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What Does Undergraduate Enrollment in Soil and Crop Sciences Mean for the Future of Agronomy?

Dep. Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State Univ., Fort Collins, CO 80523

^* Corresponding author (neil.hansen{at}colostate.edu)

Received for publication November 11, 2006. Soil and crop science programs at land-grant colleges have historically relied on appropriated funding from state and federal sources and tuition to support the tripartite mission of research, extension, and teaching. However, due to declining funding from state and federal sources, tuition and fees are becoming increasingly important sources. As tuition revenue becomes more important, student enrollment becomes a greater concern. Undergraduate enrollment in soil and crop sciences across the USA has been in decline for the last two decades. We collected current enrollment statistics by submajor areas of focus at all 50 of the 1862 land-grant universities. We also evaluated organizational structure, college and department names, and undergraduate tuition and fees. Enrollment in all soil and crop science related majors averaged 90 students per university, with the majority of students (36%) in landscape, horticulture, and turfgrass programs. A projected total of fewer than 350 students per year from all 50 of the institutions surveyed will graduate from programs with a traditional agronomy focus that integrates multiple aspects of crop production and management. Declining enrollment in soil and crop science programs has been accompanied by significant changes in the structure and identity of the academic units that house them. Despite declining enrollment, there is still strong demand for teaching the substance of soil and crop sciences at U.S. land-grant institutions, and employment prospects for agricultural graduates are good. The current socioeconomic environment necessitates adaptation of soil and crop science programs, including formation of new and innovative areas of study, expanded participation by the soil and crop sciences in interdisciplinary programs, and the possibility of regional cooperation and specialization among academic institutions. New entrants coming into the field of professional agronomy as researchers, professors, advisors, and consultants will increasingly be the products of interdisciplinary college programs where they are mixed with nonagricultural students and have taken classes from nonagricultural faculty.