AUBURNSC[mOOL 
OF
.4UBURNAGRICULTURE
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Message From The 
Dean
TO: High School and Junior College Students
The School of Agriculture programs 
encompass almost the total spectrum 
of the sciences that come to
play in the living world. At Auburn, 
all the basic biological sciences, including 
botany, microbiology, and
zoology, are in the School of Agriculture. 
Included in this School are other professional 
areas associated
with the production, processing, 
and marketing of food and fiber. These 
include soil and its management,
field and horticultural crop production, 
agricultural engineering, agricultural 
economics, poultry, animal
and dairy sciences, food science, entomology, 
and fisheries. Forestry, wood technology, 
wildlife, marine
biology, and landscape and ornamental 
horticulture are other areas of study for 
the enhancement of our
environment or the furnishing 
of products in our normal activities.
The basic requirements of human and 
all other biological life are air, water, and 
food. Programs of the
School of Agriculture include those 
relating to all three requirements of life-maintaining 
or improving
the quality of water and air, efficient 
use of water, and the efficient production 
and wise use of food and
fiber for use here and throughout 
the world.
The School of Agriculture, then, is almost 
an anomaly; with its diversity of programs 
itcan be almost all
things to all people.
This booklet is designed to present a 
brief insight into the curriculums and majors 
offered by the School
of Agriculture. More interestingly perhaps, 
it will give you some idea of the variety 
of careers open to its
graduates.
If you find the information in the booklet 
interesting but you still have questions, please 
consider this an
open invitation to write for more information 
or, better yet, an invitation to visit with 
us in Auburn. We
would also encourage you to bring 
your parents or counselor for this visit.
There are many avenues open to graduates 
in the School. We are anxious to discuss 
them with you.
7LSincerely,Mu: Le
R. Dennis Rouse
Dean
You and Agriculture
AGRICULTURE HAS NEVER been more important than it is
now. This is recognized more and more every day - in the Uni-
ted States and throughout the world. Even the fear of wars takes
second place to worries about feeding and clothing the world's
rapidly growing population.
America's greatest success story has been its abundant
production of food and fiber by only a small part of the nation's
labor force. This capability has played a major role in keeping
the nation on top economically and militarily.
A vital link in this strong agricultural chain has been the
agricultural teaching program of schools of agriculture at land-
grant colleges like Auburn University. Auburn's School of
Agriculture has provided trained men and women needed in
all phases of Alabama agriculture, from the actual production
through all supporting industries and agencies. And there is no
slackening of the demand for technically qualified men and
women in this dynamic industry.
A Choice of Careers
But production agriculture - farming - is only one of many
careers that are available for graduates of the School of
Agriculture. The list of professional opportunities runs into the
hundreds, covering such widely varying jobs as agricultural
engineer, bacteriologist, biologist, teacher, conservationist,
entomologist, extension agent or specialist, farm manager, fer-
tilizer salesman, florist, food technologist, forester, geneticist,
golf course superintendent, land appraiser, livestock buyer,
market analyst, nutritionist, park manager, pathologist, radio or
TV farm director, newspaper farm editor, wildlife manager, and
zoologist. Many of these provide excellent career oppor-
tunities for women, as well as for men.
Eight separate curriculums are offered by the School of
Agriculture, with 12 available majors. Degrees are awarded in
agricultural science, with majors in agronomy and soils,animal
and dairy sciences, poultry science, horticulture, and
agricultural journalism; agricultural business and economics;
agricultural engineering; biological sciences, with majors in
botany, microbiology, fisheries management, wildlife manage-
ment, entomology, zoology, and marine biology; food
science; forest management; landscape and ornamental hor-
ticulture; plant protection, and wood technology. Regardless
of the curriculum, the courses provide a broad foundation in
the basic sciences, a general knowledge of the applied
sciences, and a reasonable number of humanities and social
sciences.
Graduate study is available in many specialized areas and
qualified students are encouraged to continue study beyond
the undergraduate level.
Specialized Teachers, Advisors
Each of the subject matter departments in the School has a
specialized teaching staff with more than three-fourths holding
a Ph.D. degree. Most teachers also do research at the
Agricultural Experiment Station, and all are associated with the
research division. This association helps keep them up-to-date
on the latest developments in their field, which can be a
tremendous advantage to their students.
Another advantage enjoyed by students is the advisor system
used by the School of Agriculture. Each student is assigned an
advisor who aids in class scheduling or with any special
problems he or she may have.
A good background in English, mathematics, and science is
needed for successful completion of courses in School of
Agriculture curriculums. For this reason, high school students
who want to enter the School of Agriculture should take these
subjects each year while in high school. Alabama residents are
required to complete the American College Test (ACT) on one
of the announced national testing dates. Applicants from other
states may complete the ACT or Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)
of the College Entrance Examination Board.
