Precision Agriculture (B.S.)

Location(s): Brookings Main Campus

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Program Coordinator/Contact

Kasiviswanathan Muthukumarappan, Interim Department Head, Distinguished Professor
Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering
Raven Precision Agriculture Center 136
605-688-5143

David Wright, Department Head
Department of Agronomy, Horticulture, and Plant Science
Raven Precision Agriculture Center 140
605-688-5123

Program Information

The Precision Agriculture major prepares students for careers that bridge the gaps between agronomy, agriculture machinery management, and data sciences caused by the rapid evolution of high-speed sensor technology.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the Precision Agriculture major, students will:

Demonstrate foundational and specialized knowledge in crop management, environmental stewardships, and precision agriculture technologies and their integrations at local, regional, and global scales.
Explore complex local, regional, and global issues using a precision agriculture perspective to formulate questions and draw informed conclusions that are based on critical scientific analysis and interpretation of information.
Demonstrate economic and environmental proficiency in applying the proper principles and technologies of precision agriculture and to address socioeconomic issues in Agricultural sciences.
Demonstrate the ability to collect, organize, analyze, and synthesize accurate digital field maps using specialized software and have the operational knowledge for specialized precision agriculture equipment, computers, and spreadsheet applications to produce meaningful management recommendations.
Effectively communicate and demonstrate openness to new perspectives and diverse others, and demonstrate the ability to reassess their personal perspective within precision agriculture activities when appropriate.

Academic Requirements

Students must earn at least a C grade in each major required class and must earn at least a 2.5 cumulative GPA in the major required classes including PS 213 , PS 213L , ABS 475 , and ABS 475L .

Course Delivery Format

Instruction will occur through a combination of traditional classroom methods, laboratory exercises using current agricultural production technologies, and agricultural mapping software.

Requirements for Precision Agriculture Major: 120 Credits

Bachelor of Science

System General Education Requirements

Goal #1 Written Communication: ENGL 101 - Composition I (COM) [SGR #1] Credits: 3 and ENGL 277 - Technical Writing in Engineering [SGR #1] Credits: 3
Goal #2 Oral Communication: SGR #2 Elective Credits: 3
Goal #3 Social Sciences/Diversity: ABS 203 - Global Food Systems [SGR #3] Credits: 3 and ECON 201 - Principles of Microeconomics (COM) [SGR #3] Credits: 3
Goal #4 Arts and Humanities/Diversity: SGR #4 Electives Credits: 6
Goal #5 Mathematics: MATH 114 - College Algebra (COM) [SGR #5] Credits: 3
Goal #6 Natural Sciences: BIOL 101 - Biology Survey I (COM) [SGR #6] Credits: 2 , BIOL 101L - Biology Survey I Lab (COM) [SGR #6] Credits: 1 , CHEM 106 - Chemistry Survey (COM) [SGR #6] Credits: 3 , and CHEM 106L - Chemistry Survey Lab (COM) [SGR #6] Credits: 1

College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences Requirements

Bachelor of Science Requirements: 11

Students who wish to complete a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences must complete a minimum of 11 credits from the approved list of Group 1 courses. Some departments require specific courses from the list, whereas others leave the selection entirely to the student and the advisor.

System General Education Requirements and/or major coursework may satisfy some or all of the above requirements. Please review major requirements and the Group 1 list to determine if additional courses are required.

ABS 203 - Global Food Systems [SGR #3] Credits: 3 (SGR 3)
ABS 475 - Integrated Natural Resource Management Credits: 3 (Major Requirement)
ABS 475L - Integrated Natural Resource Management Lab Credits: 0 (Major Requirement)
AST 333 - Soil and Water Mechanics Credits: 3 (Major Requirement)
AST 333L - Soil and Water Mechanics Lab Credits: 0 (Major Requirement)
PS 213 - Soils [SGR #6] Credits: 2 (Major Requirement)
PS 213L - Soils Lab [SGR #6] Credits: 1 (Major Requirement)

