College of Agriculture & Life Sciences

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Course Descriptions & Programs of Study

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Mission

The college creates, integrates, and shares knowledge to enhance:

• Life sciences, food, and agricultural systems
• The economic prosperity and life quality of the greater community
• The stewardship and health of land, water, and air for future generations
• Student learning through diverse, hands-on, experiential opportunities

Vision

We address current and emerging issues in agricultural and life sciences by building on the land-grant commitment of developing leaders and creating and sharing knowledge through diverse, hands-on applications.

Values

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences embraces the following core values:

• A commitment to inclusive and diverse communities
• Freedom of inquiry
• Mutual respect
• Lifelong learning
• Ut Prosim (That I May Serve)
• Personal and institutional integrity
• A culture of continuous improvement
• Integrated scholarship across the land-grant missions
• International engagement
• Interdisciplinary collaboration

Undergraduate Programs

In the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, our ambition to help communities thrive is at the center of our identity. We have identified four major strengths of CALS—food, health, economy, and environment—that we will continue to exercise as we seek to help communities thrive. Using these strengths, our work will address many of the grand challenges facing our world, including comprehensive health and wellness, community empowerment, predictive environmental solutions, cultivating lifelong learners, and resilience and efficiency through innovation. There is room for us to excel and grow while focusing on the theme of building thriving communities. By working together, we can all thrive.

The undergraduate program in the college is organized into majors designed for students with widely different interests. These majors permit the student to achieve a satisfactory degree of specialization while providing the fundamentals necessary for continuing professional growth after graduation.

Freshman students may enter the college with the designation LFSC (Exploring Life Sciences). Upon completion of the freshman year, a college major should be selected.

Students who plan to transfer to Virginia Tech and major in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences after two years of community college enrollment are encouraged to complete as many of the Pathways curriculum courses as possible before they transfer.

Undergraduate Majors Offered:

• Agribusiness
• Agricultural Sciences
• Agricultural Technology (associate degree)
• Animal and Poultry Sciences
• Applied Economic Management
• Biochemistry
• Community Economic Development
• Crop and Soil Sciences
• Dairy Science
• Ecological Restoration
• Environmental Economic Management and Policy
• Environmental Horticulture
• Environmental Science
• Food and Health Systems
• Food Science and Technology
• Human Nutrition, Foods and Exercise
• International Trade and Development
• Landscape Design and Turfgrass Science
• Plant Science

Minors Offered:

• Agribusiness Management and Entrepreneurship
• Agricultural and Applied Economics
• Animal and Poultry Sciences
• Civic Agriculture and Food Systems
• Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences
• Dairy Science
• Development and International Trade
• Entomology
• Environmental Economics
• Environmental Science
• Equine Science
• Food Science and Technology
• Global Food Security and Health
• Horticulture
• Integrative Health and Wellness
• International Agricultural and Life Sciences
• International Trade and Development
• Leadership and Social Change
• Plant Health Sciences
• Turfgrass Management
• Viticulture
• Wetland Science

College-wide Minors

The college offers four transdisciplinary and experiential-based minors: Civic Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS), International Agricultural and Life Sciences (IAG), Integrative Health and Wellness (IHW), and Global Food Security and Health (GFSH). The CAFS and GFSH are Pathways minors. A cross-campus team of faculty, staff, students, and community partners collaborate to deliver these minors.

Living-Learning Community (LLC) and Residential College (IRC)

Meraki LLC

Students will be encouraged to put their passion, creativity, and soul into finding themselves through well-being.

ORION LLC

As a community of curious thinkers, we pursue science to serve humanity and the earth that we inhabit.

Leadership and Social Change RC

The mission of the Leadership and Social Change Residential College is to offer students a theoretical foundation combined with the practical knowledge and skills necessary to lead in a complex global environment.

