Crop Sciences, BS-MS
for the degrees of Bachelor of Science and Master of Science, Major in Crop Sciences
The five-year joint B.S.-M.S. program in Crop Sciences combines a B.S. in Crop Sciences with a non-thesis M.S. in Crop Sciences. Current University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign undergraduate students enrolled in the Department of Crop Sciences who have completed between 60 and 96 credit hours, maintain superior academic performance are eligible to apply for this program. Students admitted to the program will receive both degrees once all requirements for the B.S.-M.S. program are completed.
for the degrees of Bachelor of Science and Master of Science, Major in Crop Sciences
Graduation Requirements
Minimum hours required for Bachelor's degree only graduation: 126 hours.
Minimum hours required for the Bachelor's + Master's degree in Crop Sciences: 146 hours.
ACES prescribed and elective courses: 35 hours, of which 20 hours must be completed in residence.
University Requirements
Minimum of 40 hours of upper-division coursework, generally at the 300 and 400 level. These hours can be drawn from all elements of the degree. Students should consult their academic advisor for additional guidance in fulfilling this requirement.
The university and residency requirements can be found in the Student Code (§ 3-801) and in the Academic Catalog.
General Education Requirements
Follows the campus General Education (Gen Ed) requirements. Some Gen Ed requirements may be met by courses required and/or electives in the program.
For the Crop Sciences, B.S.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Composition I | 4-6 | |
| Advanced Composition | 3 | |
| Humanities & the Arts (6 hours) | 6 | |
| Natural Sciences & Technology (6 hours) | 6 | |
| Social & Behavioral Sciences (6 hours) | 6 | |
| Cultural Studies: Non-Western Cultures (1 course) | 3 | |
| Cultural Studies: US Minority Cultures (1 course) | 3 | |
| Cultural Studies: Western/Comparative Cultures (1 course) | 3 | |
| Quantitative Reasoning (2 courses, at least one course must be Quantitative Reasoning I) | 6-8 | |
| Language Requirement (Completion of the third semester or equivalent of a language other than English is required) | 0-15 | |
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Department Foundation | ||
| Communication Option: | 3 or 6 | |
| Public Speaking | ||
| Let’s Talk about Food, Agriculture, and the Environment | ||
| Oral & Written Comm I and Oral & Written Comm II | ||
| ACES 101 | Contemporary Issues in ACES | 2 |
| ECON 102 | Microeconomic Principles | 3 or 4 |
| or ACE 100 | Introduction to Applied Microeconomics | |
| Calculus Option - Select one of the following: | 4-5 | |
| Calculus | ||
| Calculus I | ||
| Calculus for Business I | ||
| CPSC 241 | Intro to Applied Statistics | 3 |
| CHEM 102 & CHEM 103 | General Chemistry I and General Chemistry Lab I | 4 |
| Major Core | ||
| CPSC 102 | Foundational Skills in Crop Sciences | 2 |
| CPSC 112 | Introduction to Crop Sciences | 4 |
| CPSC 212 | Introduction to Plant Protection | 4 |
| Internship or Research Option - Choose 3 hours from the following: | 3 | |
| Crop Sciences Internship | ||
| Undergrad Research or Thesis | ||
| Horticulture Internship | ||
| Undergrad Research or Thesis | ||
| CPSC 498 | Crop Sci Professional Develpmt | 1 |
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Concentration Core | ||
| Concentration prescribed courses. See specific requirements for the concentration listed below. | ||
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Total Hours for B.S. | 126 | |
12 hours of graduate-level concentration electives in the B.S. requirements will overlap with 12 hours of electives required for the M.S. requirements.
For the Crop Sciences, M.S. Non-Thesis Option
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| CPSC 594 | Professional Orientation CPSC | 1 |
| CPSC 598 | Seminar (required each semester) | 4 |
| Electives including at least 4 hours of graded coursework at the 500 level other than CPSC 599 (elective courses are chosen in consultation with faculty advisor) | 27 | |
| Total Hours for M.S. | 32 | |
Other Requirements
| Requirement |
|---|
| Other requirements and conditions may overlap |
| Minimum 500-level Hours Required overall: 12 |
| Minimum GPA: 3.0 |
| Twelve (12) hours of graduate level concentration electives in the BS requirements will overlap with 12 hours of electives required for the MS requirements. |
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Total Hours for Joint Program | 146 | |
for the degrees of Bachelor of Science and Master of Science, Major in Crop Sciences
Sample Sequence
This sample sequence is intended to be used only as a guide for degree completion. All students should work individually with their academic advisors to decide the actual course selection and sequence that works best for them based on their academic preparation and goals. Enrichment programming such as study abroad, minors, internships, and so on may impact the structure of this four-year plan. Course availability is not guaranteed during the semester indicated in the sample sequence.
