Admission requirements for the associate degree are the same as for the baccalaureate degree. The Associate in Science offers an extremely flexible curriculum. The student must complete a minimum of 62 credit hours, with at least 30 of the credits earned within at least four of the five departments in the college. A minimum of 32 credits for the degree must be earned at the University of Delaware. A candidate must apply for the associate degree during the academic term in which all requirements for the degree are to be completed and must, at the time of application, be enrolled in the college.
Later application requires the approval of the student's dean.
Although not necessarily recommended, a student could take all 62 credits in agricultural courses. A better approach would be for the student to take some course work in the areas of physical science, social science, English, and mathematics, along with his or her courses in agriculture. This approach would allow the student to more easily complete a B.S. degree program at a later date if desired. This option would require careful planning, since 30 credits of agricultural courses would be needed in the second year at the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources in Newark. The college manages an M.S. degree program cooperatively with Longwood Gardens in the area of Public Horticulture .