Offered at: San Luis Obispo Campus
The BS Agricultural Communication program prepares students to become professional communicators in the agriculture industry and related fields. Graduates of the program are effective oral, written, and digital communicators with an applied knowledge of new and emerging media technologies. This rapidly growing career area is supplemented by The Brock Center for Agricultural Communication, which provides students the opportunity for industry linkages and professional preparation.
Program Learning Objectives
- Demonstrate and apply excellent interpersonal, digital, and professional communication skills in the agricultural industry.
- Select appropriate digital communication strategies for issues in the agricultural industry and related fields.
- Interpret, synthesize, and communicate information on agriculture and related fields.
- Apply ethical strategic communication principles to agriculture, food, and environmental science challenges.
- Demonstrate agricultural communication competencies in an increasingly diverse global community.
- Engage in dynamic agricultural communication strategies with various stakeholder groups.
- Translate scientific and technical agricultural information to diverse audiences.
- Employ problem-solving skills in the context of communicating about agriculture.
Degree Requirements and Curriculum
In addition to the program requirements listed on this page, students must also satisfy requirements outlined in more detail in the Minimum Requirements for Graduation section of this catalog, including:
- 40 units of upper-division courses
- 2.0 GPA
- Graduation Writing Requirement (GWR)
- U.S. Cultural Pluralism (USCP)
Note: No Major courses may be selected as credit/no credit. In addition, no more than 12 units of cooperative or internship courses can count towards your degree requirements.
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| MAJOR COURSES | ||
| AGC 1102 | Orientation to Agricultural Communication & Agricultural Science | 1 |
| AGC 2205 | Agricultural Communications | 3 |
| AGC 2207 | Software Applications for Agricultural Publications | 2 |
| AGC 2225 | Digital Communication in Agriculture and Science | 3 |
| AGC 3301 | New Media Communication Strategies in Agriculture | 3 |
| AGC 3339 | Internship in Agricultural Communications | 3 |
| AGC 4404 | Applications of Agricultural Leadership | 3 |
| AGC 4407 | Agricultural Publications | 3 |
| AGC 4425 | Multimedia Storytelling in Agriculture and Science | 3 |
| AGC 4426 | Presentation Methods in Agricultural Communication | 3 |
| AGC 4452 | Current Trends and Issues in Agricultural Communication | 3 |
| AGC 4463 | Senior Project | 3 |
| AGC 4475 | Crisis Communication in Food and Agriculture | 3 |
| SUPPORT COURSES | ||
| AGB 2212 | Agricultural Economics | 3 |
| AGB 2260 | Agribusiness Data Literacy | 3 |
| AGB 3301 | Food Marketing | 3 |
| or WVIT 3343 | Branded Wine Marketing | |
| AGB 3312 | Agricultural Policy | 3 |
| ASCI 1101 | Principles of Animal Physiology | 3 |
| ASCI 1102 | Animal Management Systems | 3 |
| ASCI 1103 | Animal Science Laboratory | 1 |
| BIO 1111 | General Biology (5B) 1 | 3 |
| BRAE 3340 | Irrigation Water Management (Upper-Division 2/5) 1 | 3 |
| Select from the following: (5A & 5C) 1 | 4 | |
| World of Chemistry | ||
| Fundamentals of Chemical Structure and Properties | ||
| COMS 3316 | Intercultural Communication (USCP) | 3 |
| ECON 2040 | Macroeconomics (4B) 1 | 3 |
| ENGL 3310 | Corporate Communication (Upper-Division 4) 1 | 3 |
| FSN 1111 | Elements of Food Processing | 3 |
| or FSN 2245 | Elements of Food Safety | |
| JOUR 2203 | News Reporting and Writing | 3 |
| MATH 1006 | College Algebra (2) 1 | 3 |
| NR 3308 | Fire and Society | 3 |
| PLSC 1120 & 1120L | Principles of Plant Sciences and Principles of Plant Sciences Lab | 3 |
| STAT/DATA 1000 | Statistical and Data Literacy | 3 |
| SS 1120 | Introductory Soil Science | 4 |
| GENERAL EDUCATION (GE) | ||
| (See GE program requirements below) | 24 | |
| FREE ELECTIVES | ||
| Free Electives | 0 | |
| Total Units | 120 | |
- 1
Required in Major or Support; also satisfies General Education (GE) requirement.
General Education (GE) Requirements
General Education (GE) Requirements
- 43 units required, 19 of which are specified in Major and/or Support.
- If any of the remaining 24 Units is used to satisfy a Major or Support requirement, additional units of Free Electives may be needed to complete the total units required for the degree.
- See the complete GE course listing.
