About the Plant and Soil Science Bachelor’s Program
The department offers a Bachelor of Science in Plant and Soil Science degree designed to build on a foundation of basic biological and physical science principles. This foundation provides students a broad base of knowledge as well as hands-on experience in many aspects of the plant and soil sciences industry. Students learn the latest methods to produce agronomic, forage, horticultural, and turfgrass crops while conserving natural soil and water resources. In addition, students learn current management techniques to control or prevent plant diseases, insects, and weed species as well as efficient soil nutrient and water management.
A bachelor’s degree in plant and soil science prepares students to manage properly a wide variety of plant and soil issues, such as fertilization and pesticide application, mitigation of urban heat load through appropriate use of landscape plants, improved crop production through plant breeding and biotechnology, and appropriate management practices for vineyard and wineries.
Students may focus on one of four areas of specialization: crop science, environmental soil and water science, horticulture and turfgrass science, or viticulture and enology. This degree prepares students to meet the challenges of sustainable production of plants for food, fiber, fuel, and aesthetic beauty while preserving natural resources and environmental integrity.
The Department of Plant and Soil Sciences offers both a resident and a distance program requiring 120 semester credit hours. For the distance program, students will need to complete a portion of their general coursework at another institution and complete the last 30 semester credit hours at Texas Tech University.
Communication Literacy Requirement. Beginning with the fall 2017 term, Texas Tech University’s writing intensive requirement for certain courses will move to a Communication Literacy requirement. Students who are following catalogs published prior to the 2017-2018 academic year should consult with their academic advisors for information on how any outstanding writing intensive requirements will be completed. Students attending Texas Tech for the first time beginning with the fall 2017 term or later will complete the Communication Literacy requirement in their program(s) of study.
Texas Tech University’s transition from the writing intensive requirement to the Communication Literacy requirement signals the university’s awareness that in addition to the fundamental role that writing plays in enabling students to explore, develop, focus, and organize a message, other types of communication must also be taught as appropriate for a student’s discipline. Throughout each program of study, then, students must be given ample opportunity to develop their skills in forms of communication central to that program. Communication Literacy courses for the Plant and Soil Science major are PSS 1100 , PSS 3323 , PSS 4421 , and PSS 4100 .
Plant and Soil Science: Horticulture Specialization, B.S.
Fall
- PSS 4421 - Principles of Weed Science 4 Semester Credit Hours * †
- Creative Arts 3 Semester Credit Hours ‡
- PSS Required Elective 3 Semester Credit Hours †
- Electives 1 Semester Credit Hours
- PSS Specialization Elective 3 Semester Credit Hours * †
Total Hours: 120
* Major course requirement
† See www.pssc.ttu.edu/ProgramPages/CourseRot.php for rotation of courses.
‡ Students must fulfill the university’s Multicultural/Language, Philosophy, and Culture/Creative Arts requirements.
All PSS courses must be completed with a minimum grade of C.
All students will be advised prior to registration.
Required Electives (27 hours)
Specialization Electives (12 hours)
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