Soil Science Minor

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This minor is administered by the Soil and Waste Resources Discipline.

Consists of 22 credits with at least 15 credits of soils courses.

Required

NRES 251 - Introduction to Soil and Water Resources 4 cr.

Take 9 credits from

SOIL 362 - Soil Genesis, Morphology, and Classification 3 cr. *
SOIL 364 - Soil and Plant Analysis 3 cr.
SOIL 365 - Soil Quality Assessment and Soil Survey Interpretation 3 cr.
SOIL 384 - Environmental Microbiology Lecture 3 cr. or
SOIL 484 - Environmental Microbiology 4 cr. or
WSTE 484 - Environmental Microbiology 4 cr.
SOIL 461 - Soil Management for Resource Sustainability 3 cr.
SOIL 465 - Soil Physics 3 cr.

Note

Forestry majors may substitute SOIL 361 for one of these courses.

Select the remaining credits from

FOR 332 - Forest Ecosystem Ecology 3 cr.
FOR 435 - Nursery Operations and Management 3 cr.
GEOG 312 - Geomorphology 3 cr. or
GEOL 312 - Geomorphology 3 cr.
GEOG 341 - Geographic Information Systems I 3 cr.
GEOL 370 - Glacial Geology 3 cr.
GEOL 383 - Hydrogeology 3 cr. or
WATR 383 - Hydrogeology 3 cr.
GEOL 487 - Groundwater Geochemistry 3 cr. or
WATR 487 - Groundwater Geochemistry 3 cr.
NRES 336 - Integrated Pest Management Workshop 1 cr.
NRES 373 - Agronomy, Agriculture and Environment 3 cr. **
NRES 484 - Natural Resources Planning 3 cr.
SOIL 359 - Soil Conservation and Watershed Inventory Techniques 1 cr.
SOIL 360 - Field Experience in Soil Inventory Methods 1 cr.
SOIL 361 - Forest Soils 3 cr.
SOIL 362 - Soil Genesis, Morphology, and Classification 3 cr.
SOIL 363 - Soil Profile Description Writing 1 cr.
SOIL 364 - Soil and Plant Analysis 3 cr.
SOIL 365 - Soil Quality Assessment and Soil Survey Interpretation 3 cr.
SOIL 366 - Wetland Soils and Wetland Delineation 2 cr. or
WATR 366 - Wetland Soils and Wetland Delineation 2 cr.
SOIL 368 - Urban Soils 2 cr.
SOIL 384 - Environmental Microbiology Lecture 3 cr. or
SOIL 484 - Environmental Microbiology 4 cr. or
WSTE 484 - Environmental Microbiology 4 cr.
SOIL 461 - Soil Management for Resource Sustainability 3 cr.
SOIL 462 - Environmental Biogeochemistry 3 cr. or
WATR 462 - Environmental Biogeochemistry 3 cr.
SOIL 465 - Soil Physics 3 cr.
SOIL 479 - Environmental Fate of Organic Chemicals 3 cr. or
WSTE 479 - Environmental Fate of Organic Chemicals 3 cr.
SOIL 482 - Nutrient Management: Land Application and Planning 3 cr. or
WSTE 482 - Nutrient Management: Land Application and Planning 3 cr.
SOIL 486 - Composting 1 cr. or
WSTE 486 - Composting 1 cr.
WATR 360 - Wetlands Ecology and Management 3 cr. or
WLDL 360 - Wetlands Ecology and Management 3 cr.
WATR 493 - Advanced Hydrologic Analysis 3 cr.
WLDL 451 - Management of Wildlife Habitat 4 cr.
WSTE 380 - Solid Waste Management 3 cr.
WSTE 476 - Hazardous Waste Management 3 cr.
Other courses need Associate Dean approval

Note

* SOIL 362 is necessary for students applying for soil scientist positions with federal agencies.

**NRES 373 has satisfied the crop science requirement for a soil conservationist position with the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

The soil science minor satisfies the minimum civil service requirements for soil scientist positions (classification and mapping) in federal agencies such as the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Forest Service.

Whether you are a major or minor, check with a soils adviser to determine the minimum core course requirements you need for certification as a professional and/or to take state or national exams or to obtain licenses.