The Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Business

Total Course Requirements for the Bachelor's Degree: 120 units

See Bachelor's Degree Requirements in the University Catalog for complete details on general degree requirements. A minimum of 40 units, including those required for the major, must be upper division.

A suggested Major Academic Plan (MAP) has been prepared to help students meet all graduation requirements within four years. You can view MAPs on the Degree MAPs page in the University Catalog or you can request a plan from your major advisor.

General Education Pathway Requirements: 48 units

See General Education in the University Catalog and the Class Schedule for the most current information on General Education Pathway Requirements and course offerings.

This major has approved GE modification(s). See below for information on how to apply these modification(s).

ANSC 101 is an approved major course substitution for Life Sciences (B2).
AGRI 482 is an approved major course substitution for Upper-Division Social Sciences.
AGRI 482 is also an approved GE Capstone substitution.

Diversity Course Requirements: 6 units

See Diversity Requirements in the University Catalog. Most courses taken to satisfy these requirements may also apply to General Education .

Literacy Requirement:

See Mathematics and Writing Requirements in the University Catalog. Writing proficiency in the major is a graduation requirement and may be demonstrated through satisfactory completion of a course in your major which has been designated as the Writing Proficiency (WP) course for the semester in which you take the course. Students who earn below a C- are required to repeat the course and earn a C- or higher to receive WP credit. See the Class Schedule for the designated WP courses for each semester. You must complete the GE Written Communication (A2) requirement before you may register for a WP course.

Course Requirements for the Major: 83 units

Completion of the following courses, or their approved transfer equivalents, is required of all candidates for this degree.

Lower-Division Requirements: 35 units

8 courses required:

SUBJ NUM	Title	Units	Semester Offered	Course Flags
ABUS 101	Introduction to Agricultural Business and Economics	3.0	FS	GE
The role of agricultural business in the economy. Introductory economic and business principles and their application to the solution of agricultural problems. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. (000014)
ABUS 231	Computer Applications in Agriculture	3.0	FS
Survey of microcomputer applications for agribusiness management, emphasizing personnel productivity software, including database manager, advanced spreadsheet, and electronic communication software. 3 hours lecture. (000025)
ABUS 261	Farm Accounting	3.0	FS
Introduction to the principles of farm accounting, farm business record keeping, agribusiness management, financial analysis, and enterprise budgeting. 2 hours lecture, 1 hour discussion. (000020)
ABUS 262	Management Accounting for Agriculture	3.0	FS
Prerequisites: ABUS 261 or ACCT 201. Cost concepts as a management tool in agriculture are explored. Budgeting techniques for planning and control and for long-term projects are developed. 2 hours lecture, 2 hours activity. (015011)
AGRI 180	The University Experience	1.0	FS
A college success course for agricultural majors new to California State University, Chico. The course will explore the academic and social opportunities and resources available to promote successful completion of the student's educational goals. 1 hour discussion. Credit/no credit grading. (000198)
CHEM 107	General Chemistry for Applied Sciences	4.0	FS	GE
Prerequisites: Completion of ELM requirement, Intermediate Algebra. A survey of the principles of chemistry, primarily for students in agriculture, industry and technology, and pre-nursing. 3 hours lecture, 3 hours laboratory. This is an approved General Education course. (001826)
ECON 102	Principles of Macroeconomic Analysis	3.0	FS	GE
An introductory survey of macroeconomic analysis. Use of fundamental economic concepts to analyze the over-all economy. Determination of gross national product, rates of unemployment, problems of inflation, recession, and the use of governmental policies. Discussion of current problems. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. (002636)
MATH 105	Statistics	3.0	FS	GE
Prerequisites: Completion of ELM requirement. Summary of numerical data, elementary probability, distributions, and introduction to statistical inference. 1.5 hours lecture, 1.5 hours discussion. This is an approved General Education course. (005501)

2 courses selected from:

SUBJ NUM	Title	Units	Semester Offered	Course Flags
ANSC 101	Introduction to Animal Science	3.0	FS
An overview, using a scientific perspective, of farm animals. Highlights anatomy and physiology of farm animals, reproduction, nutrition, animal health, animal products, animal behavior, and pertinent social issues, such as animal rights. Includes human opportunity to influence trait inheritance, population densities, and productivity. 2 hours lecture, 3 hours laboratory. (000419)
PSSC 101	Introduction to Plant Science	3.0	FS	GE
Plant structure, growth, reproduction, and responses to the environment. How humans modify plants and the environment to grow crops. 2 hours lecture, 3 hours laboratory. This is an approved General Education course. (007765)
PSSC 250	Introduction to Soil Science	3.0	SP
Prerequisites: CHEM 107 or CHEM 111. Soil biology, fertility, chemistry, physical properties, taxonomy and their applications to agricultural management and environmental enhancement. Relationships of soils to the world food supply and population. 2 hours lecture, 3 hours laboratory. (007776)

