B.S. in Plant Sciences, Crop Science Option

Program Learning Outcomes

• Effective communication. ;Students will achieve mastery in written and oral communications. In public settings, students will engage audiences and convey positions in an effective, organized manner. ; Student compositions will convey clear, thoughtful arguments. ;
• Critical Thinking. ; Students will assess situations from a multi-positional awareness. ; They will critically evaluate positions for benefits and costs. ; They will actively identify problems, understand underlying dynamics and evaluate solutions.
• Leading Agricultural Public Discourse. Students will understand the roles local, state, federal and international policies play in agricultural production. ; They will be able to foresee changes in agricultural production through shifts in public opinion and will lead effective change.
• Designing effective cropping systems. Students will master the design of cropping systems to most effectively use system resources. ; They will understand the underlying factors that restrict production potentials and how changes in production practices shift resource use patterns.
• Financially assessing cropping practices. ;Students will master the skills necessary to financially appraise cropping decisions. ; They will identify market forces and market conditions. ; They will appraise accounting spreadsheets to identify potential cost savings and profit gains.
• Addressing production problems. Students will master troubleshooting of agricultural systems. ; They will be able to identify diverse causes. ; They will evaluate potential solutions relative to system benefits and challenges.

A minimum of 120 credits is required for graduation; 42 of these credits must be in courses numbered 300 and above.