College of Agricultural Sciences: “Think outside the barn”
by Heather Flanner
The College of Agricultural Sciences has been ranked among the top ten universities for agricultural research.
The College of Agricultural Sciences, the first of the colleges established at Penn State, awarded the nation's first baccalaureate degrees in agriculture in 1861.
“When you think of agriculture, you might think of a farm, but there is a whole variety of majors and careers that encompass agriculture,” says Marianne Fivek, assistant to the dean for student recruitment and activities.
That is what “thinking outside the barn” means. This slogan for Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences is meant to communicate to people that agriculture is so much more than just farming.
The College of Agricultural Sciences has been ranked among the top ten universities for agricultural research. In addition, it has a faculty/student ratio of 1:11, and is the only land-grant institution in the Northeast. This means that students have the opportunity to work hands-on with the animals and plants living on this land.
The following is a description of the majors, activities, and career opportunities that are available to students interested in agricultural sciences.
Outside of the barn, inside of the classroom
The College of Agricultural Sciences is comprised of twenty different majors. These majors cover a large range of issues that affect the public on a daily basis. The college is segmented into seven different study areas, each which governs a variety of majors. These areas are: Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Business Management and Education, Engineering Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Food Science, General Perspective, and Natural Resources.
Within each of these areas, there are specific majors, such as immunology and infectious diseases, food sciences, toxicology, turf grass science, and environmental research management. In addition, the college offers twenty-one minors such as equine science, international agriculture, and poultry and avian science.
The college is also pushing the limits to offer students information and learning opportunities in the growing areas of agriculture. For instance, Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences is the only college nationwide that offers Spanish in the Agriculture curriculum. This is an important program to offer since many employees in agriculture speak English as a second language, according to Fivek.
Learning beyond the walls of the classroom
Tiffany Morgan, a first-year Animal Science major, does not end her day when classes are over. Instead, she works with livestock and horses in the Block and Bridal Club, works with dairy cattle in the Dairy Science Club, and also participates in the Collegiate Future Farmers of America, an organization that focuses on agricultural leadership and agricultural education.
One of the clubs she is involved in, Block and Bridal, participates in a program called Little International, which takes place every spring. The University allows each club participant to choose a pig, lamb, beef heifer, or a horse and raise and train it for three to five weeks. After that, the students can show their animal at a fair. This year Morgan raised a lamb, and she felt that the lessons she learned could never be taught in a classroom.
In addition to gaining hands-on experience through her on-campus involvement, she has also made many friendships through the agricultural department.
“When you come into the Penn State department and walk onto Agriculture Hill, there is just a sense that everyone knows everyone. The students would help anyone in their ‘Ag family’ and you can see that. We seem so much closer than other departments. Not only do we have the togetherness, we also have the curriculum to back our program up,” said Morgan.
From clubs and the classroom to careers
There are many career opportunities available to students with majors in the College of Agricultural Sciences. Ecologists, sports arena superintendents, toxicologists, furniture manufacturers, conservation offices, soil and water managers and crop specialists are all possible career routes for college graduates.
“There are more jobs than there are graduates to fill them,” says Fivek.
One thing that the career choices have in common is that they affect the community, whether or not the members of the community are aware of that, explains Fivek.
“The Agricultural Sciences are active learning experiences. The graduates have the possibility of making a global difference because of their major,” says Fivek. “Strides in the animal and plant sciences affect our lives every single day.
