B.S. in Sustainable Plant Systems
$76,400
Median Industry Pay (U.S. BLS 2023)
Fall, Spring, Summer, Winter
Entry Terms
Tucson
Coursework Location
Your perfect world is thriving and diverse, and you have the fresh perspective needed to grow a sustainable future.
Our sustainable plant systems program integrates basic and applied plant and soil science in a way that gives you practical experience in laboratory and field settings while also learning scientific principles and approaches to innovate and develop new techniques in plant production and management. You will earn a skill set suited for careers in field and greenhouse plant production, urban forestry, public garden management, and fresh produce safety.
Why Major in Sustainable Plant Systems?
You want to create plant-based solutions to produce food, clothing, fuels and pharmaceutical products, and you want to turn that desire into a rewarding career. The sustainable plant systems program prepares you to be a leader in 21st-century agriculture and an expert in the use of technology, science and cultural practices to generate innovations in plant production and crop improvements with sensitivity to resource conservation and ecological context.
Through rigorous training in basic sciences and practical experiences, you will be prepared to enter careers in research, agronomic and horticultural field and greenhouse crop production, marketing of agricultural and ornamental crop plants, food safety, green infrastructure, and related green industries.
A degree in sustainable plant systems prepares you for careers in food production, renewable energy, medicine, agriculture and manufacturing. It also can serve as a springboard for graduate school. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median pay for careers related to agricultural and food science was $76,400 per year with a faster-than-average job growth overall (2023).
There are a variety of career opportunities available to students who complete a B.S. in Sustainable Plant Systems, including:
- Agronomist: Manage soil and field crop production, conduct research, and develop production practices and new crop varieties.
- Horticulturist: Work in fields and greenhouses to cultivate high-value, specialty crops and provide consultation to landscape architects about ecologically sustainable grounds-management practices.
- Botanist: Study plants and their environment to identify and classify new species.
- Plant geneticist: Research and work to identify genes useful in developing desirable plant traits, with jobs in public and private sectors.
- Education and advocacy: Work in museums, public parks or government positions to educate policymakers and communities about the importance of plants and thoughtful stewardship of the world’s natural resources.
As a sustainable plant systems student, you’ll gain knowledge and valuable skills in modern agriculture. Courses required to complete a B.S. in Sustainable Plant Systems are subject to change, so remember to meet with your advisor regularly to review your course plan.
All Sustainable Plant Systems majors require 3 units of internship credit.
All students must take and pass BE 493 Internship for 3 credit hours. Each unit of credit requires 45 hours of work. Internships must be specialized work on an individual basis, consisting of training and practice in actual service in a technical, business, or governmental establishment.
- Upload the form into the appropriate BE Undergraduate D2L assignment box, at least one week before the beginning of the semester.
- Students in other majors, will need to complete the forms with the BE faculty and email to Dava Jondall (davaj@arizona.edu) at least one week before the beginning of the semester.
Credit and grading
- All BE students must take and pass BE 493 Internship for a minimum of 1 credit hour up to a maximum of 4 credit hours. Each unit of credit requires a minimum of 45 hours of work.
- The grades available for internship are limited to S (superior), P (passing), C (average), D (poor), E (failure), I (incomplete), and W (withdraw). Note that S/P grades do not factor into a student’s grade point average.
Students often register for BE 493 in the fall of their Senior year and will perform the internship duties in the summer before that semester. There are no restrictions on a student performing the internship at an earlier time. Prior to initiation of the internship work, the student must submit an “Application for Internship” to the faculty course coordinator.
Sustainable plant systems students have the unique opportunity to gain fundamental and practical experience in the classroom, lab and field with courses like the following:
- Plant Biology
- Applied Plant Physiology
- Soil Fertility & Plant Nutrition
- Insect Pest Management
- Introductory Plant Pathology
- Animal and Plant Genetics
Program emphases
Our program lets you choose from four emphases to build a degree that fits your plan.
The bachelor's degree in sustainable plant systems, agronomy emphasis, will prepare you with an understanding of the critical concepts in soil-plant science, as well as the key approaches and technical skills needed to optimize the production of large-scale crops while protecting ecosystem soil health. You will receive training to develop drought- and disease-resistant plants, affording higher crop yield and better plant health on marginal lands.
About the Agronomy & Horticulture Emphasis
This degree emphasis will prepare you for a fulfilling career in agronomic crop production, soil management in arid lands, crop consulting, crop breeding, education, or advocacy. The degree can lead to advanced studies at the graduate level conducting laboratory or field research.
Course examples
You’ll work with your advisor to create a course plan that includes core and elective classes. Some course options for the agronomy emphasis include:
- Crop Science and Production
- Applied Weed Science
- Plant Breeding
- Applications in Agricultural Mechanics
- Environmental Physics
A bachelor's degree in Sustainable Plant Systems, controlled environment agriculture emphasis, will help you cultivate technologies to efficiently produce plants and plant-based products. You will learn to develop ways to grow plants with optimized resource consumption, using environmentally, socially and economically sustainable growing systems in arid lands and urban settings.
About the Controlled Environment Agriculture Emphasis
This degree emphasis will prepare you for a career in hydroponic farming, greenhouse management, engineering, business, data analysis and more. This degree also can be used as a launch pad for further studies at the graduate level, or for a research position with a public, private or academic institute.
Course examples
You’ll work with your advisor to create a course plan that includes core and elective classes. Some course options for the controlled environment agriculture emphasis include:
- Introduction to Hydroponics
- Applied Instrumentation for Controlled Environment Agriculture
- Cultivation of Cannabis
- Controlled Environment Systems
- Aquaponics
A bachelor's degree in Sustainable Plant Systems, urban horticulture emphasis, will prepare you to produce and manage plants for use in crop production, landscape management and ecological restoration. You will learn about the technical and scientific principles of plant production and management in native lands, as well as in urban and suburban residential and commercial settings.
About the Urban Horticulture Emphasis
This degree emphasis will prepare you for a career in horticulture, landscape design, municipal planning, agriculture, botany and more. You can work in settings like public gardens, municipal and state urban forestry programs, landscape design and design-build firms, field and greenhouse nurseries, and community garden programs. The degree also can lead to a graduate studies program.
Course examples
You’ll work with your advisor to create a course plan that includes core and elective classes. Some course options for the urban horticulture emphasis include:
- Plant Materials
- Introduction to Horticulture
- Arboriculture
- Landscape Ecology
- Green Infrastructure
A bachelor's degree in Sustainable Plant Systems, fresh produce safety emphasis, is offered at our Yuma, Arizona campus. It will teach you how to establish good agricultural practices in the field and during harvest, relating to the production of leafy green and fresh vegetables. You will learn about food safety issues and field risk assessments, as well as manufacturing concerns that include sanitation, other potential hazards, and production problem analysis.
About the Fresh Produce Safety Emphasis
This degree emphasis will prepare you for a career in agriculture and agronomy; the food safety industry; manufacturing and production; and government, institutional, or private-sector inspection services. The degree also can lead to further studies at the graduate level.
Course examples
You’ll work with your advisor to create a course plan that includes core and elective classes. Some course options for the fresh produce safety emphasis include:
- Fundamentals of Food Science
- Food Microbiology and Biotechnology
- Crop Production
- Quantitative Business Analysis
- Agriculture Law