6 units selected from:

Any lower-division Agricultural Business (ABUS), Agricultural Engineering Technology (AGET), Animal Science (ANSC), Plant and Soil Science (PSSC), or Agriculture (AGRI) course.

Upper-Division Requirements: 48 units

10 courses required:

SUBJ NUM	Title	Units	Semester Offered	Course Flags
ABUS 301	Agricultural Production Economics and Quantitative Analysis	3.0	FS
Prerequisites: ABUS 101 or ECON 103. Application of microeconomic theory to the agricultural production process, including single and multivariate production and cost functions, price determination in competitive and non-competitive markets and programs. 3 hours lecture. (000024)
ABUS 311	Agricultural Markets and Pricing	3.0	FS
Prerequisites: ABUS 101. Economic principles applied to the marketing of agricultural products. Function, structure, and operation of agricultural markets. Introduction to the futures market. Trends in marketing of California agricultural crops and livestock. 3 hours lecture. (000026)
ABUS 321	Agribusiness Management	3.0	FS
Prerequisites: ABUS 101 or equivalent. The application of economic and management principles to the planning, control, and organization of agribusiness firms. Linear programming applications, decision trees, inventory control, and equipment replacement. 3 hours lecture. (000027)
ABUS 415	Agricultural Price Analysis	3.0	FS
Prerequisites: ABUS 301 and MATH 105. Analysis of price-determining factors for agricultural products. Business conditions and changes in supply and demand for domestic and international agricultural commodities. Study of structure, conduct, and performance of agricultural markets. Monopolistic practices and relative efficiency of markets. 3 hours lecture. (000040)
ABUS 421	Advanced Agribusiness Management	3.0	FS
Prerequisites: ABUS 301, ABUS 321, senior standing. Agribusiness organization and management. Budgeting, input-output relationships, and enterprise analysis in decision making. Application of economic and management principles. Human resource management. 2 hours lecture, 2 hours activity. (000041)
ABUS 451	Agricultural Policy	3.0	FS
Prerequisites: ABUS 301, ECON 102. Domestic and international issues in U.S. agricultural food policy. A study of the major problems confronting agriculture, the process by which government formulates agricultural policy, and the socio-economic impact of current government programs. 3 hours lecture. (000029)
ABUS 465	Agricultural Finance	3.0	FS
Prerequisites: ABUS 101 and ABUS 261. Financing of agricultural enterprises. Principles, methods, and institutions involved in financing farming enterprises and related agricultural industries. Coordinated financial statements. Capital budgeting. 2 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. (000030)
AGRI 331	Agricultural Ecology	3.0	FS
Prerequisites: Completion of lower-division core or faculty permission. An interdisciplinary treatment of physical and biological environments used for agriculture. Historical and ecological nature of agriculture its impact on the landscape and society. Comparison of sustainable and non-sustainable agricultural practices. 2 hours lecture, 3 hours laboratory. (000206)
AGRI 482	Agricultural Issues	3.0	FS	GW
Prerequisites: ENGL 130 or JOUR 130 (or equivalent) with a grade of C- or higher, senior standing or instructor permission. An examination of major issues confronting agriculture emphasizing critical thinking, research, and balancing complex, and often opposing views of the role of agriculture in society. The course uses group work and presentations to enhance written and oral communication skills. This is the capstone course for AGRI, ANSC, and ABUS majors. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement course; a grade of C- or higher certifies writing proficiency for majors. (000229)
BLAW 302	Managing the Legal Environment	3.0	FS
Prerequisites: At least junior standing. Increasingly, managers are faced with legal and ethical challenges in their decision making. This course adopts an integrative strategy which explores the legal and ethical environments of business by focusing on those issues which most affect the major functional areas of business (accounting, marketing, information systems, human resource management, etc.). Students learn strategies which can later be employed not only to avoid litigation but also to pursue more effectively strategic goals of business. This course applies to those working in organizations which employ only a few employees as well as to those which employ thousands. 3 hours lecture. (001342)

