Sustainable Agriculture Applied Minor (AM)
Through the applied minor in sustainable agriculture, you will engage in different elements of food and agricultural systems, ranging from the soil to plants to production processes and the global economy.
Program details
The flexibility of the sustainable agriculture applied minor means that you can pursue the facets of food and agricultural systems that are of most interest to you.
Applied minors (AMs) are distinctive programs allowing you to personalize your education and to help you make direct connections between academic interests and co-curricular activities.
Courses
You must complete two of the following foci and are required to select course options from multiple divisions.
Earth and environmental science focus
Both of the following:
- GEOL 201 Earth and the Environment — offered every semester
- GEOL 316 Geochemistry and Environmental Change
Biology focus
- BIOL 111 Ecological Biology is required and offered every fall semester and a prerequisite for BIOL 350, 360 and 362 and one of the following:
- BIOL 350 Field Botany — offered twice every three years
- BIOL 360 Conservation Biology — offered alternative years
- BIOL 362 Biology of Insects
- BIOL 410 Applications of GIS in Ecology, Environmental and Health Sciences — offered in the spring semester in alternate years
Environmental sustainability focus
Two of the following:
- ENSU 141 Environment, Society and Sustainability — offered every fall semester (Social Science Division)
- ENSU 151 Environment, Science and Sustainability — offered every spring semester (Natural Science Division)
- ENSU 326 U.S. Environmental and Natural Resource Policy — offered spring semester in alternate years (Social Science Division)
- ENSU/POLS 322 Climate Policy — offered spring semester in alternate years (Social Science Division)
- ENSU 341 Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation — offered spring semester in alternate years (Natural Science Division)
Management/economics focus
Two of the following:
- ECON/MGMT 100 Introduction to Economics — offered every semester and a prerequisite for ECON 342 and ECON/ENSU 343
- MGMT 200 Financial Accounting — offered every semester
- MGMT 306 Ennovation Lab
- ECON 342 Economic Development — offered in alternative years
- ECON/ENSU 343 Economics of the Environment — offered in the fall semester in alternate years
Co-curricular activity
You will also complete a set of experiences, totaling 30 hours or more, approved by applied minor faculty. These experiences could include:
- Volunteering or working at a farm or garden.
- Leading a project at Miller Farm.
- Volunteering or working with a Farmer’s Market or other organization focused on agriculture and/or food systems.
- Leading the Miller Farm sustainable agriculture course.
- Conducting Epic Advantage or summer research focused on agriculture or food systems as approved by applied minor faculty.
- Participating in a farm/agricultural-focused conference, since as the Indiana Small Farms Conference.
Please note: other opportunities will be considered by petition as approved by applied minor faculty.
Culminating experience
A poster or oral presentation at Epic Expo or another conference (for example, Indiana Small Farms Conference, Ohio Small Farms Conference, professional conferences, etc.) that demonstrates connections between curricular and co-curricular components of the applied minor.
Have questions?
Learn more about declaring your interest in an applied minor and find answers to other questions you may not even know you have.