The overall purpose of the Department of Agriculture is to provide students with the skills required to meet the changing needs and demands of agriculture and to enable students to become active and productive members of the society. More specifically, the primary objectives of the Department are:

1. To prepare students for careers in agriculture and natural resource management.
2. To contribute to the intellectual development of students.
3. To enable students to effectively participate in and make significant contributions to contemporary society.

Website Maintained by the Department of Agriculture

The Department of Agriculture is organized to offer curricula in Agricultural Sciences and Wildlife Management. In addition, the department offers numerous courses in plant and soil science for students desiring to obtain specialized training in these areas.
The Agricultural Sciences core is designed to prepare students for career opportunities in Animal Science, Equine Science, and Agribusiness, as well as General Agriculture. The Animal Science Concentration provides students with theoretical and practical training in the evaluation, breeding, feeding, management, and marketing of livestock. The Equine Science Concentration is designed to familiarize and train students for employment in the horse industry.
The Agribusiness Concentration is designed to emphasize the development of the student's managerial ability. Students are trained for careers in a wide variety of opportunities in agribusiness, industry, and government.
The Agricultural Sciences degree provides students with training in many facets of the agricultural industry such as animal science, agribusiness, and plant and soil science. Students choosing this career path are prepared for employment in the general agriculture industry as well as agriculturally oriented government agencies.
Students interested in attending a school of veterinary medicine are encouraged to meet with the McNeese Pre-Veterinary Medicine Advisor to discuss which of the three choices listed below is best for them.
McNeese offers Pre-Veterinary Medicine students three choices:

1. Two years of pre-veterinary basic requirements.
2. Pursue and complete the Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Science with a Pre-Veterinary Medicine Concentration.
3. Pursue and complete three years of the Agricultural Science with a Pre-Veterinary Medicine Concentration and, after completion of the first year of veterinary school be granted the Bachelor of Science in Agriculture Science.

The purpose of the Wildlife Management curriculum is to provide training for students in areas related to wildlife conservation and management. Students are prepared for employment with both private and governmental agencies responsible for managing natural resources.
Both the Agricultural Sciences and the Wildlife Management curricula are designed to prepare students for graduate study in a variety of disciplines.

A student in the Department of Agriculture must meet all graduation requirements listed in the section titled "Graduation Requirements" in the General Information section of this catalog. In addition, all course work in Agriculture that applies toward a degree must be accomplished with a minimum grade of "C". Each student is also required to complete a capstone experience, which includes taking a departmental test in the major.

The Department of Agriculture offers minors in Agricultural Sciences, and Wildlife Management. Requirements for a minor are as follows:

Agricultural Sciences: Animal Science 101, Agriculture 101, Agronomy 301, Animal Science 301.
Wildlife Management: Wildlife Management 299, 341, 342, 343, 453, Forestry 211, Agronomy 301.

The McNeese Department of Agriculture is a member of the Louisiana Consortium of Public Agricultural Colleges (LCPAC). The consortium has developed a two-year core curriculum designed to facilitate the transfer of students majoring in an agriculture program among Louisiana public colleges and universities. The McNeese courses that meet the two-year consortium core curriculum are listed in the following table.