Experiential Learning

Students are encouraged to participate in internship and co-op opportunities to gain relevant work experience prior to graduation. Departmental career advisors can help students identify opportunities. In some cases, students can receive credit for qualifying work experience. Enrichment studies include research field study opportunities, study abroad and summer laboratory experiences outside the university.

Research opportunities and experiencing the excitement of discovery can play an important part in undergraduate training in science. College of Agriculture and Life Sciences departments offer diverse research opportunities in which students may choose to participate. Individuals interested in undergraduate research should contact faculty members in the departments where they wish to conduct research.

The Academic Programs Office in the college, in cooperation with the Global Education Office, offers several avenues for students both in and outside the college to gain international knowledge and experience. These study opportunities allow students and faculty to become aware of and develop basic knowledge of food, fiber, and environmental issues in the world. Specific activities include study abroad programs and courses, international internships, formal student exchange programs, seminars and workshops on campus, and courses in the college, which focus on international topics. All of the departments in the college offer education abroad opportunities and students wishing to explore these opportunities should contact their advisor.

Advising

Students are assigned an advisor for their major during their first semester of enrollment at Virginia Tech. In order to put together a solid plan to finish a degree, advising is critical. Advisors in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences are among the best resources on campus. In fact, they consistently win awards for the quality of advising they provide. Virginia Tech is a big university, but advisors make it seem like a small town where everyone knows everyone else.

Each year over 50% of our graduating students are admitted to a professional school. Pre-health advising (e.g. pre-dentistry, pre-medicine, and pre-veterinary) is coordinated through the Office of Health Professions located in Career and Professional Development.

Career advising is available from a number of sources. The university offers centralized career services and on-campus interviewing. The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences works with employers interested in hiring students with degrees from the college and organizes employer panels and information sessions. The university office of Career and Professional Development offers several job/career fairs throughout the year, which gives students the opportunity to connect with potential employers.

Career and Professional Development also offers each student access to a computerized program to connect students with potential employers. Undergraduate students who are seeking any type of career-related employment, including internships, co-ops, career-related summer employment, and permanent positions are eligible to use this system.

Scholarships

College and departmental scholarships are available for students enrolled in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Applications are accepted through the University's Scholarship Central. Descriptions and deadlines are available on the Scholarships and Financial Aid website at www.finaid.vt.edu.

Honor Societies

Gamma Sigma Delta - Gamma Sigma Delta is an organization having as its objectives the advancement of agriculture in all its phases, the maintenance and improvement of the relations of agriculture and related sciences to other industries, and the recognition of the responsibilities of those engaged in all aspects of agriculture to humankind. Our Society seeks to encourage high standards of scholarship and worthy achievements in all branches of the agricultural and related sciences as well as a high degree of excellence in the practice of agricultural pursuits.

Phi Kappa Phi - Phi Kappa Phi has chapters on nearly 300 select college and university campuses in North America and the Philippines. Membership is by invitation only to the top 10 percent of seniors and graduate students and 7.5 percent of juniors. Faculty, professional staff, and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction also qualify. The Society's mission is "To recognize and promote academic excellence in all fields of higher education and to engage the community of scholars in service to others."

Phi Beta Kappa - Phi Beta Kappa is the oldest and most prestigious honor society dedicated to recognizing excellence in the liberal arts and sciences. Students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences who have exhibited outstanding academic ability in eligible coursework may be eligible for selection to Phi Beta Kappa.

Graduate Programs

All College of Agriculture and Life Sciences departments offer graduate degrees at both the Master's and Ph.D. levels. Complete information on these programs including descriptions of graduate courses can be found in the Graduate Catalog.

