Because of the field's breadth and diversity, the major is divided for advising and curricular purposes into five undergraduate options. Flexibility in advising permits good students to develop unique programs of study as well. Emphasizing soil properties, taxonomy, origins, and uses the Soil-Environmental option is designed for students who are interested in careers that deal with the use of the soil resources and with its conservation in both agricultural and nonagricultural settings. Graduates work with private and public agencies that deal with soil and water pollution, land use, and environmental cleanup. Students in the Agroecology option concentrate on the biology and increasingly complex technology of food, feed and fiber production.
Graduates typically move into production, sales, consulting, and managerial positions.
Using basic principles of the natural sciences and agricultural technology, Turfgrass Management students have skills that make them highly employable in golf course and athletic field management, lawn maintenance services, and sod production. The Biotechnology option prepares its graduates for opportunities to work in the exciting and rapidly expanding areas of genetic engineering and molecular biology. Students in the International Agriculture option are finding ways to bring population, food production, and resource conservation into balance, especially in developing regions. Employment opportunities with private and public agencies are increasing.