The South Dakota Board of Regents at South Dakota State University announced on June 30 that they have approved a new undergraduate degree program for those looking to focus on precision agriculture. The board also made adjustments to other academic programs to reflect employment trends.
The new major will give students the education they need to pursue careers in agronomy, agricultural machinery management, and data sciences through sensor technology. Students will be able to register for this major in the fall.
The initial proposal presented by SDSU stated that “precision agriculture is a quickly growing field, yet no other university currently offers a major. Approval of the program would give SDSU a first-to-market advantage.” The college expects steady enrollment growth in the program due to the emerging adoption of precision agriculture technology in the industry.
Other programs approved by the board specialize in chemistry, human biology, and early education and care degree. Undergraduate minors can also now focus on heavy-highway construction.
Upon the completion of the precision agriculture degree program, students will gain a variety of skills that allow them to make agronomic recommendations for crop management. Additionally, their courses will give them general knowledge on precision agriculture technology and insight into how they can demonstrate the environmental benefits of these tools.
Laboratory exercises, agricultural production technologies, and agricultural mapping software will all be a part of the coursework.