B.Sc. Agriculture

In this article, we will have an in-depth analysis of B.Sc. Agriculture course. We will check out loads of important details related to this Bachelor Degree program. I will cover basic course details, important subjects present in this B.Sc. program, eligibility criteria, scope and job opportunities after graduation etc in this article.

 

12th Science stream students, who have an interest in the sector of agriculture, may pursue this course. B.Sc. Agriculture course is a great alternate to the B.E./B.Tech. Agriculture Engineering program. Since India is an agrarian country, this field will never run out of job opportunities. To be honest, qualified professionals are always valued, when it comes to agriculture sector. Thus, it is evident that there is more than just one reason to pursue this course!

farm

Find details about B.Sc. Agriculture course here

Let us start off with the basic course details-

 

B.Sc. Agriculture: Basic course details

It is a 4 years long Undergraduate Bachelor Degree program. B.Sc. Agriculture program consists of topics such as- agriculture science, use of modern scientific equipment and techniques in agriculture, land surveying, soil science, water resource management, animal and poultry management, basics of biotechnology etc.

 

The main aim of this program is to use the above mentioned concepts to train students improve agriculture productivity, manage products and pave way for future developments through research activities.

 

This program aims at combining concepts of Biology, Technology and Agriculture Science to boost Agricultural Productivity.

 

B.Sc. Agriculture course deals with agricultural science and its allied areas. What is agricultural science all about, you may ask. This branch of science deals with boosting agricultural productivity through principles of biology, science, technology etc.

 

Let us consider a real life example – agricultural practices in arid regions of Kutch, Gujarat, India. In this region, rainfall is scarce. Water resources are far too limited in this region. As a result, there was shortage of water for agricultural activities.

 

Thanks to agricultural science, farmers in this area now have access to crops that need lower amount of water. Moreover, thanks to modern irrigation practices, they even have access to ample amount of water for agricultural activities. This shows how agricultural science can help improve agricultural productivity.

 

Let us consider another example – agricultural practices taking place in regions with low soil fertility. In such cases, agricultural officers use modern fertilizers to boost the soil fertility. They also provide training and skills to farmers regarding aspects such as – preparing fertilizer mixture, applying it, work safety, crop rotation etc.

 

In short, agricultural science’s main aim is to boost agricultural productivity. This branch of science relies on biology, technology and chemistry to achieve the above mentioned goal!

 

Soil science and fertility, irrigation practices and techniques, plant and crop diseases, fertilizers, sustainable farming, biochemistry, different types of crops, crop rotation – these are some of the important topics covered by B.Sc. Agriculture course. This program also deals with allied sectors such as – horticulture, animal husbandry, poultry farming, food processing etc.

 

Let us take a look at some of the important subjects present in B.Sc. Agriculture program to know more about what this program is like-

 

B.Sc. Agriculture: Important subjects present in the program

Please note that I have listed only the important subjects so that readers may get a good idea about what the course is like.

  • Agronomy: Basics of Agronomy, Field Crops (Kharif), Field Crops (Rabi), Crop Production, Weed Management, Irrigation Techniques, Water resource management, Organic Farming, Sustainable agriculture. Apart from theoretical subjects, practical sessions are also involved, in case of these subjects.
  • Plant Genetics: Botany, Basics of Genetics, Plant Breeding, Seed Technology, Basics of Biotechnology. Apart from the above mentioned theoretical subjects, practical sessions involving these subjects are also present.
  • Soil Science: Introduction to Soil Science, Soil Fertility, Soil Chemistry, Fertilizers, Agricultural Chemistry. Apart from the above mentioned theoretical subjects, practical sessions involving the subjects are also present.
  • Entomology: Pest Management, Beneficial Insects, Grain Storage and Management. Like the above entries, along with theoretical subjects, practical sessions involving them are also present.
  • Agricultural Economics: Market prices, Trade prices, Marketing, Finance, Agribusiness Management, Farm Management. Along with the theoretical subjects, practical sessions involving them are also present.
  • Agriculture Engineering: Agriculture Machinery, Power and Tools, Harvest Technology, Environment Science and Engineering, Renewable Energy. Along with the theoretical subjects, practical sessions involving them are also present.
  • Agricultural Meteorology: Climate patterns, Climatic hazards on Agriculture, Climatic Zones, Weather forecasting. Practical sessions related to the theoretical subjects are also present.
  • Plant Pathology: Crop Diseases, Nematology. Practical sessions related to the theoretical subjects are also present.
  • Horticulture: Fruit Crops, Medicinal Plants, Aromatic Plants, Flower Production, Spices, Plantation Crops. Practical sessions related to the theoretical subjects are also present.
  • Agricultural Extension: Dimensions of Agricultural Extension, Extension Methodologies, Entrepreneurship Development program. Practical sessions related to the theoretical subjects is also present.
  • Biochemistry
  • Physiology
  • Microbiology
  • Computer Education
  • English
  • Physical Education
  • Animal Products