1 course selected from:

SUBJ NUM	Title	Units	Semester Offered
ABUS 389	Internship in Agribusiness	1.0 -3.0	FS
Prerequisites: Permission of Internship Coordinator. This course is an internship offered for 1.0-3.0 units. You must register directly with a supervising faculty member. Work experience with selected agribusinesses, including financial institutions, marketing agencies, management firms, farms, ranches, private or public agencies. Experience must be related to business aspects of agriculture. Supervised by faculty and staff of cooperating banks, farms, agencies, and corporations. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 15.0 units. Credit/no credit grading. (000032)
AGET 389	Internship in Agricultural Engineering Technology	1.0 -3.0	FS
Prerequisites: Prior approval of academic goals by the Internship Coordinator. This course is an internship offered for 1.0-3.0 units. You must register directly with a supervising faculty member. Work experience with selected farm machinery shop or corporations is to be completed and supervised by faculty and staff of cooperating ranch or industry. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 15.0 units. Credit/no credit grading. (000174)
ANSC 389	Internship in Animal Science	1.0 -3.0	FS
Prerequisites: Prior approval of academic goals by the Internship Coordinator. This course is an internship offered for 1.0-3.0 units. You must register directly with a supervising faculty member. Work experience with selected livestock operations is to be completed and supervised by faculty and staff of cooperating livestock ranch. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 15.0 units. Credit/no credit grading. (000472)
PSSC 389	Internship in Plant and Soil Science	1.0 -6.0	FS
Prerequisites: Junior standing, faculty permission. This course is an internship offered for 1.0-6.0 units. You must register directly with a supervising faculty member. Internship with private industry, state, federal, international, or non-profit organization. Selected topic must be in a Plant and Soil Science Option area. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 15.0 units. Credit/no credit grading. (007824)

3 units of internship are required.

3 units selected from:

Any upper-division production course from Animal Science (ANSC), Agricultural Engineering Technology (AGET), or Plant and Soil Science (PSSC). These courses are limited to those offerings that have either ANSC 101, PSSC 101, or PSSC 250 as a prerequisite.

12 units selected from:

Any upper-division College of Agriculture courses selected with approval of your advisor. Nine of the 12 units should be Agricultural Business courses.

Electives Requirement:

To complete the total units required for the bachelor's degree, select additional elective courses from the total University offerings. You should consult with an advisor regarding the selection of courses which will provide breadth to your University experience and possibly apply to a supportive second major or minor.

Students may double count only one approved upper-division General Education theme course with a required option elective.

Grading Requirement:

All courses taken to fulfill major course requirements must be taken for a letter grade except those courses specified by the department as Credit/No Credit grading only.

Advising Requirement:

Advising is mandatory for all majors in this degree program. Consult your undergraduate advisor for specific information.

Honors in the Major:

Honors in the Major is a program of independent work in your major. It requires 6 units of honors course work completed over two semesters.

The Honors in the Major program allows you to work closely with a faculty mentor in your area of interest on an original performance or research project. This year-long collaboration allows you to work in your field at a professional level and culminates in a public presentation of your work. Students sometimes take their projects beyond the University for submission in professional journals, presentation at conferences, or academic competition. Such experience is valuable for graduate school and professional life. Your honors work will be recognized at your graduation, on your permanent transcripts, and on your diploma. It is often accompanied by letters of commendation from your mentor in the department or the department chair.

Some common features of Honors in the Major program are:

You must take 6 units of Honors in the Major course work. All 6 units are honors classes (marked by a suffix of H), and at least 3 of these units are independent study (399H, 499H, 599H) as specified by your department. You must complete each class with a minimum grade of B.
You must have completed 9 units of upper-division course work or 21 overall units in your major before you can be admitted to Honors in the Major. Check the requirements for your major carefully, as there may be specific courses that must be included in these units.
Your cumulative GPA should be at least 3.5 or within the top 5% of majors in your department.
Your GPA in your major should be at least 3.5 or within the top 5% of majors in your department.
Most students apply for or are invited to participate in Honors in the Major during the second semester of their junior year. Then they complete the 6 units of course work over the two semesters of their senior year.
Your honors work culminates with a public presentation of your honors project.

While Honors in the Major is part of the Honors Program, each department administers its own program. Please contact your major department or major advisor to apply.