Majors and Programs

Majors

The College offers 24 majors that span 7 Areas of Study. These areas allow for the development of specialized skills while creating opportunities to collaborate on multifaceted issues affecting food and agriculture, energy, health and the environment.

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• Agricultural and Applied Economics

  Are you interested in the problems of global poverty and hunger? Is your goal a career in international business? Are you curious about the effects of globalization on the American economy?

• Agricultural Business Management

  Are you curious about the effects of globalization on the American economy? Are you concerned about wetlands, industrial pollution, global climate change, and the survival of endangered species?

• Agronomy

  Whether you're interested in plant biology, ecology, genetics, biotechnology, crop management and protection, or other aspects of crop production systems, an education in agronomy offers many learning opportunities and career options.

• Animal Sciences

  Animal Sciences combines science and technology as they apply to the production, management and distribution of livestock for food, fiber and recreation

• Biochemistry

  If you're looking for a career exploring the edges of today's scientific knowledge, you may be interested in biochemistry.

• Biology

  Looking for a broad biology education, or do you want to specialize? Either way, the UW-Madison's biology major is a good choice

• Biological Systems Engineering

  Biological systems engineers design, manage, and develop systems and equipment that produce, package, process, and distribute the world's food and fiber supplies.

• Community and Environmental Sociology

  Have you ever wondered why people go hungry in the midst of plenty? Or how population changes and new industrial production practices affect the environment?

• Dairy Science

  There's no better place to start building a dairy science career. When you study with us, you'll get all of the opportunities of a large, world-class university, but you'll also be part of a close-knit department and a small college

• Dietetics

  A dietetics education opens doors for any student who is interested in nutrition and food science and wants a career that involves helping people improve their health.

• Entomology

  Insects are the earth's most diverse forms of life. Almost half of the species of all living organisms and over 70 percent of all animal species belong to the group we call insects.

• Environmental Sciences

  Environmental Sciences is a major that brings together campus resources to satisfy the growing demand among entry-level students for a rigorous, science-based program that promotes critical thinking and emphasizes environmental problem solving in service to society.

• Food Science

  If you enjoy basic sciences such as chemistry, physics and biology, you'll like the Food Science major! Food Science is the application of science and engineering to the production, processing, distribution, and evaluation of food.

• Forest Science

  Most people are not aware of the diverse and challenging opportunities — including science and business—that a career in forestry can provide.

• Genetics

  You have your mother's eyes and your father's nose. How is it that humans or individuals of any other species tend to resemble their close relatives more than unrelated individuals?

• Horticulture

  Horticultural Science deals with the creation, production, distribution and use of fruit, vegetable, ornamental, greenhouse, turf and specialty crops (plants used for flavoring and medicine).

• Landscape Architecture

  Landscape architects have been influential in designing scenic areas of American cities – especially parks and open spaces.

• Life Sciences Communication

  Majors in the Department of Life Sciences Communication learn to communicate about agriculture, biology, the environment, health and related areas. To be able to explain these subjects, you need communications expertise and a strong science background.

• Microbiology

  Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, their ecology, diversity, global distribution, their relationship to disease and food safety, and their beneficial uses in biotechnology and the production of foods, drugs and fuels.

• Nutritional Science

  Nutritional scientists work to ensure that our diets and those fed to animals supply the fundamental substances in foods which are essential to life.

• Poultry Science

  Students majoring in poultry science prepare for careers in four areas, depending on the degree program they choose.

• Plant Pathology

  Students majoring in poultry science prepare for careers in four areas, depending on the degree program they choose.

• Soil Science

  The food that nourishes us, the water that we drink and the air that we breathe all depend on soils and their life-sustaining properties.

• Wildlife Ecology

  As the world's human population and its demands on the earth's limited resources steadily grow, the welfare of wildlife species and the chances for their continued coexistence with man will depend on enlightened conservation and management programs.