Major Requirements

ABS 475 - Integrated Natural Resource Management Credits: 3
ABS 475L - Integrated Natural Resource Management Lab Credits: 0
ACCT 210 - Principles of Accounting I (COM) Credits: 3
or AGEC 271 - Farm and Ranch Management Credits: 3
or AGEC 354 - Agricultural Marketing and Prices Credits: 3
AST 119 - First Year Seminar Credits: 1
or PS 119 - First Year Seminar Credits: 1
AST 273 - Agricultural Computer Applications Credits: 3
AST 273L - Agricultural Computer Applications Lab Credits: 0
AST 313 - Farm Machinery Systems Management Credits: 3
AST 313L - Farm Machinery Systems Management Lab Credits: 0
AST 333 - Soil and Water Mechanics Credits: 3
AST 333L - Soil and Water Mechanics Lab Credits: 0
AST 390 - Seminar (COM) Credits: 1
or PS 490 - Seminar (COM) Credits: 1
AST 412 - Fluid Power Technology Credits: 3
AST 412L - Fluid Power Technology Lab Credits: 0
AST 426 - Technology Applications for Precision Agriculture Credits: 3
and AST 426L - Technology Applications for Precision Agriculture Lab Credits: 0
or PRAG 428 - Use of Soil and Plant Sensors in Crop Production Credits: 3
AST 494 - Internship (COM) Credits: 1-12 (1 credit required)
or PS 494 - Internship (COM) Credits: 1-2 (1 credit required)
PRAG 203 - Introduction to Precision Agriculture Credits: 3
PRAG 203L - Introduction to Precision Agriculture Lab Credits: 0
PRAG 304 - Electrical Diagnostics for Farm Machinery Credits: 3
PRAG 304L - Electrical Diagnostics for Farm Machinery Lab Credits: 0
PRAG 340 - Climate Risk Management with Precision Agriculture Credits: 3
PRAG 345 - Principles and Implications of Chemical Application Systems Credits: 3
PRAG 345L - Principles and Implications of Chemical Application Systems Lab Credits: 0
PRAG 410 - Soil Geography and Land Use Interpretation Credits: 2
and PRAG 410L - Soil Geography and Land Use Interpretation Lab Credits: 1
or PS 462 - Environmental Soil Management Credits: 2
and PS 462L - Environmental Soil Management Lab Credits: 1
PRAG 423 - Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrient Management Credits: 3
PRAG 427 - Precision Ag Data Mapping Credits: 2
PRAG 440 - Crop Management with Precision Farming Credits: 2
PRAG 440L - Crop Management with Precision Farming Lab Credits: 1
PS 103 - Crop Production Credits: 2
PS 103L - Crop Production Lab Credits: 1
PS 213 - Soils [SGR #6] Credits: 2
PS 213L - Soils Lab [SGR #6] Credits: 1
PS 223 - Principles of Plant Pathology Credits: 2
PS 223L - Principles of Plant Pathology Lab Credits: 1
PS 405 - Entomology (COM) Credits: 3
and PS 405L - Entomology Lab (COM) Credits: 0
or PS 407 - Insect Pest Management Credits: 2
and PS 407L - Insect Pest Management Lab Credits: 1
PS 445 - Weed Science Credits: 2
PS 445L - Weed Science Lab Credits: 1
STAT 383 - Geospatial Data Analysis Credits: 3

Select from the following

Select four credits from the following three courses. Credits: 4

PRAG 424 - Wheat Production Credits: 2
PRAG 425 - Soybean Production Credits: 2
PRAG 426 - Corn Production Credits: 2

Supporting Coursework

AST 342 - Applied Electricity Credits: 3
AST 342L - Applied Electricity Lab Credits: 0
BOT 201 - General Botany (COM) [SGR #6] Credits: 3
BOT 201L - General Botany Lab (COM) [SGR #6] Credits: 0
CHEM 120 - Elementary Organic Chemistry Credits: 2
CHEM 120L - Elementary Organic Chemistry Lab Credits: 1
PHYS 101 - Survey of Physics (COM) [SGR #6] Credits: 4
PHYS 101L - Survey of Physics Lab (COM) [SGR #6] Credits: 0
STAT 281 - Introduction to Statistics (COM) [SGR #5] Credits: 3

Total Required Credits: 120

Summary of Program Requirements

Bachelor of Science
System General Education Requirements	31 Credit Hours
College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences Requirements*	11 Credit Hours
Major Requirements	69 Credit Hours
Supporting Coursework	16 Credit Hours
Electives**	4 Credit Hours

*System General Education Requirements, Major Requirements, and Supporting Coursework may satisfy some or all of the above requirements.
**Taken as needed to complete any additional degree requirements.

Academic Advising Guide Sheet

The goal of the academic advising guide sheets and sample plans of study is to promote undergraduate student success by guiding all students to timely completion of an undergraduate degree. Students are not limited to the course sequence provided for their academic program. Instead, the sample plan of study is one possible path to completing your degree and is meant to be used as a guide for planning purposes in consultation with an academic advisor. The plans also help students prepare for meetings with their academic advisor and track their progress in their selected academic program.