The Junior College Transfer Program at Auburn makes it
possible for students to attend other colleges and, by taking
suggested courses, to graduate at Auburn University with a
minimum loss of time after transfer. All Alabama junior
colleges have copies of this program, and information is
available from faculty advisors at those schools. Transfer
students who fail to follow this program transfer with a distinct
loss of time.
Transfer credit is normally not given for any course passed
with a grade lower than C. Credit is not allowed for technical
agricultural subjects taken at colleges where these courses are
taught by faculty who do not have graduate degrees in the sub-
ject matter area, unless the student passes validating ex-
aminations in the subjects after entering Auburn.
Detailed information about curriculums in each department
is presented on the following pages.
Additional information is available by writing to:
Dean
School of Agriculture
Auburn University
Auburn, Alabama 36830
or you may contact the head of department in which you are
particularly interested, using the School of Agriculture ad-
dressm Applications for Admission are directed to the Ad-
missions Office, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama 36830.
41 , 4- - -
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2.
iAgrICUiUrfal
Business anc
Economics
-Agribusiness-
Agricultural Business and Economics
students are taught the concepts and
methods of solving economic problems
of agricultural and related businesses.
Knowledge of economic concepts 
con-
tributes to effective management and
decision making not only in agribusiness
but in everyday life.
The agricultural business and
economics (agribusiness) curriculum is
administered by the Department of
Agricultural Economics and Rural
Sociology at Auburn University.
Agricultural economics is a social science
dealing with producers, processors and
distributors, and consumers of
agricultural products. The curriculum is
designed to train students for employ-
ment in both business and agriculture, as
well as for careers in governmental agen-
cies serving agriculture.
Agricultural economists in research,
teaching, or government service help
solve problems that arise in producing,
selling, and consuming agricultural
products. The business principles learned
also help in operation of one's own farm
or other business.
Opportunities
Employment opportunities are in-
creasing for graduates with the combined
business and agricultural training offered
i n the agricultural business and
economics curriculum. There is already a
shortage of college graduates with such
training. Increasing emphasis on social
and economic problems by business and
government agencies is expanding the
demand for agribusiness graduates in
sales, public relations, services, manage-
ment, farm organizations, teaching, and
research. Most land-grant universities list
agribusiness job opportunities as one of
their areas of strongest demand, and star-
ting salaries are highly competitive.
Recent graduates are self-employed as
farmers or employed by private business
firms in positions such as sales managers
in poultry and livestock processing firms,
sales representatives for agricultural
chemical firms, public relations 
with
poultry associations, management
trainees for agricultural cooperatives, and
Ag eco~unics studenits Study a corn,
readout in the computer center, housed in
Department of Agricultural Economics and
Rural Sociology.
research analysts with agribusiness firms.
Graduates going into public service have
accepted employment with agencies such
as the Farmers Home Administration,
Statistical Reporting Service, Soil Conser-
vation Service, Cooperative Extension
Service, Farm Credit Administration, 
and
the Federal Reserve System. 
Largely
because of the economics, 
business, and
statistics courses taken, administrators 
of
these agencies are increasingly interested
in hiring agricultural business 
and
economics graduates. Some 
graduates
continue academic study for advanced
degrees. Surveys of B.S. graduates 
reveal
that 80 percent of those responding 
were
in careers relating to agriculture 
and
agribusiness.
Course of Study
The curriculum is administered
through a faculty advisory 
system so that
individual student programs of 
study can
be developed. During the 
freshman and
sophomore years, emphasis is 
placed on
science, liberal arts, and 
general
agricultural courses. Upperclassmen 
are
offered courses in broad 
areas of
agricultural production, 
farm manage-
ment, business, marketing, 
economics,
and policy. Flexibility in selection 
of elec-
tive courses permits 
students to
emphasize training in areas of 
special in-
terests and to prepare 
for specific
vocational occupations. The 
curriculum
leads to a degree of Bachelor of Science 
in
Agricultural Business and Economics.
Faculty and Facilities
The faculty in the Department of
Agricultural Economics and Rural
Sociology consists of 14 professional staff
members, 13 of whom hold doctoral
degrees. The department has a research
reference room and electronic
calculators, and computer facilities are
available for teaching and research.
Field trips are made to business firms,
local farms, and other agribusiness enter-
prises. Surveys of graduates are important
in determining the kind of academic
training needed as preparation for
agribusiness careers.
A limited number of undergraduate
students may be employed on an hourly
basis to work on research projects in the
Department.
