What is BSc Agriculture Course?
BSc Agriculture is a 4-year undergraduate course that primarily focuses on research and practices in agricultural science, dealing with disciplines like Genetics, Plant Breeding, Agricultural Microbiology, Soil Science, Plant Pathology, etc. It is a professional degree recognized by the Government of India in the field of agricultural science. This course aims to provide training to implement modern agricultural techniques and technologies in the real-world scenario.
Students who wish to study this course should have completed Class 12 with Physics, Chemistry, and Biology as their main subjects. The admission is either done on the basis of Merit and Direct Interview or through BSc Agriculture Entrance Exams. Students after completing BSc in Agriculture have a good scope in their careers. There are many kinds of BSc Agriculture Jobs available like Agricultural Officer, Agricultural Analyst, Plant Breeder, Seed Technologist.
Why BSc Agriculture?
Students have a wide range of scope after completing BSc in Agriculture. They may study Master in Agricultural Sciences or MSc Course. MBA/PGDM Course is also an option that is readily available.
- There is high demand for BSc Agriculture graduates with the rise of Agriculture startups. These startups need BSc agriculture graduates to grow Organic products at lower costs through innovation.
- BSc Agriculture is available in many Top Colleges and institutes providing many choices for students.
- The average fee for BSc Agriculture is very low as compared to other courses.
- Many colleges offer agricultural courses in India. ICAR is the regulating body
Who should do BSc in Agriculture?
Students who like to study the agricultural condition of any place and are interested in studying solid and crops must pursue this course. Disciplines like Genetics and Plant Breeding, Agricultural Microbiology, Soil Science, Plant Pathology, etc are taught here. If such disciplines interest you then you can pursue this course.
• Students interested in the use of technology for agriculture must do this course.
• Students must be quick thinking with good analytical skills in order to study BSc Agriculture since agriculture is a very diverse field where quick thinking is a must.
• In the field of agriculture, it is necessary for students to have a good hold over time management since agriculture is a time dominated field.
BSc Agriculture Eligibility
Interested students are required to fulfill the below-mentioned eligibility criteria of BSc Agriculture course:
- Completion of Intermediate (12 years of school education) in the Science stream with 50% of marks.
- Physics, Chemistry, Biology and/or Mathematics as the subjects of study.
Apart from this, candidates possessing an Intermediate in Agriculture stream (limited states) are also eligible to apply for the course. A few of the colleges also conduct their own university and college-level entrance examination for offering admissions to this course.
BSc Agriculture Syllabus
The BSc Agriculture syllabus and course curriculum is inclusive of class lessons, field trips, lab sessions, practical training, cattle training, etc. Subjects such as Soil Microbiology, Plant Breeding and Genetics, Agricultural Economics, Agronomy, Plant Pathology, Statistical Methods, Post Harvest Technology, etc. are included in the BSc Agriculture syllabus.
A semester wise breakup of the syllabus of this undergraduate agricultural science course is mentioned below:
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Semester I
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Semester II
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Fundamentals of Agronomy
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Fundamentals of Crop Physiology
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Fundamentals of Genetics
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Fundamentals of Plant Biochemistry
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Fundamentals of Soil Science
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Fundamentals of Entomology-I
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Fundamentals of Horticulture
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Fundamentals of Agricultural Economics
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Rural Sociology & Educational Psychology
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Principles of Organic Farming
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Introduction to Forestry
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Fundamentals of Plant Pathology
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Introductory Animal Husbandry
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Production Technology for Vegetables and Spices
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Comprehension & Communication Skills in English
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Fundamentals of Agricultural Extension Education
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Agricultural Heritage
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Food Processing and Safety Issues
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Introductory Biology or Basic Agriculture 1
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Human Values & Ethics
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Elementary Mathematics or Basic AgricuIture 2
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Soil and Water Conservation Engineering
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Semester III
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Semester IV
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Crop Production Technology 1 (Kharif crops)
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Crop Production Technology II (Rabi crops)
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Practical Crop Production 1 (Kharif crops)
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Practical Crop Production II (Rabi crops)
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Fundamentals of Plant Breeding
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Principles of Seed Technology
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Agricultural Microbiology
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Problematic soils and their Management
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Agricultural Finance and Cooperation
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Renewable Energy and Green Technology
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Farm Machinery and Power
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Production Technology for Ornamental Crops, MAP and Landscaping
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Principles of Integrated Disease Management
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Entrepreneurship Development and Business Communication
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Environmental Studies & Disaster Management
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Introductory Agro-meteorology & Climate Change
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Dairy Science
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Poultry Production & Management
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Fundamentals of Entomology-II
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Semester V
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Semester VI
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Rainfed and dryland Agriculture
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Farming System, Precision Farming & Sustainable Agriculture
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Crop Improvement-1 (Kharif crops)
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Crop Improvement-II (Rabi crops)
