Organic Agriculture

Description

WSU's online certificate in organic agriculture provides training in the agricultural sciences, including an understanding of complex agriculture and food systems. It equips students for professions ranging from starting a farm to food industry management.

The certificate is an 18-credit undergraduate program ideal for agriculture professionals wishing to learn about organic methods, anyone interested in beginning a community supported agriculture (CSA) farm, home gardeners, WSU agriculture students, and others with an interest in organic agriculture.

WSU was the first in the nation to offer a degree in organic agriculture, reflecting the university's commitment to the field.

Detailed Course Facts

• USD 5693 Semester (National)
• USD 5693 Semester (International)

• English

Course Content

All courses must be completed with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0.

For complete details about the certificate, visit the Dept. of Crop and Soil Sciences

• Required Courses: (9 semester credits)
  • SoilS 101 - Organic Gardening and Farming
  • SoilS 201 [BSCI][B] - Soil: A Living System
  • SoilS/AFS 302 [M] - Introduction of Agroecology
• Experiential Learning: (3 semester credits minimum)
  • SoilS 498 - Professional Internship
    The internship can be one of the most valuable parts of the certificate, because it is a real-life experience. Students arrange their internship (paid or unpaid) with an organic farmer, organic business, or organic certifying agency. Usually an internship is at least 20 hours per week for 12 weeks. Students keep a daily diary and write a 10-page paper on their experience. For a look at one student’s internship, please watch the video above.
• Food, Farming, and Ecosystems Electives: (6 semester credits minimum)
  • AFS/CRS 445 - Field Analysis of Sustainable Food Systems
  • Biol 140 [BSCI][B] - Introduction to Nutritional Science
  • CropS/SoilS 360 [I] - World Agricultural Systems (Course Prerequisite: 3 units of [B] GER or [BSCI] UCORE)
  • CropS 443 - Plant Breeding for Organic Agriculture (Course Prerequisite: CropS/Hort 202; Biol 106 or 120)
  • EconS 101 [SSCI][S] - Fundamentals of Microeconomics
    OR
    EconS 102 [SSCI][S] - Fundamentals of Macroeconomics
  • SoilS 441 - Soil Fertility (Course Prerequisite: SoilS 201)

Requirements

You're considered a non-degree student for admission purposes if you don't intend to complete a degree at WSU and are taking coursework for personal enrichment, to transfer to another college, or for a teaching endorsement. If you're not seeking a degree, there are a few limitations on financial aid and graduate study:
Non-degree students aren't eligible for financial aid.
If you decide to pursue a degree at WSU, you have to apply for regular admission status.
Course work completed as a non-degree student can't be applied toward a graduate degree, and you can't enroll in 500-level business classes or in courses at the 600, 700, or 800 level.

Work Experience

No work experience is required.

Related Scholarships*

• Academic Excellence Scholarship

  "The Academic Excellence Scholarship can provide up to a 50 % reduction in tuition per semester. These scholarships will be renewed if the student maintains superior academic performance during each semester of their 3-year Bachelor programme. The scholarship will be directly applied to the student’s tuition fees."

• Alumni Study Travel Fund

  Scholarships for students who are already attending the University of Reading.

• Amsterdam Merit Scholarships

  The University of Amsterdam aims to attract the world’s brightest students to its international classrooms. Outstanding students from outside the European Economic Area can apply for an Amsterdam Merit Scholarship.

* The scholarships shown on this page are suggestions first and foremost. They could be offered by other organisations than Washington State University.