WVU offers new program
Environmental protection, food science and technology, horticulture, pest management and soil sciences have all been added to the list of available academic minors through West Virginia University’s Davis College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences. The new additions bring the total number of academic minors available through the Davis College to 10. Others include agribusiness management, environmental economics, environmental microbiology, wildlife fisheries resources and wood science and technology.
The minors are open to all WVU students. Students must seek their advisor’s approval and complete a “Declaration of Intent to Complete a Minor Field” form.
The environmental protection minor is designed to provide students with the opportunity to study the science and techniques that are applied to safeguard the quality of the environment. This minor would benefit students in disciplines with backgrounds in chemistry and biological science who intend to work in an area where their major is applied to environmental protection.
Students who are looking to broaden their career opportunities in the food industry will benefit from a minor in food science and technology. This area of study includes food safety, food technology and engineering as well as food marketing research and development.
The horticulture minor emphasizes ornamental horticulture in both commercial and home settings, and complements the curricula of students studying the management and care of turf, parks and recreational areas and landscape planning.
Students with majors in biological sciences, horticulture, crops agronomy and environmental protection will find a minor in pest management beneficial in introducing a student to insects, plant pathogens and weeds that attack or compete with agricultural crops, ornamentals and forest trees.
A soil science minor is designed to introduce students to the relationships of soils to environmental protection and agricultural protection. This minor is useful to students majoring in biological, earth science and environmental fields.
For more information, call the associate dean’s office at 304-293-2691.