Academic Advising in the College of Agriculture
Welcome to the College of Agriculture!
First watch two videos welcoming you to the College of Agriculture and introducing you to its engagement opportunities. Then click on your declared major to expand a section of important videos and information. After you have watched the videos, read the content, and most importantly, feel confident that you understand all of the information, you may return to your Orientation/Class Registration pathway in CatsConnect to proceed with scheduling an appointment with your Academic Advisor.
Please note:
- Only expand the appropriate sections for your major. Expanding extra sections may be confusing.
- You only need to read the information and watch the videos for your own declared major.
Welcome to the College of Agriculture!
Engagement Opportunities in the College of Agriculture
Select Your Declared Major
Major Overview
Agribusiness is a dynamic industry with a high degree of global and technological sophistication. The agribusiness sector includes companies that are on the cutting edge in the use of biotechnology, strategy, information systems, risk management, logistics and international trade. The study of agricultural business involves the application of business and economic principles to farming and ranching and related sectors of the general economy. Training in agricultural business includes courses in agricultural firm management, marketing farm products, farm credit and finance, agricultural prices and outlook, agricultural policy, management science, agricultural law, technical agriculture and the business aspects of industries serving agriculture. Surveys indicate that employers seek out graduates with expertise in communication, critical thinking, business management and quantitative analyses. Our program specifically develops each of these skills.
Many employment possibilities are open to students with training in agricultural business. Positions are available with businesses which process and market agricultural products, and with the large number of businesses that sell products and services to farmers and ranchers, such as fertilizer companies, farm machinery companies, banks, and farm credit institutions. Also, opportunities exist to operate and manage farms and ranches. In addition, federal and state governments employ persons with training in agricultural business. Many of our graduates work for regional, national, and even international agribusiness firms that market, process, and transport agricultural products. Other graduates work for companies that service agriculture by supplying inputs to producers. Agricultural credit institutions employ many of our graduates. Some of our graduates continue their education by pursuing graduate degrees or attending law school.
Welcome to the College of Agricultural Economics and Economics!
Major Overview
Agricultural Education majors may choose from two options: 1) Teaching Option or 2) Communications, Leadership, and Extension Option. Agricultural Education graduates are employed by high schools, area vocational schools, community colleges, the public agriculture sector, Extension Service, Natural Resource Conservation Service, and other federal, state, and government agencies.
The Agricultural Education curricula are designed to provide professional preparation for extension agents, middle school and secondary agricultural education teachers and service providers in agricultural areas where content knowledge, pedagogical and andragogical skills, and experience in public communication are desirable attributes. Our graduates are prepared for a wide variety of jobs because they have a broad base of scientific knowledge combined with excellent people skills.
Students enrolled in Agricultural Education options gain leadership experience through active participation in Collegiate 4-H, Collegiate FFA, MSU Agricultural Education Club and other College of Agriculture student clubs and organizations.
Welcome to the Department of Agricultural & Technology Education!
Major Overview
The animal science curricula are administered by the Department of Animal and Range Sciences. The curricula in animal science provide students with a firm foundation in the biological and natural sciences, animal breeding, reproductive physiology, nutrition and livestock production and management. Applications to production environments of the western United States are emphasized, including the close relationships among livestock, rangeland and natural resources. Three options are offered leading to a B.S. in Animal Science. Proper use of restricted electives allows students to tailor curricula to meet their individual needs.
Welcome to the Department of Animal & Range Science!
Major Overview
Modern research in cellular and molecular biology and its resultant technology offers unparalleled opportunities to provide solutions to our society's most urgent problems in human and animal health, agriculture, and environmental quality. The emerging biotechnology industries are involved in developing products to maintain biodiversity, restore soil and water quality, develop new pharmaceuticals to combat disease, decrease our dependence on nonrenewable resources, and improve food and fiber production. Students interested in microbiology, animal or plant science, biochemistry, and animal or human medicine will find challenging careers in the diverse areas of biotechnology in either an academic or industrial setting. Students successfully completing a biotechnology curriculum will also be prepared to enter graduate or medical professional schools for further study.
Welcome to the Department of Microbiology & Cell Biology!
Welcome to the Department of Plant Sciences & Plant Pathology!