Subjects Studied
Principles of Agricultural Economics
Mathematics and Statistics
Credit, Finance, and Farm Record
Analysis and Income Taxes
Agricultural Price Analysis
Land and Water Economics
Agricultural Business Management
Farm Management and Agricultural
Production
Cooperative Principles of Agricultural
Marketing
Rural Sociology
Agricultural Policies and Programs
Agricultural Law
Agricultural
Engineering
Agricultural Engineering
Agricultural Engineering is the branch
of the engineering profession that serves
the world's largest industry-agriculture.
Agricultural engineers deal with
engineering problems associated with the
production, processing, and handling of
food and fiber.
How Agricultural Engineering Differs
Nearly every problem encountered is
associated in some way with biological
systems. Agricultural engineers are uni-
que in that they receive fundamental
training in the biological sciences, and
therefore are specially prepared to help
solve the complex engineering problems
in agriculture.
Future for Agricultural Engineers
The requirements for food and
agricultural raw materials in a rapidly ex-
panding population provide a growing
number of opportunities for agricultural
engineers. The demand continues to ex-
ceed the supply of agricultural Engineers.
Agricultural Engineering Curriculum
Agricultural engineering includes
engineering sciences, engineering
design, and agricultural sciences. Also in-
volved are courses in physics, chemistry,
mathematics, English, history, and the
social sciences. These engineers also com-
plete special agricultural-engineering
courses in various areas of specialization.
Agricultural engineering is a rigorous
engineering curriculum leading to a
career in professional engineering. The
curriculum is accredited by the Engineer's
Council For Professional Development.
Specialities in Agricultural Engineering
The training an agricultural engineer
receives in the biological sciences makes
him a highly specialized engineer.
However, there are opportunities to con-
centrate on a number of special interest
areas. The agricultural engineer can work
or specialize in any of the following areas.
Power and Machinery involves the
research design, development, and ser-
vice of farm tractors, machinery, and
equipment. Improved modern equip-
ment demands more engineering training
Students in the Auburn student chapter ot the
American Society of Agricultural Engineers are
shown 'sprucing-up' Old Nancy, a project
which won the Auburn chapter a first runner-
up award in the annual Farm and Industrial
Equipment Institute competition.
and competence. The declining farm
population means more mechanization
ahead. Agricultural engineers with im-
agination are needed to adapt new
energy sources and materials to the
refinement and improvement of tillage,
planting, cultivating, harvesting, and
handling equipment. Much work is yet to
be done in machinery automation and the
application of microcomputer
technology to agricultural processes.
Soil and Water includes irrigation,
drainage, erosion control, land and water
management practices to conserve and
utilize our vital soil and water resources.
As the world's population increases, de-
mand for food and fiber will require that
larger arid areas of the world be irrigated.
The engineering involved in shaping field
surfaces, terracing, canal design, and dam
construction is a major factor in modern
economic crop production. Increasing
demands on existing water supplies and
reduced stream pollution will require
sound water conservation engineering
practices.
Electric Power and Processing includes
the application and use of electrical
energy for moving, grading, sizing, and
mixing food and feed crops. In the future
farming will require extensive use of elec-
tronics, quality-control devices, electrical
systems, materials-handling equipment,
and basic engineering science. Growing
opportunities exist for constructive think-
ing to improve human and animal en-
vironment for agricultural production
through automatic control of light,
temperature, and humidity and the
purification of air and water.
Farm Structures and Environment
includes research, design, sale, and
fabrication of structures for use by the
agricultural industry. It also involves
equipment storage buildings, processing
centers and environmentally controlled
units for maximum plant and animal
production and storage. These engineers
design buildings complete with materials
handling equipment for processing the
raw material, removing and disposing of
the waste material, and moving the
marketable product.
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Soils students are shown doing a particle size 
analysis experiment.
Agronomy
and Soils
Agronomy and soils deals 
with the
study and application of crop and 
soil
sciences. Field crops and pastures 
are the
main source of food and fiber for humans
and feed for livestock, and they also
provide raw materials for many industries.
Crop science deals with the study 
of
seeding, cultivating, harvesting, manag-
ing, and improving the various crops. 
Soil
science involves study of the chemical,
physical, and biological properties of 
the
soil and how to modify these properties
for maximum production. With 
the
sudden swelling of the earth's population
and the accompanying worldwide de-
mand for more food and fiber, the crop
and soil sciences are more important than
ever before.
The increase in leisure time in this
country has resulted in demands for more
and better outdoor recreation areas
where there is a need for turfgrass.
The agronomy and soils major in the
agricultural science curriculum has 
two
options - crops and soils, and turf
manage ment.