Undergraduate Course Descriptions (ALS)

1004: AGRICULTURE, THE ARTS AND SOCIETY Interpretive strategies applied to agriculture and the visual arts. Artistic representations of agriculture, farming, rural livelihoods, and agrarian landscapes. Exploration of global agricultural challenges balancing the production of food, fiber, and fuel. Apply principles of design and art using photography medium. (1H,1C)

1234: CALS FIRST YEAR SEMINAR Exploration of topics related to the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) from a multidisciplinary perspective with a focus on communication and teamwork, problem-solving, inquiry, and integration. Students explore resources to promote academic success, investigate careers and academic areas, and develop a comprehensive plan of study. Freshman and transfer students only. (1H,1C)

1984: SPECIAL STUDY Variable credit course.

1984L: SPECIAL STUDY Variable credit course.

2204: INTRODUCTION TO CIVIC AGRICULTURE Introduction to the economic, social, and ecological foundations of civic agriculture. Topics include industrialization, localized food systems, and citizen participation in civic agriculture. Emphasis will be given to a range of civic agriculture models, strategies, and hands-on approaches to establish, retain and strengthen community-based food and agriculture systems, locally- nationally-globally. (3H,3C)

2304: COMPARATIVE ANIMAL PHYSIOLOGY AND ANATOMY Comparative anatomy and physiology of domestic mammals and birds including cell neural, musculoskeletal, respiratory, cardiovascular, urinary, and endocrine systems. Pre: BIOL 1106. (3H,2L,4C)

2404 (BIOL 2404): BIOTECHNOLOGY IN A GLOBAL SOCIETY Introduction to the world-wide impact of biotechnology and molecular biology, including applications to plants, animals, and microorganisms. Explores basic concepts of genetic engineering, scientific and ethical issues, and public concerns related to biotechnology. Topics include: environmental release of genetically engineering organisms, bioremediation, safety of genetically engineered food products, transgenic plants and animals, gene therapy, and genetic screening. Pre: (BIOL 1015, BIOL 1016) or (BIOL 1105, BIOL 1106) or (BIOL 1205H, BIOL 1206H), (C HEM 1015, CHEM 1016). (3H,3C)

2504: ANIMALS IN SOCIETY Overview of animal well-being and behavior, human-animal interactions, responsibilities to animals, animal care, behavior, disease and pain recognition and current topics concerning companion animals, domestic animals and wildlife. (2H,3L,3C)

2604: INTRO TO INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH PRACTICES Introduction to formal undergraduate research and basic research methods. Engagement in interdisciplinary collaboration via team research projects. Exploration of scholarly literature, topic development, information evaluation, citation and data management, research ethics, and scientific communication. Connections to advanced information and digital literacy topics such as research impact and digital repositories. Formal proposal development and presentation. (3H,3C)

2964: FIELD STUDY Variable credit course.

2974: INDEPENDENT STUDY Variable credit course.

2984: SPECIAL STUDY Variable credit course.

2984L: SPECIAL STUDY Variable credit course.

2994: UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH Variable credit course.

3104: ANIMAL BREEDING AND GENETICS Principles of genetics applied to improvement of domestic animals: factors affecting genetic improvement of economically relevant traits, estimation of breeding values, heritability, genetic correlations, relationships, inbreeding, crossbreeding, genetic abnormalities, genomic selection, and gene editing; ethical reasoning in animal breeding decisions. Pre: BIOL 1105, (STAT 2004 or STAT 3005 or STAT 3615), (APSC 1454 or DASC 2474 or DAS C 2484). (3H,3C)

3204: ANIMAL NUTRITION AND FEEDING Characteristics, sources, digestion, absorption, and metabolism of water, carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, vitamins, and minerals. Feeding systems for livestock, poultry and companion animals. Pre: 2304, (CHEM 1036 or CHEM 1036H or CHEM 1016). (3H,3C)

3304: PHYSIOLOGY OF REPRODUCTION Physiological mechanisms that control and affect reproductive processes in domestic species. Investigation of the anatomy and physiology of the reproductive systems from cellular to whole-body levels with a particular emphasis on implications for reproductive function. Pre: 2304. (3H,3C)

3314: PHYSIOLOGY OF REPRODUCTION LAB Investigation of the structure and function of reproductive systems of domestic species. Practical application of this knowledge is then taught through demonstrations, hands-on experiences and assignments exploring current farm-animal production systems. Co: 3304. (3L,1C)

3404: ECOLOGICAL AGRICULTURE: THEORY AND PRACTICE Presents an overview of historic and modern agricultural practices. Surveys the principles of ecology in the context of managed ecosystems, civic agriculture, and food systems. Explores ecologically based practices and their use in holistic and integrated agricultural systems. (2H,3L,3C)

3954: STUDY ABROAD Variable credit course.