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Pests of Crops and Stored Grain and their Management
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Manures, Fertilizers and Soil Fertility Management
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Agricultural Marketing Trade & Prices
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Farm Management, Production & Resource Economics
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Protected Cultivation and Secondary Agriculture
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Diseases of Field and Horticultural Crops and their Management-II
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Diseases of Field and Horticultural Crops and their Management-I
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Post-harvest Management and Value Addition of Fruits and Vegetables
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Production Technology for Fruit and Plantation Crops
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Watershed and Wasteland Management
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Communication Skills and Personality Development
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Beneficial insects and Pest of Horticultural Crops and their Management
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Intellectual Property Rights
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Elective-2
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Principles of Food Science & Nutrition
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Educational Tour
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Geo-informatics and Nanotechnology
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Elective-1
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Semester VII
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Semester VIII
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General orientation & On-campus training by different faculties
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Production Technology for Bioagents and Biofertilizer
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Project Report Preparation, Presentation, and Evaluation
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Seed Production and Technology
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Mushroom Cultivation Technology
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Soil, Plant, Water, and Seed Testing
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Commercial Beekeeping
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BSc Agriculture Admission Process
The admission procedure varies from institute to institute. Some colleges provide direct BSc Agriculture admission on the basis of merit and personal interview, and some colleges conduct national, state-level, or university level entrance examinations to admit interested students.
1) For Direct Admission
Students must fill out the college application form whether online or offline before the application deadline in order to be considered for the admission process.
2) For Entrance Exam based Admission
Students must fill out the registration form of one of the many BSc Agriculture Entrance Examinations.
Admission is offered on the basis of performance in these examinations, followed by the different rounds of counseling sessions which usually consist of Group Discussions and Personal Interviews.
BSc Agriculture Jobs
After completing the course, graduates can find jobs in both the public and private sectors. The importance of agriculture is growing rapidly and thereby increasing job prospects in the field of agriculture. Today, there are a number of research projects and teaching work related to agriculture in many Agricultural departments, Extension services, Research organizations, Commercial farming, etc.
The average annual salary offered to these professionals ranges between INR 2 to 8 LPA. It may be higher in the government sector. The Gazetted post of Government of India as Agricultural Officer (Agronomist) is one of the most prestigious jobs in the public sector after BSc Agriculture. Some other jobs associated with the profile are:
* Agriculture Officer
* Assistant Plantation Manager
* Agricultural Research Scientist
* Business Development Executive
* Marketing Executive
* The table below describes some of the BSc Agriculture jobs and salaries associated with each job profile.
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Job Profile
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Job Description
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Agriculture Officer
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An agriculture officer works with farmers and companies related to agriculture. The main role of an agriculture officer is to guide them to increase agriculture productivity.
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Assistant Plantation Manager
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Assistant Plantation Manager is responsible for the efficient and profitable management of harvesting and other operations related to the plantation of crops or vegetables.
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Agricultural Research Scientist
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Agricultural Research Scientists begin with doing research work. Comprising both lab work and fieldwork, they are mainly concerned with the biological processes of various things and their relations with products and processes.
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Agriculture Development Officer
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Similar to an agriculture officer, an Agriculture Development Officer also works to improve the productivity of soil and other agricultural practices.
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Agriculture Technician
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Agricultural Technicians do work related to food, fiber, animal research, production, and processing by inventing methods to improve the yield of crops and protect animals from diseases.
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Marketing Executive
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A Marketing Executive promotes a product and develops sales strategies to attract customers and satisfy their requirements in order to maximize profits. It is one of the most popular job profiles in the corporate world.
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Plant Breeder
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Plant Breeders innovate and develop new strategies, tools, and technologies to improve the yield of major crops in India.
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Seed Technologist
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Seed Technologists provide support to seed growers by helping them with operations of seed equipment, planting of seeds and, and seed scouting.
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Conclusion
BSc Agriculture provides students with the knowledge and abilities they need to manage agri-business, conduct research, work in the agricultural field, perform field surveys, and manage many aspects of farming techniques. With the increasing pressure of job-related competition, the need to improve one’s skills and knowledge is quite significant. Some of the benefits include high salaries in the world of agriculture, career prospects and employment opportunities after completion.
The BSc agriculture course is a wide-ranging subject, making it very rewarding and interesting. It encompasses almost every aspect of agriculture including farming and forestry, science, technology and many more. Hence, if you need to sharpen your mind to have a successful career in the field of agriculture and farming, then a BSc degree in Agriculture is a good option to pursue.