Crop improvement, whether through breeding or genetic engineering, is one of the most important drivers of agricultural innovation. Students with a major in Soil and Crop Sciences in the Plant Biotechnology Concentration gain a firm foundation in fundamental principles of genetics and crop breeding and explore new and rapidly evolving technologies that enable us to develop crop varieties that are more nutritious, resilient to climate change, and disease resistant.
Career opportunities are available in both the public and private sectors, including basic research, plant breeding, product development, and sales.
Effective Fall 2023
| Freshman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| AUCC | Credits | ||
| AGRI 100 | Contemporary Agricultural Systems | 1 | |
| BZ 120 | Principles of Plant Biology (GT-SC1) | 3A | 4 |
| CHEM 111 | General Chemistry I (GT-SC2) | 3A | 4 |
| CHEM 112 | General Chemistry Lab I (GT-SC1) | 3A | 1 |
| CHEM 113 | General Chemistry II | 3 | |
| CHEM 114 | General Chemistry Lab II | 1 | |
| CO 150 | College Composition (GT-CO2) | 1A | 3 |
| LIFE 102 | Attributes of Living Systems (GT-SC1) | 3A | 4 |
| LIFE 103 | Biology of Organisms-Animals and Plants (GT-SC1) | 3A | 4 |
| MATH 117 | College Algebra in Context I (GT-MA1) | 1B | 1 |
| MATH 118 | College Algebra in Context II (GT-MA1) | 1B | 1 |
| MATH 124 | Logarithmic and Exponential Functions (GT-MA1) | 1B | 1 |
| SOCR 100 | General Crops | 4 | |
| SOCR 193 | Pathways to Success | 1 | |
| Total Credits | 33 | ||
| Sophomore | |||
| AREC 202 | Agricultural and Resource Economics (GT-SS1) | 3C | 3 |
| CHEM 245 | Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry | 4 | |
| CHEM 246 | Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry Laboratory | 1 | |
| MATH 125 | Numerical Trigonometry (GT-MA1) | 1B | 1 |
| SOCR 171/HORT 171 | Environmental Issues in Agriculture (GT-SS3) | 1C | 3 |
| SOCR 210 | Microbiome Roles in a Sustainable Earth (GT-SC2) | 3A | 3 |
| SOCR 221 | Cropping Systems Field Experience | 1 | |
| SOCR 240 | Introductory Soil Science | 4 | |
| Select one course from the following: | 3 | ||
| Plants and Civilizations (GT-SS3) | 1C | ||
| World Interdependence-Population and Food (GT-SS3) | 1C | ||
| Select one course from the following: | 2-3 | ||
| Food and Nutrition in Health | |||
| Survey of Human Nutrition | |||
| Advanced Writing | 2 | 3 | |
| Arts and Humanities | 3B | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 31-32 | ||
| Junior | |||
| AGED 210 | History of Agriculture in the United States | 3D | 3 |
| BC 351 | Principles of Biochemistry | 4 | |
| BZ 310 | Cell Biology | 4 | |
| SOCR 330 | Principles of Genetics | 3 | |
| Select two groups from the following: | 6-7 | ||
| Group A: | |||
| Applied and General Entomology | |||
| Entomology Laboratory: General Entomology Laboratory: Horticultural | |||
| Group B: | |||
| Ecology and Management of Weeds | |||
| Group C: | |||
| Elements of Plant Pathology | |||
| Select one course from the following: | 3-4 | ||
| Molecular Plant-Microbe Interaction | |||
| Developmental Plant Anatomy | |||
| Global Agriculture and Environmental Change | |||
| Environmental Plant Stress Physiology | |||
| Select one course from the following: | 3 | ||
| Introduction to Applied Statistical Methods | |||
| Introduction to Biostatistics | |||
| Upper Division Electives | 3 | ||
| Total Credits | 29-31 | ||
| Senior | |||
| BZ 360 | Bioinformatics and Genomics | 4 | |
| BZ 440 | Plant Physiology | 3 | |
| BZ 441 | Plant Physiology Laboratory | 2 | |
| SOCR 335 | Applied Plant Genetics | 3 | |
| SOCR 460/HORT 460 | Plant Breeding and Biotechnology | 4A,4B,4C | 3 |
| SOCR 486 | Practicum | 4C | 1 |
| SOCR 492 | Preparing for Impact--Your Career Journey | 4A,4C | 1 |
| Arts and Humanities | 3B | 3 | |
| Upper Division Electives1 | 5-8 | ||
| Total Credits | 25-28 | ||
| Program Total Credits: | 120 | ||
- 1
Select enough elective credits to bring the program total to a minimum of 120 credits, of which at least 42 must be upper-division (300- to 400-level).