Major Overview
The mission of Cell Biology and Neuroscience is to train students in a wide range of biological areas, with special emphasis on cell biology, neurobiology, developmental biology, physiology, anatomy and biophysics. Together, faculty and students in Cell Biology and Neuroscience study biological processes that span the continuum from single cells to the entire human body. The Department of Microbiology and Immunology offers a B.S. in Cell Biology and Neuroscience with options in Biomedical Sciences and Cell Biology and Neuroscience.
Welcome to the Department of Microbiology & Cell Biology!
Major Overview
The curriculum in Environmental Horticulture is administered by the Department of Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology.
Faculty members who advise students and teach courses are also active researchers in their disciplines. Students learn current knowledge and technology through formal coursework and gain valuable first-hand experience in departmental laboratories, greenhouses, and at field research farms. Students are encouraged to seek additional learning experiences outside the classroom by working in summer jobs and internship with private industry and government agencies.
Each student works closely with a faculty advisor to formulate a program of study which is appropriate with the student's career goals and also fits into one of the following options.
Welcome to the Department of Plant Sciences & Plant Pathology!
Major Overview
The curriculum in Environmental Horticulture is administered by the Department of Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology.
Faculty members who advise students and teach courses are also active researchers in their disciplines. Students learn current knowledge and technology through formal coursework and gain valuable first-hand experience in departmental laboratories, greenhouses, and at field research farms. Students are encouraged to seek additional learning experiences outside the classroom by working in summer jobs and internship with private industry and government agencies.
Each student works closely with a faculty advisor to formulate a program of study which is appropriate with the student's career goals and also fits into one of the following options.
Welcome to the Department of Plant Sciences & Plant Pathology!
Major Overview
Effective management of land and water resources requires a solid fundamental understanding of the processes and relationships in land and natural resources systems, combined with applications of environmental science and applied ecology. The Environmental Sciences curriculum is designed to provide this classroom, laboratory, and field training. Graduates of this degree program will:
- possess a broad knowledge of biological, physical, and chemical processes important across landscapes;
- receive training in applied ecology, soil and water science, and land resources analysis;
- be capable of critical analysis of land resource problems; and
- be experienced with teamwork required to develop and implement effective land management strategies. They will be the scientists most capable of making significant advances and contributions in the 21st century!
Welcome to the Department of Land Resources & Environmental Sciences!
Major Overview
Programs are designed to prepare students for careers in microbiology with emphasis in medical microbiology, immunology, molecular biology, virology, microbial physiology, microbial ecology, microbial genetics, and environmental microbiology. The Microbiology curriculum has three options: Microbiology (with various tracks), Medical Laboratory Science and Environmental Health. There is also a Biotechnology curriculum with options in Animal Systems and Microbial Systems option. Some courses in these options require additional course fees.
Welcome to the Department of Microbiology & Cell Biology!
Major Overview
Students who complete the requirements for a B.S. degree in Natural Resources and Rangeland Ecology in the Department of Animal and Range Sciences will be eligible for a variety of natural resource jobs with state and federal agencies or private industries or will be eligible to pursue a Master of Science degree. The two options available within this degree offer students an opportunity to study the interaction of livestock and wildlife and their rangeland habitats. Emphasis is placed on soil, water and vegetation attributes which influence habitat ecology and management for livestock and wildlife. The curriculum in both these options has been designed to allow students to score at the highest level for employment with federal agencies. We are professionally accredited by the Society for Range Management.
Welcome to Department of Animal & Range Sciences!
Major Overview
Plant Science involves a thorough background in the liberal arts and a comprehensive understanding of the scientific principles underlying plant sciences. Plant systems are the fundamental basis for life on earth and are also a major contributor to the economy. Modern plant science encompasses many areas, impacting such diverse interests as agriculture, biotechnology, and recreational land management.
Faculty members who advise students and teach courses are also active researchers in their respective disciplines. Students learn current knowledge and technology through formal course work and gain valuable first-hand experience in departmental laboratories, greenhouses, and field research farms. Students are encouraged to gain additional learning experiences outside the classroom by working as research assistants in faculty programs, summer jobs, and internships with private industry and government agencies.
Each student works closely with a faculty advisor to formulate a program of study that is appropriate with the student's career goals and also fits into either the Crop Science or Plant Biology options.
