Integrated Pest Management Concentration

Overview

The integrated pest management concentration emphasizes management of diseases, insects and weeds that interfere with crop production. Students in this concentration learn about a variety of topics, including plant pathology, weed science, entomology, crop production and the physical sciences. A summer internship with an employer in Illinois or a nearby state is required to allow students to gain experience and explore job opportunities. Some students in the integrated pest management concentration continue their education in a graduate program in an area related to the growth and production of healthy plants.

The broad range of courses available in the integrated pest management concentration prepares students for a variety of employment opportunities in plant production and protection. Employers include crop consulting firms, chemical and seed companies, state and federal research laboratories and agronomic and horticultural production businesses.

Opportunities for Study

The Integrated Pest Management Concentration emphasizes courses on plants and on the diseases, insects, and weeds that can damage them. When you complete your B.S. degree in Crop Sciences, you will have 40 semester hours of agriculture courses and 126 total hours, which means that you will take about 16 hours of classes each semester. Here is a possible pattern of science and math courses for the first two years (hours for each course are in parentheses):

Freshman Year	calculus (3) soils (4) chemistry (4) plant biology (4)	microbiology (5) crop sciences (4) issues in agriculture (3)
Sophomore Year	entomology (3) chemistry (7) statistics (3) horticulture (3)	plant and animal genetics (3) plant pathology (3) microbiology (5)

The pattern of courses for the junior and senior years is more variable and depends on the student's interests. Requirements in cultural studies (6 hr.), humanities (6 hr.), social sciences (6 hr.), and speech/composition (10 hr.) are the same for all concentrations.

Career Opportunities

The broad range of coursework in the Integrated Pest Management Concentration prepares students for a variety of job opportunities in plant production and protection. Students in this concentration are required to complete a summer internship with an employer in Illinois or a nearby state, in order to gain experience and to explore job opportunities first-hand. Employers include crop consulting firms, chemical and seed companies, state and federal research laboratories, and agronomic and horticultural production companies. There are currently more job openings than there are graduates in this area. Students also can continue their education in graduate studies (M.S. or Ph.D.) in areas related to the growth and production of healthy plants.