For students with a keen interest in
biology, chemistry, physics, or 
earth
sciences, agronomy offers a great oppor-
tunity to pursue these inclinations and
abilities. Students in agronomy include
men and women from both urban and
rural high schools. Four years of study 
in
this curriculum lead to a bachelor 
of
science degree. For those interested 
in
additional study, both the M.S. and Ph.D.
degrees, with majors in either 
crop
science or soil science are offered.
The program of study for a B.S. degree
includes courses in science, technology,
and the humanities. The basic 
sciences of
biology, chemistry, mathematics, 
and
physics make up the central core 
and
serve as a foundation for a study of 
the
technical courses in crops and soils. There
are courses in crops designed to give 
a
student a thorough knowledge 
of the
principles involved in the economic
production of grain, forage, fiber, and 
oil
crops. Courses dealing with turf, 
her-
bicides, and genetics and plant 
breeding
are also available. There are courses 
in
soils that give special attention to the 
prin-
ciples of soil formation and classification;
others stress soil fertility and manage-
ment, including soil conservation 
and the
use of fertilizers.
The Agronomy and Soils Department 
is
located in a modern agricultural 
science
building with well-equipped classrooms
and teaching laboratories, 
a com-
puterized soil testing laboratory, and
many research laboratories 
in which
students majoring in agronomy 
and soils
frequently secure part-time jobs. 
There
are greenhouses and growth 
chambers
for various phases of work in 
crop and soil
sciences. Equipment is available 
for X-ray
diffraction and fluorescent 
analyses,
radioactive assay, respiration 
studies, and
cytological work. Special studies 
on root
growth are conducted in a recently 
com-
pleted rhizotron, the first to 
be built in the
United States.
Young men and women 
with B.S.
degrees in agronomy may 
obtain
positions with such agricultural 
industries
as those dealing with 
fertilizers,
pesticides, and seed. They may 
work in
selling, consulting, and managing. 
There
are many opportunities for employment
with such agencies as the U.S. Soil 
Conser-
vation Service and the cooperative 
exten-
sion services. Many graduates return to
the farm and others become involved in
such activities as land use planning or turf
management. Those with advanced
degrees have further opportunities for
employment in research or college
teaching. Salaries are in line with positions
that require commensurate training.
This Agronomy student is shown checking 
the
growth rate of weeds.
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Animal and
Dairy Sciences
Animal and Dairy Sciences embrace all
the technical, professional, and business
aspects of producing, processing, and dis-
tributing meat and dairy products and
animal fiber.
Specialized training needed to fill
positions in this broad industry is offered
by Auburn's Department of Animal and
Dairy Sciences. A pre-veterinary option is
also offered that provides an opportunity
to meet the pre-veterinary requirements
and to obtain additional courses in animal
and dairy sciences. In addition to the un-
dergraduate major, both M.S. and doc-
toral programs are available in specialized
areas of animal biochemistry, animal
breeding, animal nutrition, meats and
dairy products, and physiology of
reproduction.
Career Opportunities
Varied and rewarding careers are open
for qualified animal and dairy science
graduates in this expanding field.
Animal and dairy production training
prepares students to work as farm
operators, breed association field
representatives, livestock consultants,
sales managers, and livestock dealers.
Meats offer many opportunities, in-
cluding livestock buying, meat plant
management, grading and inspection,
quality control, and wholesale and retail
meat sales.
Dairy products training qualifies
graduates to work in processing plant
management, quality control, sales and
promotion.
Allied industries, such as banks and
other credit agencies, drug, phar-
maceutical and chemical companies, feed
companies, and agricultural supply com-
panies, employ many college graduates
with a background in animal and dairy
science.
Communications work with livestock
publications, breed magazines, farm
magazines, newspapers, and radio and TV
stations attracts many animal and 
dairy
science majors.
Research and teaching opportunities
are many and varied, particularly to ma-
jors with advanced degrees. Colleges and
universities, foundations, industry,
governmental agencies, and cooperative
extension services would all be possible
employers.
Field of Study
major courses provide an opportunity
f or t he student t o become
knowledgeable in all areas of animal and
dairy sciences. Subject matter areas in-
clude beef production, dairy cattle
production, swine production, horse
production, livestock judging, carcass
judging and grading, animal biochemistry
and nutrition, animal breeding and
genetics, animal reproduction, meat and
dairy product technology, feeds and
feeding, and animal physiology.
Supporting work in agronomy and soils,
zoology, entomology, chemistry,
microbiology, agricultural engineering,
economics, mathematics, physics,
English, journalism, speech, history, and
government is offered by other
departments of the University.
These students are grading beef at the Lambert Meats Lab; a unit of the Animal and Dairy Sciences
Department.
How much is a lot of bull-that's what these
animal science students are trying to determine
in a livestock judging lab.
Botany students are shown 
filing plant specimens in the
Auburn University Herbarium, located 
in the Department of
Botany and Microbiolbgy.
