The Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Business

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

See “Requirements for the Bachelor’s Degree” 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.

The department has prepared a suggested Four Year Advising Plan to help students meet all graduation requirements within four years. Please request a plan from your major adviser or view it and other current advising information on the CSU, Chico Web.

Please see the General Education, Cultural Diversity, and U.S. History, Constitution and American Ideals requirements under the BS in Agriculture.

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 better to receive WP credit. See The Class Schedule for the designated WP courses for each semester. You must pass ENGL 001 (or its equivalent) with a C- or better before you may register for a WP course.

Course Requirements for the Major: 86 units

The following courses, or their approved transfer equivalents, are required of all candidates for this degree.

Lower-Division Requirements: 35 units

10 courses required:

ABUS 080 Intro to Ag Business/Economics 3.0 FS

ABUS 083 Farm Accounting 3.0 FS

ACCT 016 Intro to Managerial Accounting 3.0 FS

Prerequisites: ACCT 015 (or ABUS 083 for ABUS majors only).

AGET 085 Agricultural Machine Systems 3.0 FS

AGRI 010 The University Experience 1.0 FS

BLAW 100 Managing the Legal Environment 3.0 FS

Prerequisites: At least junior standing.

CHEM 027 Gen Chem for Applied Sciences 4.0 FS *

Prerequisites: Intermediate Algebra.

ECON 002 Principles of Macro Analysis 3.0 FS *

MATH 005 Statistics 3.0 FS *

Prerequisites: Completion of ELM requirement.

PSSC 050 Introduction to Soil Science 3.0 FS

Prerequisites: CHEM 027 or CHEM 037.

1 course selected from:

ANSC 002 Introduction to Animal Science 3.0 FS *

PSSC 002 Introduction to Plant Science 3.0 FS *

3 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: 51 units

10 courses required:

ABUS 130 ABUS Sys Quantitative Methods 3.0 FS

Prerequisites: ABUS 080, ABUS 083, MATH 005A, and demonstration of microcomputer competency. ABUS 181 highly recommended.

ABUS 180 Ag Production Economic Analysis 3.0 FS

Prerequisites: ABUS 080 or ECON 003.

ABUS 181 Agricultural Mgmt Info Systems 3.0 FS

ABUS 182 Agricultural Markets and Pricing 3.0 SP

Prerequisites: ABUS 180.

ABUS 183M Agribusiness Mgt for ABUS Majors 3.0 SP

Prerequisites: ABUS 080, ABUS 083, faculty permission.

ABUS 185 Agricultural Policy 3.0 SP

Prerequisites: ABUS 180, ECON 002.

ABUS 187 Agricultural Finance 3.0 FA

Prerequisites: ABUS 080, ABUS 083.

ACCT 115 Intermediate Accounting I 3.0 FS

Prerequisites: ACCT 016 and concurrent enrollment in, or prior completion of, ACCT 111.

AGRI 111 Agricultural Ecology 3.0 FS

Prerequisites: Completion of lower division core.

AGRI 292 Agricultural Issues 3.0 FS

Prerequisites: ENGL 001 (or its equivalent) with a grade of C- or higher.

2 courses selected from:

ABUS 188 Farm and Ranch Appraisal 3.0 FA

Prerequisites: ABUS 083.

AND (Both the above and following course must be taken)

ABUS 283 Advanced Agribusiness Management 3.0 SP

Prerequisites: ABUS 180, ABUS 183M.

Or the following group of course requirements may be substituted for the above:

ABUS 282 Agricultural Price Analysis 3.0 FA

Prerequisites: ABUS 130, ABUS 182 or equivalent.

AND (Both the above and following course must be taken)

ABUS 290F Agricultural Marketing Planning 3.0 SP

Prerequisites: ABUS 182 or faculty permission.

1 course selected from:

ABUS 189 Internship 1.0-3.0 FA

Prerequisites: Permission of Internship Coordinator.

AGET 189 Internship 1.0-3.0 FS

Prerequisites: Prior approval of academic goals by the Internship Coordinator.

ANSC 189 Internship 1.0-3.0 FS

Prerequisites: Prior approval of academic goals by the Internship Coordinator.

PSSC 189 Internship 1.0-6.0 FS

Prerequisites: Junior standing, faculty permission.

Only 1 unit of internship is required.

3 units selected from:

Any upper-division production course from Animal Science (ANSC) or Plant and Soil Science (PSSC). These courses are limited to those offerings that have either ANSC 002 or PSSC 002 as a prerequisite.

11 units selected from:

Any upper-division College of Agriculture courses selected with approval of your adviser. Six of the 11 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 adviser regarding the selection of courses which will provide breadth to your university experience and apply to a supportive second major or minor.

Students may double count only one approved upper-division General Eduction 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 adviser for specific information.

A sample program for students who wish to complete their major in four years is available in the Office of the College of Agriculture, CSU, Chico, CA 95929.

Honors in the Major

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

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. Most importantly, however, 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 competition in shows; such experience is valuable for graduate school and later professional life.

Some common features of Honors in the Major program are

1. You must take 6 units of Honors in the Major course work. At least 3 of these 6 units are independent study (299H) as specified by your department. You must complete each class with a minimum grade of B.
2. 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 carefully, as there may be specific courses that must be included in these units.
3. Your cumulative GPA should be at least 3.5 or within the top 5 percent of majors in your department.
4. Your GPA in your major should be at least 3.5 or within the top 5 percent of majors in your department.
5. 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.
6. 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 adviser for further information.