Students must fulfill their Language Other Than English requirement by successfully completing a third level of a language other than English. For more information, see the corresponding section on the Degree and General Education Requirements page.
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
| CPSC 102 | 2 | CPSC 212 | 4 |
| CPSC 112 | 4 | Calculus Option | 4 |
| CHEM 102 | 3 | Concentration course | 4 |
| CHEM 103 | 1 | Communication Option or Composition I | 4 |
| Composition I or Communication Option | 3 | ||
| ACES 101 | 2 | ||
| 15 | 16 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
| ECON 102 or ACE 100 | 3 | CPSC 241 | 3 |
| Concentration course | 3 | Concentration course | 3 |
| Concentration course | 3 | Concentration course | 3 |
| Concentration course | 3 | General Education course | 3 |
| Language Other than English (3rd level) | 4 | General Education course | 3 |
| 16 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
| Internship or Research Option | 3 | Concentration course | 3 |
| Concentration course | 3 | General Education course | 3 |
| Concentration course | 4 | General Education course | 3 |
| General Education course | 3 | Free Elective course | 4 |
| General Education course | 3 | Free Elective course | 3 |
| 16 | 16 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
| CPSC 498 | 1 | Concentration course | 3 |
| Concentration course | 4 | Concentration course | 3 |
| General Education course | 3 | Free Elective course | 3 |
| Free Elective course | 4 | Free Elective course | 3 |
| Free Elective course | 3 | Free Elective course | 3 |
| CPSC 598 | 1 | CPSC 598 | 1 |
| 16 | 16 | ||
| Fifth Year | |||
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
| CPSC 594 | 1 | CPSC 598 | 1 |
| CPSC 598 | 1 | Elective course for MS degree | 3 |
| 500-level Elective Course for MS Degree | 4 | Elective course for MS degree | 4 |
| Elective course for MS degree | 4 | ||
| Free Elective course | 2 | ||
| 12 | 8 | ||
| Total Hours 146 | |||
for the degrees of Bachelor of Science and Master of Science, Major in Crop Sciences
CPSC, B.S.
Students graduating with a B.S. in Crop Sciences should be able to:
- Demonstrate knowledge in the key subject matter areas of applied plant biology; crop growth and development; crop management and protection; and soil science.
- Demonstrate an ability to identify a problem and develop solutions using quantitative reasoning skills for the analysis of biological data.
- Demonstrate oral and written communication skills necessary to listen and make effective arguments, to share applied scientific concepts with the public, and to make use of a broad variety of media.
- Demonstrate an ability to lead and function in multidisciplinary teams.
- Demonstrate the ability to perform self-guided discovery in agricultural sciences, practicing skills of engagement to enhance intellectual curiosity.
CPSC, M.S. (Non-Thesis)
- Students will be able to read, understand, knowledgeably discuss, and summarize in writing the primary scientific literature of one or more disciplinary areas (bioinformatics and statistics, crop genetic improvement, crop production, plant protection, sustainable food systems, and water quality and environmental systems).
- Students will acquire professional scientific writing and communication skills.
- Students will develop the capacity to communicate and collaborate across interdisciplinary boundaries.
- Students will develop the interpersonal skills to be competitive for career opportunities in plant sciences and agriculture.
for the degrees of Bachelor of Science and Master of Science, Major in Crop Sciences
Crop Sciences
Crop Sciences website
AW-101 Turner Hall
MC-046
1102 S. Goodwin Ave.
Urbana, IL 61801
(217) 333-3420
cropsciences@illinois.edu
College of Agricultural, Consumer & Environmental Sciences
College of Agricultural, Consumer & Environmental Sciences website
ACES Office of Academic Programs
128 Mumford Hall
1301 West Gregory Drive
Urbana, IL 61801
(217) 333-3380
aces-academics@illinois.edu
Advising
Advising website
Undergraduate Advising email: ugrad@cropsciences.illinois.edu
Graduate Advising email: grad@cropsciences.illinois.edu
Admissions
ACES Undergraduate Admissions
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Undergrad Admissions
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Graduate Admissions
(217) 333-3380
visitACES@illinois.edu