Botany and
Microbiology
Auburn's Department 
of Botany and
Microbiology offers 
curriculums leading
to the B.S., M.S., and 
Ph.D. degrees in
both botany and microbiology. 
All forms
of life ultimately 
depend for their ex-
istence on the activity 
of plants. In this age
of expanding world 
population with an
ever decreasing 
store of natural
resources, the understanding 
and ef-
ficient management 
of plants is even
more important than 
it has been in the
past.
Botany is probably 
the oldest of the
sciences. It originated 
as a natural
response to man's need 
to identify those
species he uses as sources 
of food, fiber,
and medicine. But 
many professional
botanists feel that their 
science has an ill-
conceived and somewhat 
dull image in
the minds of a large 
section of the public.
Unfortunately, the image 
of the botanist
as a person whose sole 
activity consists of
collecting, identifying, 
and classifying
plants has tended to 
persist. Taxonomy, as
this aspect of botany 
is called, is indeed an
important cornerstone 
of the subject, but
in reality it occupies 
only a minor part of
the time of a student 
enrolled in a modern
botany curriculum. 
If a botanist who
graduated fifty years 
ago were to wander
through a present day 
botany department
he would have 
great difficulty 
in
recognizing much 
of what he saw as per-
taining to the discipline 
he had studied.
Auburn's botany 
curriculum includes,
among other topics, 
studies of: cell struc-
ture (cytology); 
tissue structure 
and
organization (anatomy 
and morphology);
the growth, functioning 
and develop-
ment of plants (physiology 
and plant
biochemistry); reproduction 
and in-
heritance (genetics); and 
the relationship
of plants to their environment 
and to
other species (ecology). 
Courses are also
offered dealing with 
special groups of
plants such as the algae 
and the fungi.
Because of the importance 
to the world's
economy of healthy plants 
showing high
crop yields, courses are 
also offered that
consider the nature, causative 
agents, and
control of plant diseases 
(plant pathology)
and the problem of 
weeds and their con-
trol (weed science).
Botany courses, primarily 
in the areas of
plant pathology, microbiology, 
and weed
science are an integral 
part of the new
multi-disciplinary curriculum 
in plant
protection. This relatively 
new branch of
applied biological science 
offers a
fascinating and challenging 
program to
students, and one which 
is currently
available at only a very few 
universities.
Career opportunities for 
professional
botanists exist in a wide 
range of areas. In
industry, botanists are 
employed by
agricultural chemical 
companies, the
pharmaceutical industry, 
fermentation
industries, food processing 
companies,
seed producing and 
marketing com-
panies, etc. Federal 
and state agricultural
and scientific agencies, 
agricultural ex-
periment stations, and state 
and national
park services all employ 
botanists on their
staffs. Some botanists 
choose a career in
teaching at the high 
school, junior
college, or university 
level. As national
needs and interests change 
with time new
areas for the employment 
of botanists
continue to open; currently, 
graduates in
botany from Auburn 
are employed in
pollution monitoring and 
control, and as
environmental quality 
consultants. As
with all other sciences, 
obtaining the
more senior jobs with 
greater respon-
sibilities usually requires 
the student to
continue his botanical 
education to the
M.S. or Ph.D. level.
Unlike botany, microbiology is a
relatively young science. It 
deals
specifically with the nature and 
activities
of those organisms, such as 
bacteria,
viruses, micro-fungi, and algae 
which are
too small to be seen with the naked eye.
It is only in the past 100 years that 
the
fundamental importance of
microorganisms in man's affairs has come
to be appreciated. Certain species are the
causative agents of the majority of plant
and animal diseases. Some
microorganisms are however essential
symbionts for good health, and others are
the principal agents of decay and are 
im-
portant in recycling of nutrients through
the ecosystem.
Like the student of botany, a major 
in
microbiology studies both basic 
and
applied aspects of the subject.
Microbiology courses currently offered
include: microbial taxonomy, microbial
physiology, virology, immunology,
clinical microbiology, and sanitary
microbiology.
Graduates in microbiology find
employment in a wide range 
of
professions. The medical profession
employs microbiologists in research,
medical technology, virology, and 
im-
munology. In the food, pharmaceutical,
and fermentation industries they 
are
employed as research workers and 
in
quality control. Increasingly,
microbiologists are finding their talents
needed in those public service
professions concerned with 
the
maintenance of health and a 
quality en-
viron ment.
In summary, both botany 
and
microbiology curriculums offered 
at
Auburn present interesting 
and challeng-
ing courses of study with the prospects
following graduation for a 
worthwhile,
responsible, career in the service 
of
mankind.
This microbiology student is 
shown
looking for mold on grain samples.