 

Those were some very important subjects present in the program. Elective subjects will also be present in case of certain semesters. Study tours, field trips, experience earning courses etc are also present in some semesters (varies from one University to another).

 

Eligibility Criteria

10+2 Science stream students with Physics, Chemistry and Biology subjects, who have passed their board examination from a recognized board, are eligible to pursue this course. Minimum marks criteria exists, which varies from one University to another. Generally, it is between 40-50% marks in PCB subjects.

 

Also, to be considered eligible, students must also have appeared for state level entrance examination too (another relevant exam is – ICAR AIEEA)! You may also check – scholarships after 12th class.

 

B.Sc. Agriculture Colleges in India

Agricultural colleges across India are known to offer B.Sc. Agriculture course. These colleges can broadly be classified into two types – Government colleges and private colleges.

 

Classification of colleges has been carried out on the basis of the entity that owns the college. Government colleges work under the State or Central Government department. On the other hand, private colleges work under private educational or charitable trusts.

 

Government agriculture colleges are known to charge low tuition fees. On the other hand, private agriculture colleges are known to charge relatively higher tuition fees.

 

Here are some of the popular agriculture colleges in India –

  • Anand Agricultural University
  • Junagadh Agricultural University
  • Indian Agricultural Research Institute
  • Navsari Agricultural University
  • Parul University
  • Sardarkrushinagar Dantiwada Agricultural University
  • Kerala Agricultural University
  • College of Agriculture, Vellayani
  • Shivaji University
  • Calicut University
  • College of Agricultural Biotechnology, Pune
  • NSS College
  • MPKV
  • College of Agriculture, Pune
  • Amity University
  • Sharda University

 

Admission Process

In order to secure admission into a good Govt college, you must take part in relevant agriculture entrance exam. These exams are being carried out at State, College and National levels each year.

 

If you want to get into a good college, you must score well in relevant entrance exam. Reputed institutes rely on merit based admission process. Under this system of admission, seats are distributed among deserving candidates on the basis of their performance in relevant entrance exam.

 

You may also check –

Agriculture courses in India

Entrance exams in India

 

Some colleges are also known to carry out direct admission process (first come, first serve basis). Some other colleges are known to carry out donation based admission process.

 

PG Courses and Higher Education

After completing B.Sc. Agriculture course, graduates will get access to different types of PG courses. PG stands for postgraduate level courses.

 

M.Sc. Agriculture is the most popular PG course among B.Sc. Agriculture graduates. M.Sc. program is two years long. Apart from that, graduates even have access to different types of PG Diploma and PG Certificate (Agricultural science) programs.

 

They even have access to management programs such as – MBA, MMS and PGDM programs. In short, they have access to different types of Master’s and PG level programs.

 

After completing relevant M.Sc. course, interested candidates may apply for PhD admission. PhD is a research based program. It is a Doctoral Degree course. This program will help you build a decent career in agriculture R&D sector.

 

Scope, Job opportunities and Salary after graduation

Lots of Government as well as Private job opportunities are present in front of Graduates. Talking about Government jobs, State Agriculture Departments recruits Graduates to fill up Officer level posts. Government Banks also recruits Graduates to fill up Officer level posts (generally dealing with Loans).