| Freshman | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semester 1 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| AGRI 100 | Contemporary Agricultural Systems | 1 | |||
| CHEM 111 | General Chemistry I (GT-SC2) | X | 3A | 4 | |
| CHEM 112 | General Chemistry Lab I (GT-SC1) | X | 3A | 1 | |
| LIFE 102 | Attributes of Living Systems (GT-SC1) | X | 3A | 4 | |
| MATH 117 | College Algebra in Context I (GT-MA1) | 1B | 1 | ||
| MATH 118 | College Algebra in Context II (GT-MA1) | 1B | 1 | ||
| SOCR 100 | General Crops | X | 4 | ||
| Total Credits | 16 | ||||
| Semester 2 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| BZ 120 | Principles of Plant Biology (GT-SC1) | X | 3A | 4 | |
| CHEM 113 | General Chemistry II | X | 3 | ||
| CHEM 114 | General Chemistry Lab II | X | 1 | ||
| CO 150 | College Composition (GT-CO2) | X | 1A | 3 | |
| LIFE 103 | Biology of Organisms-Animals and Plants (GT-SC1) | X | 3A | 4 | |
| MATH 124 | Logarithmic and Exponential Functions (GT-MA1) | 1B | 1 | ||
| SOCR 193 | Pathways to Success | X | 1 | ||
| AUCC 1B (Quantitative Reasoning) must be completed by the end of Semester 2. | X | ||||
| Total Credits | 17 | ||||
| Sophomore | |||||
| Semester 3 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| CHEM 245 | Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry | X | 4 | ||
| CHEM 246 | Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry Laboratory | X | 1 | ||
| MATH 125 | Numerical Trigonometry (GT-MA1) | 1B | 1 | ||
| SOCR 171/HORT 171 | Environmental Issues in Agriculture (GT-SS3) | X | 1C | 3 | |
| SOCR 221 | Cropping Systems Field Experience | X | 1 | ||
| SOCR 240 | Introductory Soil Science | X | 4 | ||
| Arts and Humanities | X | 3B | 3 | ||
| LIFE 102 must be completed by the end of Semester 3. | X | ||||
| Total Credits | 17 | ||||
| Semester 4 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| AREC 202 | Agricultural and Resource Economics (GT-SS1) | X | 3C | 3 | |
| SOCR 210 | Microbiome Roles in a Sustainable Earth (GT-SC2) | X | 3A | 3 | |
| Select one course from the following: | X | 3 | |||
| Plants and Civilizations (GT-SS3) | 1C | ||||
| World Interdependence-Population and Food (GT-SS3) | 1C | ||||
| Select one course from the following: | X | 2-3 | |||
| Food and Nutrition in Health | |||||
| Survey of Human Nutrition | |||||
| Advanced Writing | X | 2 | 3 | ||
| CHEM 245 must be completed by the end of Semester 4. | X | ||||
| Total Credits | 14-15 | ||||
| Junior | |||||
| Semester 5 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| BC 351 | Principles of Biochemistry | X | 4 | ||
| Select two groups from the following: | X | 6-7 | |||
| Group A: | |||||
| Applied and General Entomology | |||||
| Entomology Laboratory: General Entomology Laboratory: Horticultural | |||||
| Group B: | |||||
| Ecology and Management of Weeds | |||||
| Group C: | |||||
| Elements of Plant Pathology | |||||
| Upper-Division Elective | X | 3 | |||
| Total Credits | 13-14 | ||||
| Semester 6 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| AGED 210 | History of Agriculture in the United States | 3D | 3 | ||
| BZ 310 | Cell Biology | X | 4 | ||
| SOCR 330 | Principles of Genetics | X | 3 | ||
| Select one course from the following: | X | 3-4 | |||
| Molecular Plant-Microbe Interaction | |||||
| Developmental Plant Anatomy | |||||
| Global Agriculture and Environmental Change | |||||
| Environmental Plant Stress Physiology | |||||
| Select one course from the following: | X | 3 | |||
| Introduction to Applied Statistical Methods | |||||
| Introduction to Biostatistics | |||||
| SOCR 330 must be completed by the end of Semester 6. | X | ||||
| Total Credits | 16-17 | ||||
| Senior | |||||
| Semester 7 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| SOCR 335 | Applied Plant Genetics | X | 3 | ||
| SOCR 492 | Preparing for Impact--Your Career Journey | X | 4A,4C | 1 | |
| Arts and Humanities | X | 3B | 3 | ||
| Upper-Division Electives | X | 5 | |||
| Total Credits | 12 | ||||
| Semester 8 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| BZ 360 | Bioinformatics and Genomics | X | 4 | ||
| BZ 440 | Plant Physiology | X | 3 | ||
| BZ 441 | Plant Physiology Laboratory | X | 2 | ||
| SOCR 460/HORT 460 | Plant Breeding and Biotechnology | X | 4A,4B,4C | 3 | |
| SOCR 486 | Practicum | X | 4C | 1 | |
| Upper-Division Electives | X | 0-3 | |||
| The benchmark courses for the 8th semester are the remaining courses in the entire program of study. | X | ||||
| Total Credits | 13-16 | ||||
| Program Total Credits: | 120 | ||||