- A grade of C- or better is required in one course in each of the following GE Areas: 1A (English Composition), 1B (Critical Thinking), 1C (Oral Communication), and 2 (Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning).
| Lower-Division General Education | ||
| Area 1 | English Communication and Critical Thinking | |
| 1A | Written Communication | 3 |
| 1B | Critical Thinking | 3 |
| 1C | Oral Communication | 3 |
| Area 2 | Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning | |
| 2 | Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning (3 units in Support) 1 | 0 |
| Area 3 | Arts and Humanities | |
| 3A | Arts | 3 |
| 3B | Humanities: Literature, Philosophy, Languages other than English | 3 |
| Area 4 | Social and Behavioral Sciences (Area 4 courses must come from at least two different course prefixes.) | |
| 4A | American Institutions (Title 5, Section 40404 Requirement) | 3 |
| 4B | Social and Behavioral Sciences (3 units in Support) 1 | 0 |
| Area 5 | Physical and Life Sciences | |
| 5A | Physical Sciences (3 units in Support) 1 | 0 |
| 5B | Life Sciences (3 units in Support) 1 | 0 |
| 5C | Laboratory (may be embedded in a 5A or 5B course) (1 units in Support) 1 | 0 |
| Area 6 | Ethnic Studies | |
| 6 | Ethnic Studies | 3 |
| Upper-Division General Education | ||
| Upper-Division 2/5 | Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning or Physical and Life Sciences (3 units in Support) 1 | 0 |
| Upper-Division 3 | Arts and Humanities | 3 |
| Upper-Division 4 | Social and Behavioral Sciences (Area 4 courses must come from at least two different course prefixes.) (3 units in Support) 1 | 0 |
| Total Units | 24 | |
- 1
Required in Major or Support; also satisfies General Education (GE) requirement.
Agricultural Communication
Suggested Four-Year Flowcharts are planning guides and do not represent a required course sequence.
Courses may be completed in a different order, provided requisite requirements are satisfied.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Term 1 | Units | |
| AGC 1102 | Orientation to Agricultural Communication & Agricultural Science | 1 |
| AGC 2207 | Software Applications for Agricultural Publications | 2 |
| BIO 1111 | General Biology | 3 |
| STAT/DATA 1000 | Statistical and Data Literacy | 3 |
| General Education Requirement (1A) | 3 | |
| General Education Requirement (1C) | 3 | |
| Units | 15 | |
| Term 2 | ||
| ASCI 1101 | Principles of Animal Physiology | 3 |
| ASCI 1102 | Animal Management Systems | 3 |
| ASCI 1103 | Animal Science Laboratory | 1 |
| CHEM 1110 or CHEM 1120 | World of Chemistry (5A & 5C) 1 or Fundamentals of Chemical Structure and Properties | 4 |
| MATH 1006 | College Algebra (2) 1 | 3 |
| General Education Requirement (1B) | 3 | |
| Units | 17 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Term 1 | ||
| AGC 2205 | Agricultural Communications | 3 |
| FSN 1111 or FSN 2245 | Elements of Food Processing or Elements of Food Safety | 3 |
| JOUR 2203 | News Reporting and Writing | 3 |
| PLSC 1120 & 1120L | Principles of Plant Sciences and Principles of Plant Sciences Lab | 3 |
| General Education Requirement | 3 | |
| Units | 15 | |
| Term 2 | ||
| AGC 2225 | Digital Communication in Agriculture and Science | 3 |
| AGB 2212 | Agricultural Economics | 3 |
| AGB 2260 | Agribusiness Data Literacy | 3 |
| ECON 2040 | Macroeconomics (4B) 1 | 3 |
| SS 1120 | Introductory Soil Science | 4 |
| Units | 16 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Term 1 | ||
| AGC 3301 | New Media Communication Strategies in Agriculture | 3 |
| AGB 3301 or WVIT 3343 | Food Marketing or Branded Wine Marketing | 3 |
| AGB 3312 | Agricultural Policy | 3 |
| COMS 3316 | Intercultural Communication (USCP) | 3 |
| General Education Requirement | 3 | |
| Units | 15 | |
| Term 2 | ||
| AGC 3339 | Internship in Agricultural Communications | 3 |
| BRAE 3340 | Irrigation Water Management (Upper-Division 2/5) 1 | 3 |
| NR 3308 | Fire and Society | 3 |
| General Education Requirement | 3 | |
| Units | 12 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Term 1 | ||
| AGC 4404 | Applications of Agricultural Leadership | 3 |
| AGC 4407 | Agricultural Publications | 3 |
| AGC 4425 | Multimedia Storytelling in Agriculture and Science | 3 |
| ENGL 3310 | Corporate Communication (Upper-Division 4, GWR) 1 | 3 |
| General Education Requirement | 3 | |
| Units | 15 | |
| Term 2 | ||
| AGC 4426 | Presentation Methods in Agricultural Communication | 3 |
| AGC 4452 | Current Trends and Issues in Agricultural Communication | 3 |
| AGC 4463 | Senior Project | 3 |
| AGC 4475 | Crisis Communication in Food and Agriculture | 3 |
| General Education Requirement | 3 | |
| Units | 15 | |
| Total Units | 120 | |
- 1
Required in Major or Support; also satisfies General Education (GE) requirement.