Undergraduate Minor Degree Programs

The Plant, Soil & Insect Sciences Undergraduate Program offers a Major in Plant & Soil Sciences, and three Minor Degree Programs in Plant & Soil Sciences, Entomology, and Plant Pathology. Please look over the information presented, and feel free to contact the Department for updates.

| Plant & Soil Sciences | Entomology | Plant Pathology |

The Undergraduate Minor In Plant & Soil Sciences

All students planning to minor in Plant and Soil Sciences must have completed BIOLOGY 103 or equivalent, CHEM 110 or 111, and PLSOILIN 105. In addition, a student must successfully complete 15 credits in Plant and Soil Sciences with at least three credits at the 500 level and at the most one 100-level course. Students interested in minoring should plan their courses with a PSIS faculty adviser, prior to commencement of the program. An appropriate adviser can be selected through the Departmental Undergraduate Program Office. Certain course selections within the minor in Plant and Soil Sciences will be suggested to accommodate students specifically interested in Ornamental Horticulture, Sustainable Agriculture, Turf Management, or Soils.

The Undergraduate Minor In Entomology

Entomology is the biological science dealing with insects and allied arthropods, the most abundant and varied group of animals on earth. Insects directly or indirectly affect our health and well-being, as well as our crops, livestock, and property. The food production, distribution, and storage aspects of the nation's agriculture depend upon entomologists to manage insect pests.

Students in other biological sciences may wish to develop entomological strengths useful to their majors. To minor in Entomology a student must take PLSOILIN 326 Insect Biology, at least one of the departmental couses in basic entomology (Group A under the list of courses) and at least one of the six courses in applied entomology (Group B) for a minimum of 15 entomology credits.

Students interested in minoring in Entomology should contact the Plant, Soil & Insect Sciences Undergraduate Program Office for further guidance.

Course Group A:

BIOTECH 385 Introductory Biotechnology Laboratory
ENTOMOL 511 Insect Behavior
ENTOMOL 585 Toxicology of Insecticides
ENTOMOL 655 Systematic Entomology
ENTOMOL 657 Insect Structures and Function
ENTOMOL 666 Molecular & Cellular Entomology
ENTOMOL 683 Insect Ecology
ENTOMOL 690A Insect Evolution and Principles of Systematics

Course Group B:

ENTOMOL 523 Biological Control
ENTOMOL 572 Forest and Shade Tree Insects
ENTOMOL 581 Integrated Pest Management
ENTOMOL 592 Chemicals and the Environment

The Undergraduate Minor In Plant Pathology

Plant Pathology is the study of plant diseases caused by biological organisms such as insects, viruses, bacteria, fungi, and environmental factors such as lack of water, improper nutrition, and pollution. Plant pathologists diagnose the condition of a plant, and determine the cause of the problem and what can be done to solve it. Requirements of the minor are outlined below, but students interested in minoring in Plant Pathology should contact the Plant, Soil & Insect Undergraduate Program Office for further guidance.

Requirements:

PLNTSOIL 505 General Plant Pathology

AND

A minimum of 12 credits chosen from the following courses:

PLNTSOIL 510 Management and Ecology of Plant Diseases
PLNTSOIL 525 Mycology
PLNTSOIL 535 Diagnostic Plant Pathology
PLNTSOIL 572 Nematology
Up to 4 credits of Special Topics courses [PLNTSOIL 397/597( )]
Up to 2 credits of Independent Study (PLNTSOIL 496)

            Interested? Please contact:

Deborah Picking
Undergraduate Program Director
Plant, Soil & Insect Sciences
103 French Hall
University of Massachusetts
Amherst MA 01003
Tel. (413) 545-2249
FAX (413) 545-3075
E-Mail:dpicking@psis.umass.edu