 

Talking about Private Sector jobs, graduates may find jobs as Managers at Plantations, as Officers at Fertilizer Manufacturing firms, Agriculture Machinery Industries, Agricultural Products Marketing firms, Food processing units etc. Average starting salary is generally between 2-4.5 Lakh Rupees per year.

 

Salary Specs Overview
1 Government Job- fixed salary depending upon Officer Class and Grade. 2 Private Job- generally between 2-4.5 Lakh Rupees per year. 3 Entrepreneurship/Own venture- not fixed.

 

The Research and Development Sector associated with this field is a promising one. After completing relevant M.Sc. and PhD courses, one may build a career in that sector.

 

Some well known job posts available in front of Graduates are-

  • Research Officer
  • Quality Assurance Officer
  • Agriculture Officer
  • Agriculture Loan Officer (in Banks)
  • Production Manager
  • Operations Manager
  • Farm Manager

 

One may also work as an independent consultant after gaining work experience in the above mentioned fields. After B.Sc. Agriculture, one may also go for M.Sc. Agriculture and take up a teaching job, or even go for PhD and build a career in the Research sector associated with the field of Agriculture.

Share this awesome article!
Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedin

640 Comments

  1. ARPIT GOYAL July 11, 2018
  2. S.Selva Priya June 28, 2018
  3. Uday sree June 27, 2018
  4. Madhu Nirala June 24, 2018
  5. Monika semwal June 23, 2018
    • Arun Kallarackal June 27, 2018
  6. mahesh June 21, 2018
  7. Manohar June 17, 2018
  8. Manav rathi June 16, 2018
  9. anusha June 16, 2018
  10. Lavanya June 13, 2018
  11. Aleen sahoo June 11, 2018
  12. Thampy June 8, 2018
  13. PRASANTH June 8, 2018
  14. Keerthi June 8, 2018
  15. Jay gawai June 6, 2018
  16. Urbi June 4, 2018
  17. Rohan June 4, 2018
  18. Adarsh M June 2, 2018
    • Arun Kallarackal June 2, 2018
  19. Ayush goyal May 25, 2018
  20. logitha May 21, 2018
  21. Swapnil srivastava May 20, 2018
  22. Laya May 19, 2018
  23. Vignesh May 18, 2018
  24. Adrija May 18, 2018
  25. sandra May 16, 2018
    • Arun Kallarackal May 17, 2018
  26. Anusha.bk May 16, 2018
  27. Sridhar May 12, 2018
    • Arun Kallarackal May 12, 2018
    • srinidhi May 28, 2018
  28. Bharath May 8, 2018
  29. Imna May 7, 2018
    • Arun Kallarackal May 7, 2018
  30. Devender May 5, 2018
    • Arun Kallarackal May 5, 2018
  31. Hamsaveni May 4, 2018
  32. Tarum May 3, 2018
  33. Jagannath May 2, 2018
    • Arun Kallarackal May 5, 2018
  34. JENISH May 1, 2018
    • Arun Kallarackal May 6, 2018
  35. Gayatri May 1, 2018
    • Arun Kallarackal May 6, 2018
    • srinidhi May 28, 2018
  36. Lakshay April 28, 2018
  37. Thunga R S April 24, 2018
    • Kunal Thacker April 25, 2018
  38. Geetha April 22, 2018
    • Arun Kallarackal April 24, 2018
  39. Sanchita Sarkar April 19, 2018
    • Arun Kallarackal April 21, 2018
  40. Muskan Sahu April 19, 2018
    • Arun Kallarackal April 22, 2018
  41. Sayali April 14, 2018
  42. Sayali April 14, 2018
    • Kunal Thacker April 25, 2018
  43. Devraj juyal April 14, 2018
    • Arun Kallarackal April 14, 2018
  44. MUKUL CHAHAR April 2, 2018
    • Kunal Thacker April 25, 2018
  45. Prabhu April 1, 2018
