This major, formerly offered as Agronomy, includes options in Turfgrass Science and in Soil Science. The Turfgrass Science option is designed to provide students with basic and applied knowledge related to residential and commercial lawn care, golf course management, sports and athletic field management, parks and institutional grounds, and other areas where grasses are a vital component of the landscape. The program provides students the opportunity to study turfgrass science in conjunction with general landscape design and maintenance, horticulture, pest management, soil science, and business management. 

Soil science addresses the needs of crop production as well as the role of soils in ecological processes. Soils play a very important role in the quality of life. Soils are an essential component in all natural cycles. Soils also buffer many processes induced by human activities, such as the mobility of pollutants. Because soils are a slowly renewable natural resource, it is important that our use of soils does not irreversibly alter their value for other purposes. The soil science option provides students the opportunity to study fundamental biological, chemical and physical properties of soils.

Turfgrass and Soil Science (Agronomy) majors must pass (in addition to the general requirements for all Plant Science majors) the following courses:

BIOL 1110   Botany
CHEM 1122 Chemical Principles and Applications   or,
        1124Q  Fundamentals of General Chemistry I  or,
        1127Q  General Chemistry

PLSC 1000  Orientation to Plant Science and Landscape Architecture

PLSC 4210  Plant Physiology: How Plants Work

PLSC 4215  Plant Physiology Investigations

SOIL 2120   Soils

SOIL 2125   Soils Lab

In addition, students must earn a minimum of nine additional credits in courses from the departments of Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Geology and Geophysics, Mathematics, Physics or Statistics.

For the Turfgrass option, students must pass:

TURF 1100  Turfgrass Management

TURF 3800  Turfgrass Pests and Control

TURF 3200/3200W Turfgrass Physiology and Ecology

SOIL  3520  Urban and Sports Turf Soils

SOIL  3620  Soil Fertility

PLSC 3990  Field Study Internship

6 credits from: PLSC    3810,  3840,  3820,  3830

6 credits from: HORT 3410,  3420,  2430,  3640,  3660/3660W,  2750,   3650,   3760

Turfgrass and Soil Science majors must pass TURF  3200W or HORT  3660W or LAND  3230W to fulfill their requirement for writing in the major.  Students successfully completing these courses will have met their general education exit requirements for information literacy. Computer technology competency will be met by University entrance expectations.