Welcome to the Department of Plant Sciences & Plant Pathology!
Major Overview
MSU offers pre-veterinary coursework and advising for students interested in pursuing admission into any school or college of veterinary medicine. MSU's pre-veterinary curriculum is not a major from which students will graduate, and ‘pre-vet’ is not a degree-granting option on the MSU campus. Rather, it is an advising program and a series of required undergraduate classes that prepare students for admission into schools of veterinary medicine. The Pre-Veterinary Intake major is supported through the College of Agriculture, and we offer several resources to students who are interested in attending a veterinary medical program after their MSU baccalaureate careers. MSU’s College of Agriculture and College of Letters and Science have pre-vet advisors available who work with students as they prepare to apply for admission to schools of veterinary medicine.
The State of Montana does not have a college of veterinary medicine. However, Montana State University participates in the WIMU Regional Program in Veterinary Medicine, a cooperative program offered through Washington State University's College of Veterinary Medicine. The program's first year of study is on the MSU campus, with the next three years of study housed in Pullman, on the Washington State University campus. Montana currently supports ten students through this program. Montana residents may also compete for admission to veterinary school through a contract agreement with WICHE (Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education). Information on the current status of this program in Montana may be obtained by contacting the Commissioner for Higher Education Office in Helena, MT.
Major Overview
Montana State University has created the preeminent Ranch Management Program in the Northern Great Plains and Intermountain West. The program prepares outstanding graduates with the diverse set of skills needed to meet a variety of challenges facing the ranching industry today. Our program is based on a systems-level approach that integrates course work and experiential/hands-on learning in animal production, natural resource management, economics and business, as well as, applied skills such as communication, lifelong learning and critical thinking in a student-centered curriculum.
Welcome to the Department of Animal & Range Sciences!
If you have declared Sustainable Food & Bioenergy Systems with an option other than Agroecology, please use the College of Education, Health & Human Development advising webpage instead.
Major Overview
The Sustainable Food and Bioenergy Systems (SFBS) program offers an interdisciplinary, hands-on curriculum focused on the ecological, cultural, economic, and health aspects of food and bioenergy systems from production through consumption. The degree plan is intended to prepare and motivate students as agents of change to address society’s most pressing food and system related issues towards sustained environmental and human well-being. Students of the program are provided with broad interdisciplinary training founded on a core SFBS curriculum while gaining disciplinary training by selecting one of four program options housed in either the College of Agriculture, or the College of Education, Health and Human Development: (1) Sustainable Food Systems, (2) Agroecology, (3) Sustainable Crop Production and, (4) Sustainable Livestock Production. The SFBS program seeks to enhance students’ practical and critical thinking skills to explore food system topics through service-based learning internships, hands-on production, training on research methods, independent and group projects, and community engagement. Students must receive a grade of "C" or higher in all required courses as outlined in the major.
Welcome to the Department of Plant Sciences & Plant Pathology!
Major Overview
The Technology Education Program at MSU is for individuals wishing to teach technology at the middle or high school level or to work within an industry where a broad understanding of technological concepts is important. Technology Education is an integrated discipline designed to develop students' technological literacy. Through the study of past, present, and future technological systems, and their resources, processes, and impacts on society, students will better understand the role of technology in society.
Two Technology Education options are available to allow for diversity in personal interests and career aspirations. The Broadfield Teaching Option is designed for in-depth study of Technology Education. The Industrial Technology Option does not lead to teaching licensure and is tailored for those individuals who are pursuing a career in an industry which requires a broad background in technology.
The Technology Education Program is sequenced into three phases to develop a progression of interrelated information. The foundation phase constitutes the introduction to technology. This introduction forms the base for future study and an understanding of basic technological concepts. The synthesis phase begins the in-depth study of the primary technology education components of communication, construction, manufacturing, and power/energy. During this phase students in the teaching option are involved in professional education coursework, while students in the industrial technology option begin selecting coursework which is tailored to meet specific career goals. The capstone phase of the program is structured to integrate the information and experiences of the preceding phases through applied learning activities. Students in the teaching option student teach at the middle/high school level. Students in the non-teaching option intern in business and industry areas related to their career interests.