Plant and Soil Sciences - Minor

Requirements

The minor in Plant and Soil Science requires 19 hours of course work (not including pre-minor requirements).

What You'll Study

Pre-Minor Requirements

CHE 105 General College Chemistry I .......................................................................... 4

OR

CHE 109/110 General College Chemistry IA and IB .................................................. 8

 

Minor Requirements

PLS 103 Plants, Soils, and People: A Global Perspective ........................................ 3     

OR

PLS 104 Plants, Soils, and People: A Science Perspective ..................................... 3

PLS 210 The Life Processes of Plants ......................................................................... 3     

PLS 366 Fundamentals of Soil Science ...................................................................... 4

Plus, one course from each of the following areas (soils, plant, supporting) totaling 9 credits. Other courses may substitute pending approval by the PSS ASPC.

Soils Courses

PLS 396 Soil Judging (1-2 credits)*

PLS 406 Advanced Soil Judging (1 credit)

PLS 468G Soil Use and Management (3 credits)

PLS 470G Soil Nutrient Management (3 credits)

PLS 566 Soil Microbiology (3 credits)

PLS 567 Methods in Soil Microbiology (1 credit)

PLS 573 Soil Morphology and Classification (3 credits)

PLS 575 Soil Physics (3 credits)

PLS 576 Laboratory in Soil Physics (1 credit)

*These courses can be repeated, but only one instance (up to 3 credits total) counts towards the minor.

Plant Courses

PLS 220 Introduction to Plant Identification (3 credits)

PLS 386 Plant Production Systems (3 credits)

PLS 502 Ecology of Economic Plants (3 credits)

PLS 504 Integrated Weed Management (4 credits)

PLS 510 Forage Management and Utilization (3 credits)

PLS 512 Grains and Oilseeds Production (3 credits)

PLS 514 Grass Taxonomy and ID (3 credits)

Supporting Courses

PLS 302 Climate Change and Agriculture (3 credits)

PLS 390 Agroecology (3 credits)

PLS 416G Cover Crops in Agroecosystems (3 credits)

PLS 560 Ectoxicology (4 credits)

PLS 581 Chemical Analysis of Soils and Plants (4 credits)

PPA 300 GMOs: Facts, Myths and Their Impact on Society (3 credits)

PPA 400G Principles of Plant Pathology (3 credits)

Effective Fall 2025