field on all work taken in the LSU System and on all work taken
• Minors inside the College of Agriculture must be initiated by the department or school administering the majority of the courses constituting the minor. When submitting a minor for approval, the department or school should specify whether its students may elect that minor. All minors must be approved by the college committee on courses and curricula
• Students may not minor and major in the same degree program.

The degree program of a student outside the College of Business may not consist of more than 30 hours of degree credit earned in courses offered by the College of Business.

Minor in Agriculture

The College of Agriculture also offers a minor in Agriculture. To graduate with a minor in agriculture: Choose nine hours from the following: AGEC 2003 ; AGRI 1005 ; AGRO 1001 ; ANSC 1011  or ANSC 1049 ; EMS 1011 ; ENTM 2001 ; NFS 1049 ; HORT 2050 ; AEEE 2001 ; NFS 1110 ; TAM 2045 ; RNR 1001 .
Choose nine hours from any course (3000/4000-level) within the College of Agriculture.

For a list of all other minors within the College of Agriculture, please see the individual departmental links above.

Pre-Veterinary Medicine

The pre-veterinary program involves three or more years of training−at least 66 semester hours−prior to application to the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine. Students interested in attending veterinary school can pursue a degree program in one of two areas listed below and enter the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine after completion of the first three years of the chosen curriculum. The pre-veterinary program will allow you to pursue an undergraduate degree in either of the following areas: animal, dairy, and poultry sciences or natural resource ecology and management. After successful completion of the first year of work at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, you will be awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in your chosen undergraduate field of study. You will then complete the remainder of the professional curriculum in veterinary science required for a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine.

Pre-Medicine and Pre-Dental

The College of Agriculture at LSU provides unique opportunities that prepare students to enter careers in medicine, dentistry, and allied health fields. Programs within the School of Animal Sciences and the School of Nutrition and Food Sciences offer appealing options for students; however, students in the college’s departments and schools can fulfill pre-medical or pre-dental course requirements while pursuing a major in an area that matches their own career interest. The College of Agriculture not only provides students with an exceptional academic basis for professional careers in medicine or dentistry, but also enhances their education with communication, leadership skills, and opportunities in community service and research. Alumni of these programs have been accepted at prestigious medical schools such as Columbia, Emory, Johns Hopkins, and the LSU Health Sciences Centers in New Orleans and Shreveport.

Gamma Sigma Delta

Gamma Sigma Delta is an honor society that promotes the advancement of all disciplines associated with agriculture and their contributions to mankind. We encourage high standards of scholarship and worthy achievements as well as excellence in practice in all branches of agricultural and related sciences.

Members of the LSU chapter include graduate and undergraduate students, faculty members, and administrators representing research, teaching, and outreach. We represent a diversity of disciplines including textiles, renewable natural resources economics, business, nutrition and food science, human resources, workforce development, veterinary medicine, horticulture, and traditional agricultural animals and crops.

Undergraduate Career Plan

Students are encouraged to enrich their studies and prepare for their careers by using the Four Year Career Plan in addition to their academic course of study.