Fisheries and
Allied
Aquacultures
Trained fishery biologists, acquatic
ecologists, and acquaculturists can help
provide additional sport fishing oppor-
tunities, the protection of our valuable
aquatic resources, and the increased
supplies of food fish that will be needed in
the future. The Department of Fisheries
and Allied Acquacultures excels in
presenting a variety of classroom and
laboratory experiences and research op-
portunities in the areas of sport fish
management, aquatic ecology, and
aquaculture. Training is offered leading to
the B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees. The first
two years of the undergraduate
curriculum are devoted to enhancement
of basic skills in chemistry, mathematics,
biology, physics, English, and history. A
wide variety of fishery courses is available
during the junior and senior years.
Students with above average records are
encouraged to participate in a special
problems course where an opportunity is
given to develop and implement a
research project. Advanced degree
students can specialize in such areas as:
sport fish management
aquaculture
limnology, water quality, and plankton
dynamics
fish parasites and diseases
fish nutrition, fish processing and
technology
ichthyology
Both undergraduate and graduate
students find ample opportunity to con-
tribute to the Department's varied ac-
tivities, and in doing so obtain valuable
experience in a variety of specialities.
Fisheries students examine rainbow trout, which were over-wintered for the first time at Auburn.
The Department's warm water research
station is recognized as being one of the
world's best. Approximately 700 ex-
perimental units are available, ranging in
size from small tanks to a 26-acre pond.
The research facilities are extensively
used as a "laboratory" for teaching. Hav-
ing first-hand experience handling fish
and observing their reproduction,
growth, and mortality are opportunities
few institutions can offer.
Because fish are primarily a public
resource, management of fisheries is
mostly a state or federal function.
However, private fish farms, especially in
the southeast, are becoming aware of the
need for trained managers. For many
positions, a M.S. degree is an increasingly
frequent requirement. Avenues of
employment are: State fish and game
departments, such as the Alabama
Department of Conservation and Natural
Resources; federal agencies, such as the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; fishery
research laboratories, private fish
hatcheries; fish and bait farms; handlers
and producers of tropical fish; and inter-
national organizations; such as the Food
and Agricultural Organization fo the Uni-
ted Nations.
The profession offers many intangible
benefits for those who enjoy working
with renewable resources. For example,
fishery biologists manage aquatic
ecosystems to provide quality fishing year
after year. Fish culturists operate
hatcheries, or intensively raise fish in
ponds as a cash crop. In either case, the
biologist spends much time throughout
the year outdoors. However, simply liking
to hunt and fish in itself is not enough.
Management and research activities de-
mand considerable skill in the basic as
well as the applied sciences. In fisheries,
as in all biological sciences, mathematics,
computer programming, and statistical
analysis are being used in problem-
solving. Also, the ability to communicate
effectively is essential. High school
students should acquire a good academic
background that should include courses
in biology, mathematics, chemistry, and
physics. Languages and humanities are as
important to fisheries as to other sciences.
Fisheries students are shown examining diseas-
ed catfish.
R i:
it, 7tgy.
Students in a food science lab are shown cutting up a side of beef into steaks.
Food Science
The American consumer has been
brought up on a wide variety of
wholesome, tasty, convenient, and abun-
dant foods. Americans enjoy the world's
highest living standard, and only a small
percentage of the nation's work force is
required to provide the food products
that help make life pleasant. All of this is
possible because of the productivity of
the American farmer and the inguenuity
and efficiency of the nation's food in-
dustry.
With a rapidly expanding population
throughout the world, providing enough
food is the major global problem. The U.S.
not only has responsibility of providing
food and fiber for American consumers,
but is the world's major exporter of food
for hungry nations across the world. The
vast food industry complex in the U.S. is
the most efficient in the world, but food
demands at home and abroad dictate that
we further expand and increase food
processing efficiency.
To help provide technologists and
scientists needed by the food industry,
Auburn University has a Food Science
Curriculum. This course of study in the
School of Agriculture is administered by a
committee from the departments of
Animal and Dairy Sciences, Horticulture,
and Agricultural Engineering. It provides
coursework in the following areas:
basic sciences
food sciences and technology
other applied sciences
social sciences
communications
physical education and military science
electives
As students progresses through their
training they first gain a knowledge of the
basic sciences - chemistry, physics,
microbiology, and mathematics. This
basic knowledge is then applied to the
manufacturing, processing, preserving,
and distributing of foods. Through their
choice of elective courses, the students
may gain additional competence in the
areas of business administration, science
and technology, or public health. This
training will prepare the graduate for a
career in one of the many facets of food
technology such as research, develop-
ment, processing, packaging, quality con-
trol, marketing, governmental regulation,
and foreign trade.