    • Kunal Thacker April 25, 2018
  46. Mansi April 1, 2018
    • Farhan Sindhi April 1, 2018
  47. Tahir sheikh March 31, 2018
    • Farhan Sindhi April 1, 2018
  48. Jeevika.R March 30, 2018
    • Arun Kallarackal April 1, 2018
  49. Shivika March 29, 2018
    • Arun Kallarackal March 29, 2018
  50. Rajat March 29, 2018
    • Arun Kallarackal March 29, 2018
  51. Thansha March 28, 2018
    • Farhan Sindhi April 1, 2018
  52. Nabarun March 21, 2018
    • Farhan Sindhi April 1, 2018
  53. KAMAL arora March 13, 2018
    • Arun Kallarackal March 20, 2018
  54. chaitanya s chouhan February 23, 2018
    • Ankit Kumar March 8, 2018
  55. rohith February 23, 2018
    • Kunal Thacker April 25, 2018
  56. Pushkar Anand February 23, 2018
    • Arun Kallarackal February 24, 2018
  57. anu February 10, 2018
    • LOVE KUMAR March 8, 2018
    • Ankit Kumar March 8, 2018
  58. Mohammed omez haji February 10, 2018
    • Arun Kallarackal February 17, 2018
  59. satyapal February 8, 2018
    • Farhan Sindhi April 1, 2018
  60. Venkateswarlu Balu February 5, 2018
    • Farhan Sindhi April 1, 2018
  61. Deepthi February 1, 2018
    • Farhan Sindhi April 1, 2018
  62. Ramkumar. P. C January 25, 2018
    • Arun Kallarackal February 18, 2018
  63. jess kim January 18, 2018
    • Arun Kallarackal January 20, 2018
    • Ankit Kumar March 8, 2018
  64. harsha January 17, 2018
    • Arun Kallarackal January 18, 2018
  65. sahil naik January 16, 2018
    • Farhan Sindhi April 1, 2018
  66. Aman January 15, 2018
    • Arun Kallarackal January 18, 2018
  67. Kartik Lilhare January 11, 2018
    • Arun Kallarackal January 11, 2018
  68. Rishu singh January 6, 2018
    • Rishu singh January 6, 2018
  69. preethi January 3, 2018
  70. Shovan mitra December 29, 2017
    • Arun Kallarackal December 29, 2017
  71. pratap December 16, 2017
    • Arun Kallarackal December 30, 2017
  72. विशाल मौर्य December 13, 2017
  73. shams shaikh December 8, 2017
  74. Suraj kumar December 3, 2017
    • Arun Kallarackal December 4, 2017
  75. rajesh November 27, 2017
  76. Alok Rawat November 23, 2017
  77. Anant November 23, 2017
  78. Paras pal November 18, 2017
    • Arun Kallarackal November 18, 2017
  79. mohd shadab November 1, 2017
  80. srinesh prabhu May 31, 2016
    • Arun Kallarackal June 4, 2016
  81. Rahul May 31, 2016
  82. Aditya Mishra May 30, 2016
    • Arun Kallarackal June 4, 2016
  83. cheepu May 29, 2016
    • Arun Kallarackal June 6, 2016
  84. Pankaj Aher May 29, 2016
    • Arun Kallarackal June 6, 2016
  85. prabhjot May 25, 2016
    • Arun Kallarackal May 26, 2016
  86. Anand Ram Shan May 23, 2016
    • Arun Kallarackal May 24, 2016
  87. Rashi May 22, 2016
    • Arun Kallarackal May 23, 2016
  88. Tufan Pramanik May 22, 2016
    • Arun Kallarackal May 23, 2016
  89. K.sharmili May 21, 2016
    • Arun Kallarackal May 23, 2016
  90. banlum mukhim May 21, 2016
    • Arun Kallarackal May 21, 2016
  91. muthu May 20, 2016
    • Arun Kallarackal May 21, 2016
  92. umesh sharma May 15, 2016
    • Arun Kallarackal May 16, 2016
  93. RAJESHKUMAAR V May 15, 2016
    • Arun Kallarackal May 16, 2016
  94. vikram choudhary May 14, 2016
  95. Anil kumar May 13, 2016
    • Arun Kallarackal May 14, 2016

Leave a Reply