3984: SPECIAL STUDY Variable credit course.

4204: CONCEPTS IN COMMUNITY FOOD SYSTEMS Examination of the economic, political, socio-cultural, health and environmental issues related to community food systems and agricultural practices. Topics include local, regional and global food systems development, food production and biotechnology, food sovereignty and security, and population and environmental health. Analyze models, strategies, and policies within local, national and global food systems. Pre: 2204. (3H,3C)

4214: CAPSTONE: CIVIC AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SYSTEMS Multidisciplinary, experiential community-based course focusing on civic agriculture-food systems. Work in partnership with community stakeholders to propose viable solutions to real world issues revolving around civic agriculture and food systems. Connect with communities locally, regionally or globally. Pre: 2204, 3404, 4204. (3H,3C)

4244: GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY AND HEALTH CAPSTONE EXPERIENCE Food security and its relationship to human and global health challenges. Role of geography, economics, climate, politics, trade, and culture. Ethical issues and challenges to improving global food security and health. Creatively analyze, synthesize, and evaluate learned knowledge. Participate in successful discourse related to global food security and health. Pre: CSES 2244, AAEC 3204. (3H,3C)

4554 (BIOL 4554): NEUROCHEMICAL REGULATION Neurochemical transmission within the vertebrate brain will be examined. Emphasis will be placed on the chemical coding underlying the control of various behaviors and how these systems can be modified by various drugs or diet. Pre: (2304 or BIOL 3404), CHEM 2535. (3H,3C)

4574 (BIOL 4574): SOCIAL BEHAVIOR OF BIRDS AND MAMMALS This course examines origins, influences and implications of social behavior in a variety of avian and mammalian species. Emphasis is placed on understanding group organization and dynamics in inter and intra-species situations. Experimental data from several disciplines (e.g., genetics, physiology, biochemistry) are reviewed to demonstrate their associations with behavioral adaptive mechanisms. Avian and mammalian species living in wild, zoo, agricultural, companion and laboratory settings are discussed. Pre: 3104 or BIOL 2004, BIOL 1106. (3H,3C)

4614 (WATR 4614): WATERSHED ASSESSMENT, MANAGEMENT, AND POLICY Multidisciplinary perspectives of assessment, management and policy issues for protecting and improving watershed ecosystems. Topics include: monitoring and modeling approaches for assessment, risk-based watershed assessment geographic information systems for watershed analysis, decision support systems and computerized decision tools for watershed management, policy alternatives for watershed protection, urban watersheds, and current issues in watershed management. Pre: Two 4000 level courses in environmental/natural resource science, management, engineering, and/or policy in BSE, CEE, FOR, FREC, GEOL, LAR, CSES, ENT, BIOL, GEOG, AAEC, UAP or equivalent. (2H,2C)

4714 (HORT 4714): GLOBAL SEMINAR Student-centered internet-based course including text and real-time video conferencing among students at collaborating institutions in the United States and Canada. Focus is contemporary North American environmental sustainability issues based on student-prepared case studies. Pre-requisite: Junior or Senior Standing required. (1H,1C)

4964: FIELD STUDY/PRACTICUM Variable credit course.

4974: INDEPENDENT STUDY Variable credit course.

4984: SPECIAL STUDY Variable credit course.

4994: UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH Variable credit course.

4994H: UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH Variable credit course.