The Bachelor of Science in Agriculture (BSAg) or the Bachelor of Agriculture (BAg) is the

undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-l ...

academic degree An academic degree is a qualification awarded to students upon successful completion of a course of study in higher education, usually at a college or university. These institutions commonly offer degrees at various levels, usually including und ...

awarded by tertiary faculty of

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

. The program is typically four years of study at postsecondary level. In Canada, the bachelor's degree in agriculture differs from a bachelor of science degree in that the courses focus on agriculture: for example, the student will study agricultural economics rather than economics. Like

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. Th ...

agricultural science Agricultural science (or agriscience for short) is a broad multidisciplinary field of biology that encompasses the parts of exact, natural, economic and social sciences that are used in the practice and understanding of agriculture. Profession ...

courses are infused with practicality. In China, the Bachelor of Agriculture is an independent degree and one of the thirteen statutory types of bachelor's degrees. It is awarded to students who have completed an undergraduate program majoring

plant production Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclude ...

nature conservation Nature conservation is the moral philosophy and conservation movement focused on protecting species from extinction, maintaining and restoring habitats, enhancing ecosystem services, and protecting biological diversity. A range of values under ...

and environmental ecology,

animal production Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with animals that are raised for meat, fibre, milk, or other products. It includes day-to-day care, selective breeding, and the raising of livestock. Husbandry has a long history, startin ...

veterinary medicine Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, management, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in animals. Along with this, it deals with animal rearing, husbandry, breeding, research on nutri ...

aquaculture Aquaculture (less commonly spelled aquiculture), also known as aquafarming, is the controlled cultivation ("farming") of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks, algae and other organisms of value such as aquatic plants (e.g. lot ...

and

fishery Fishery can mean either the enterprise of raising or harvesting fish and other aquatic life; or more commonly, the site where such enterprise takes place ( a.k.a. fishing ground). Commercial fisheries include wild fisheries and fish farms, both ...

, or grassland science.

Variations

Canada

In Canada, the

Ontario Agricultural College The Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) originated at the agricultural laboratories of the Toronto Normal School, and was officially founded in 1874 as an associate agricultural college of the University of Toronto. Since 1964, it has become affili ...

(founded 1873) began awarding a three-year Bachelor of Science in Agriculture degree through the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

in 1888: a fourth year to the program was added in 1902. Later, the Bachelor of Science in Agriculture program in Canada predominantly consists of four-year study in college.

United States

In the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

, the

Morrill Act The Morrill Land-Grant Acts are United States statutes that allowed for the creation of land-grant colleges in U.S. states using the proceeds from sales of federally-owned land, often obtained from indigenous tribes through treaty, cession, or se ...

of 1862 (also known as the Land Grant Act) had a large influence on the rise of agricultural education and the spread of the bachelor's degree in agriculture. By the early part of the 20th century, all the agriculturally important states had at least one college or university awarding the bachelor's degree in agriculture.

India

The Bachelor of Science in Agriculture degree in India is typically a 4-year course under credit based semester system. The curriculum is broad and interdisciplinary, consisting of courses in

Agronomy Agronomy is the science and technology of producing and using plants by agriculture for food, fuel, fiber, chemicals, recreation, or land conservation. Agronomy has come to include research of plant genetics, plant physiology, meteorology, and s ...

, Agricultural Biotechnology, Agricultural Microbiology, Horticulture, Plant Pathology, Entomology, Agricultural Economics, Extension education, Genetics and Plant Breeding, Soil Science, Food technology, Soil Microbiology, Food Microbiology, Animal Husbandry. Like, the Bachelor of Science in Agriculture is considered as a 'professional' degree by

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...

. However, in recognition to its 4-year duration, the degree holders are given some benefits like receiving higher stipend than BSc holders in DBT supported post graduate courses in Biotechnology. For the Gazetted post like Agricultural Officer (Agronomist), the basic educational requirement is B.Sc in Agriculture.
Retrieved 23 June 2009

Variations

Canada

United States

India

Footnotes

References

See also