The bachelor degree in APSS is flexible and can prepare you for different areas of work.
Below is ONE sample path through the APSS major, with a focus on:
Soil and Microbe Health
Common Core Selections
STOCKSCH 105 Soils Science
STOCKSCH 108 Introductory Botany
CHEM 111 General Chemistry
MATH 104 Algebra, Analytic Geometry, and Trigonometry
STATISTC 111 Elementary Statistics
ENVIRSCI 101 Introduction to Environmental Science
STOCKSCH 379 Agricultural Systems Thinking
Major Core Selections
STOCKSCH 384. Introduction to Plant Physiology
STOCKSCH 301 General Plant Pathology
STOCKSCH 270 Sustainable Soil and Crop Management
STOCKSCH 230 Introduction to Turfgrass Management
STOCKSCH 390A Plant Biotechnology and Tissue Culture
STOCKSCH 310 Principles of Weed Management
Major Electives
STOCKSCH 230 Introductory Turfgrass Management
STOCKSCH 234 Irrigation and Drainage
STOCKSCH 490S Soil Ecology
STOCKSCH 515 Microbiology of the Soil
STOCKSCH 565 Soil Formation and Classification
STOCKSCH 580 Soil Fertility
STOCKSCH 585 Inorganic Contaminants in Soil, Water and Sediment
STOCKSCH 587 Phytoremediation: Using Plants to Clean Soils
STOCKSCH 590ST Methods in Rhizosphere Ecology & Plant-Microbe Interactions
Practica (Optional)
STOCKSCH 398B Agricultural Practicum
Four-Course Science Focus
BIO 151 Introduction to Biology
BIO 152 Introduction to Biology II
CHEM 112 General Chemistry II
MICBIO 310 General Microbiology
Recommended
Join a faculty-run lab and participate in soil-and-microbe research
Join the UMass Turf Club for career development support and networking
Visit the College of Natural Science Career Center to improve you resume and interview skills
Do an internship with the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture or another relevant business