• Students apply their education through labs at Darr Agriculture Center and Journagan Ranch and internships, allowing them to dig in and get their hands dirty.
  • Students can participate in various research projects conducted by our experienced faculty members at both the Springfield and Mountain Grove campuses.
  • MSU’s program offers students the flexibility to fulfill the requirements of natural resources while taking additional courses that increase their job marketability by specializing in other agriculture areas, including animal and plant sciences.
  • The natural resources program at Missouri State focuses on training students in sound management practices. Students will also learn the principles of soil development and the classification and management practices needed to conserve the soil and protect water resources and the environment against pollution.
  • Learning outcomes:
    • Students will understand the factors affecting the need to find sustainable practices for the production of food, feed, and fiber crops and how to implement and evaluate them.
    • Students will understand how the environment influences plant growth and crop yields, and ways to modify the environment to improve plant growth and yields.
    • Students will understand how to propagate, plant, and sustainably grow, manage and harvest fruit, vegetable, grain and/or forage crops within various environmental, marketing and financial conditions.
    • Students will be able to identify soil types and how they are formed and ways to modify soil structure and drainage to reduce erosion and improve water quality and water availability to plants.
    • Students will understand how soil fertility is determined and how plant nutrient deficiencies are identified, and the means of improving soil fertility and adding nutrients for plant growth.
    • Students will be able to recognize how soil type and topography affect recommended agricultural, commercial and residential use and water quality at varying locations.
    • Students will understand how to identify and sustainably manage plant diseases in various production systems.
    • Students will understand how to identify and sustainably manage insects in various plant production systems.
    • Students will understand how to identify weeds and sustainably manage them in various plant production systems.
    • Students will understand the basic concepts, compounds, and reactions occurring in organic and biochemical systems, particularly as related to the environment, plants and food crops.
    • Students will understand the basic principles of livestock production.
    • Students will understand the basic concepts of laws pertaining to agriculture and/or evaluation of land use for various agricultural practices.
    • Students will be able to apply knowledge to solve problems related to crop production and plant growth.
    • Students will have a greater knowledge of how natural resources relate to the economy and environment, both currently and in the future.
    • Students will be able to critically evaluate current events and public information related to natural resources as being scientifically-based or opinion-based and contribute to the knowledge base of information.
    • Students will work with others to coordinate activities to achieve group/team objectives.
    • Students will be able to write in a style appropriate for technical or informative publications for various audiences related to natural resources.
    • Students will have supervised, hands-on work experience related to natural resources.