B.Sc. Agriculture course, scope, career and salary

B.Sc. Agriculture course, scope, career and salary – Bsc Agriculture and its sister courses in B.sc Horticulture and B.Sc Forestry make up the three agricultural sciences related to crops, land and agro produce.This is a good alternative to B.E Agricultural Engineering as it is a much easier course to complete and is 3 years long whereas engineering is 4 years and much harder.

All science students after 12 th standard have this as a choice as a relatively new and upcoming field as Agriculture in India is one of the oldest and biggest profession and India’s agricultural production is one of the highest in the world.Keeping that in mind there are lots of avenues open for students who study this Bsc course as they can land jobs like Agricultural officers,farm managers,Agro products employee.

Subjects Syllabus for B.Sc. Agriculture course

The B.Sc Agriculture undergraduate course that you apply for after 12th board exams is a regular Bachelor’s degree that is of 4 years long or eight semesters.The main importnt sbjects that you will learn are Agronomy,Entomology,Soil Science,Fertilizers and Crop pathology.These are some of the areas of expertise that will be useful later on when you get a job.

Some of the subjects and syllabus that you will study in the first 3 year are shown below Semester wise.This will give you a good idea of what to expect before you enroll for the course.

There are six main departments :

Agril.Entomology
Soil Science
Agril.Chemistry
Agronomy
Genetics and Plant breeding
Plant pathology

SEMESTER 1

Fundamentals of Agronomy-I
Introductory Agro-meteorology and Climate
change
Livestock Production & Management
Rural Sociology & Educational Psychology
Fundamentals of Horticulture
Comprehension & Communication Skills in
English
Introductory Microbiology
Fundamentals of Soil Science
Agricultural Heritage
Introductory biology
Elementary Mathematics
Human Values & Ethics
Democracy, Elections and Good Governance
Physical Education and Yoga

SEMESTER 2

Fundamentals of Agronomy-II
Fundamentals of Crop Physiology
Fundamentals of Agricultural Economics
Soil and Water Conservation Engineering
Fundamentals of Entomology
Fundamentals of Agricultural Extension
Education
Fundamentals of Genetics
Fundamentals of Plant Pathology
Introduction to Forestry
Educational Tour*
Communication Skills and personality
Developments

SEMESTER 3

Crop Production Technology-I (Kharif crops)
Rainfed Agriculture and Watershed
Management
Fundamentals of plant biochemistry and
biotechnology
Farm Machinery and Power
Insect Ecology and Integrated pest Management
Fundamentals of Plant Breeding 1 1 2
Production Technology for Vegetables and
Spices
Principles of Integrated Disease Management
Statistical Methods
Agri- Informatics
Environmental Studies and Disaster
Management

SEMESTER 4

Crop Production Technology-II (Rabi crops)
Farming System and Sustainable Agriculture
Principles of Organic Farming
A Livestock Breeding and Nutrition
Agriculture Finance and Cooperation
Renewable Energy and Green Technology
Pest of Horticultural Crops and their
Management
Principles of Seed Technology
Production Technology for Fruit and
Plantation Crops
Problematic Soils and their Managemen
Micropropogation Technologies
Agricultural Journalism
Commercial Plant breeding
Bio-fertilizers, Bio-control Agents and Biopesticides
Study tour

SEMESTER 5

Practical Crop Production-I (Kharif crops)
Technology of Milk and Milk Products.
Intellectual Property Right
Agricultural Marketing Trade and Prices
Pests of Crops and Stored Grain and their
Management- I
Crop Improvement – I (Kharif Crops)
Production Technology for Ornamental
Crops, MAP and Landscaping
Diseases of Field and Horticultural Crops
and their Management
Manures, Fertilizers and Soil fertility management
Entepreneurship Development and
Business Communication
Weed Management
Agribusiness Management
Food Safety and Standards
Protected Cultivation of Horticultural Crops

SEMESTER 6

Practical Crop Production-II (Rabi crops)
Geo-informatics and Nano-technology and
Precision Farming
Sheep Goat and Poultry Production
Farm Management, Production and Resource
EconomicsProtected Cultivation and secondary
Agriculture
Management of Beneficial Insects
Principles of Food Science and Nutrition
G Crop Improvement – II (Rabi crops)
Post-harvest Management and Value
Addition of Fruits and Vegetables
Diseases of Field and Horticultural Crops
and their Management-II
System Stimulation and Agro-advisory
Hi tech Horticulture
Landscaping
Agrochemicals

Scope ,Salary and Job prospects

Since the agro food industry is big in India you can expect a wide range of jobs,right from Agro Nature Food companies that produce vegetable and fruit sauces,canned vegetables and Packaged masalas.There are other posts and vacancies for freshers like Agriculture Officer or Research officer.

There are also teaching positions open in various colleges for lecturers for fresher students.Once you get experience you can even apply for Farm and Factory Production and Manager level posts.Since there is lesser in this industry you will have greater chances of rising to the top.

You can Expect a starting salary of 1.25 LPA CTC for a fresher.This is exclusive of perks,commissions etc.

Some of the current job advertisements are shown below:

Eligibility for B.Sc. Agriculture course

Once you pass your 12th standard in science stream,then you are eligible for B.sc architecture if your have a minimum of 50% marks in 12th boards.Some colleges ask for PCB total of Physics,Chemistry,Biology or some ask for the full total score.This percentage may increase or decrease depending on the number of applicants for the course and the college.

Fees for B.Sc. Agriculture course

Fees start from about Rs.4500 semester and there are a total of 8 semesters in the year.Other small charges will be separate like library,computers etc.Hostel fees are also separate. This will change according to the college and the state.In big cities you can expect it to reach even Rs.10,000-15,000 per semester

Job and campus placements for B.Sc. Agriculture course

You can get jobs on campus placements as Assistant Agriculture Plantation Officers, Agricultural Research and Development Scientist

Some Employers that can visit your campus are :

National Agro Industries,

Nature Agro Food ltd.

Punjab Tractors

Raasi Seeds