Your Future in Food Science
In Alabama there are more than 300
food processing establishments and, in
the U.S., more than 40,000. Graduates in
these programs, thus, have a bright
future, as consumers here and abroad de-
mand increasing amounts and variety in
convenient, high quality, economical
foods.
Starting salaries in the food science and
technology field are good - comparable
to those in other scientific fields. Oppor-
tunities for advancement are unlimited
for the well-trained food science
graduate.
Food science professor and students are shown
making cottage cheese.
Forestry
The academic program in the Depart-
ment of Forestry involves two broad
career areas: forest management and
wood technology. While these two areas
are related they are also noticeably
different.
Forest managers are prepared primarily
for positions involving the management
and administration of rural lands not be-
ing used for crop, pasture, or other
agricultural purposes. Foresters' respon-
sibilities frequently focus on the timber
resource, but other natural resources are
also involved. In their capacities as land
managers, foresters may be employed by
industrial firms; federal, state or local
governments; individual land owners; or
by consultants or contractors supplying
services needed by land owners of all
categories. The field of forestry, however,
is broader than just land management.
Persons with forest management degrees
are employed to buy and sell timber, per-
form public relations and promotional
services, appraise land, teach, and do
research and extension work. Further-
more, since the field is broad it touches
many other professional areas and many
foresters have been successful in
developing careers that form bridges to
other diverse areas such as remote sen-
sing, banking, and law.
It is the responsibility of many foresters
to manage land to produce crops of trees.
This includes the establishment of stands,
their protection and cultivation, and final-
ly, their harvest. Once the trees have been
cut, however, the wood technologist
takes over. The wood technologist is con-
cerned with converting logs into products
useful to man. The logs may be turned
into posts, poles, or pilings; sawed into
lumber; chipped for particle board or
wood pulp; turned into veneer or
plywood; or subjected to processes which
yield one or more chemicals. These
products, in turn, may be used in
buildings or other structures, furniture,
musical instruments, paper, or in any of a
host of other products.. Wood
technologists are prepared primarily to
design and control the processes used to
produce these products, and also to
manage the manufacturing plants in
which these processes take place. Since
production usually is a function of private
enterprise, most wood technologists are
employed by industrial firms; however,
many are engaged in research in
governmental or university laboratories,
in promotional activities with trade
organizations, in consulting, and in uni-
versity level teaching and extension. The
field is broad and career opportunities are
abundant.
Forestry students learn about the complete growth cycle of trees and their use after cutting. This
young forester is shown examining a loblolly pine seedling in the greenhouse.
The program of the Department of
Forestry is comprehensive. Both the forest
management and wood technology
curriculums lead to the bachelor of
science degree. In addition, the Forestry
Department is approved to offer graduate
work leading to both the master of
science and doctor of philosophy degrees
in forest management and wood
technology. At the undergraduate level,
the Department of Forestry has an honors
program which may be entered by
students completing the first two years of
the forest management curriculum with a
sufficiently high academic record.
Students in the honors program pursue
highly individualized programs of study
which permit them to explore specialized
areas of interest, prepare for graduate
school, or obtain a more rounded educa-
tion.
The administration and teaching func-
tions of the Department of Forestry are
centered in M. White Smith Hall, a
modern building with excellent
classroom and laboratory facilities. Wood
technology research is centered in the
Auburn Forest Products Research
Laboratory, which was dedicated in 1977.
In addition, the Department has a
greenhouse and a weather station. An 80-
acre woodlot, which is within walking dis-
tance of the forestry building, is available
for outdoor study. Other areas, including
the Tuskegee National Forest, and forest
industry properties are available within a
half-hour's drive of campus. An extensive,
up-to-date collection of literature on
forestry and supporting subjects is housed
in the Biological Sciences Section of the
Ralph Brown Draughon Library.
The faculty of the Department of
Forestry consists of more than 20 foresters
and wood technologists. All members at
the level of assistant professor or higher
hold doctorate degrees and have had
non-academic field experience.
Horticulture
A challenging and rewarding career -
one tailored to your temperament and
greatest ambition - awaits you in the field
of horticulture. Horticulture combines
the arts and technical sciences into a
pleasing blend. Graduates trained in hor-
ticulture enjoy a feeling of personal well
being, along with good earning power,
while working in a dynamic field that is
necessary for the enrichment of our lives
with nutritious, flavorsome foods and the
beauty and utility of decorative plants.
Training Horticulture Students
Both ornamental and general hor-
ticulture students take a basic core of
courses in the communication arts,
physical and life sciences, and humanities.
in addition, students take courses in
landscape gardening, entomology, plant
physiology, soil sciences, and plant
pathology. The horticulture curriculum is
divided into general horticulture and or-
namental and landscape horticulture with
specific options in each area.
