Student Numbers in Agronomy and Crop Science in the United States: History, Current Status, and Possible Actions1

McCallister, Dennis L., Lee, Donald J., Mason, Stephen C., NACTA Journal

Abstract

Enrollment declines in colleges of agriculture and particularly in agronomy majors threaten the viability of these programs. One consequence is a reduction in the availability of educated professionals for the agricultural industry. This paper surveys the numbers of students receiving Bachelor's degrees in agronomy and crop science nationally and at selected universities since 1984, and makes recommendations to reverse the decline. Total number of degree recipients and their percent of total college graduates has decreased from 764 in 1984-85 (0.45% of total Bachelor's degree graduates) to 523 in 2002-03 (0.26% of total). National trends do not reflect wide variances …

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Publication information: Article title: Student Numbers in Agronomy and Crop Science in the United States: History, Current Status, and Possible Actions1. Contributors: McCallister, Dennis L. - Author, Lee, Donald J. - Author, Mason, Stephen C. - Author. Journal title: NACTA Journal. Volume: 49. Issue: 3 Publication date: September 2005. Page number: 24+. © North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture Mar 2008. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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