General Horticulture
This curriculum trains students for work
in production, marketing, and utilization
of fruits and vegetable crops. These
students take courses in orchard manage-
ment, plant propagation, genetics,
vegetable crops, production of fruit and
nut crops, crop storage, packaging and
marketing, and food sciences.
Landscape and Ornamental Horticulture
A blending of the arts and sciences, this
curriculum is one of the life sciences, but
is concerned with the art of using plants
for enrichment and personal well being
rather than for food, fiber, or shelter. Or-
namental horticulture students select one
of the following options: florist crop
production, flower shop management,
nursery crop production, or landscape
horticulture.
In Florist Crop Production and Flower
Shop Management students study flower
arranging, vegetable crops, fundamentals
of florist crop production, flower shop
management, and other management
and salesmanship courses. Emphasis in
these options is on production and use of
greenhouse crops such as cut flowers,
potted plants, tropical foliage plants, and
bedding plants.
A crops class is shown look in gat a row of cabbage plants in a garden at the Horticulture Farm.
Nursery Crop Production students
study nursery crop production, orchard
management, turf management, care and
maintenance of ornamental plants,
nursery management, plant propagation
and identification of trees, evergreen, and
deciduous shrubs and vines. Emphasis in
this option is on production and
marketing of nursery plants.
Landscape majors study principles of
landscape design, intermediate landscape
design, advance landscape design,
graphics, care and maintenance of or-
namental plants and identification of
trees; evergreen, and deciduous shrubs
and vines. The emphasis of this option is
to train students in the principles and
practices of landscape design.
Employment Opportunities
Positions are available in direct produc-
tion of horticultural crops as owner 
or
manager; sales, services and consulting
that support production of horticultural
crops; sales of horticultural crops at
wholesale and resale levels; landscape
designing, controlling and maintenance
of homes and businesses.
Positions are also available in manage-
ment and consulting, regarding public
and private recreational areas; teaching
h orti culture in high schools, 
trade
schools, and colleges; carrying out
research at state and federal experiment
stations and for private companies.
Involvement in regulatory agencies
governing foreign plant 
introductions,
plant and harvested crop inspections, use
of pesticides, and industrial import
studies is also available to horticulture
graduates.
This ornamental horticulture student is shown
during a greenhouse lab.
Students in the plant protection curriculum get training in many areas, including plant and row
spacings as this class sees.
Plant
Protection
Curriculum
Diseases, insects, vertebrate and in-
vertebrate pests, and weeds cause annual
losses of billions of dollars each year in
agricultural production in this country.
Not reflected in these annual losses are
those incurred in recreational areas,
parks, and home lawns and gardens.
These losses would be considerably
greater were it not for the closely coor-
dinated programs in plant protection
which utilize biological, cultural or crop-
ping, and chemical integrated manage-
ment or control of these pests.
In recent years major reliance for pest
control has been with chemicals in-
cluding bactericides, fungicides, her-
bicides, insecticides, nematicides, roden-
ticides, etc. Since improper and excessive
use of chemicals can contribute to resis-
tant strains of pests, damage to the en-
vironment, the replacement of one pest
with another, and human controversy,
scientists have been stimulated to
research other means of pest control such
as: biological and cultural control,
mechanical means of control and in-
tegrated pest management.
This has led to the development of an
interdepartmental curriculum in plant
protection. It is designed to teach
students how to control pests by utilizing
cultural, biological, physical, and
chemical means in integrated programs
that will keep pest populations below
crop damaging levels. The control of crop
pests requires a broad knowledge of the
ecology of the agriecosystem and
management of such a system. Pest con-
trol measures should be such that control
of one does not increase the problems
with another. A combination of measures
should be utilized to suppress the pest
while producing the least damage to
natural enemies and other components of
the ecosystem. Protection of crops re-
quires a blend of disciplines with en-
tomologists, plant pathologists, and weed
scientists, integrating their sciences with
those of the agronomists, geneticists,
chemists, horticulturists, engineers, and
economists. This curriculum is in-
terdepartmental between the
departments of Agronomy and Soils,
Botany and Microbiology, and Zoology-
Entomology.
Recent emphasis by the public and
government on environmentally safe pest
control has created employment oppor-
tunities for individuals well trained in
plant protection. Specific employment
opportunities include positions with the
Environmental Protection Agency, sales
and research and management positions
with agricultural 
chemical industries 
anl
other agribusinesses, positions as quaran-
tine and pest control inspectors with
USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service and state regulatory agencies,
positions as research scientists, extension
agents, and specialists with state and
federal programs, and careers as private
consultants in plant pest management
and control.
~ii~~
Plant identiticatlon is a major part of plant
protection and these students are shown iden-
tifying plants in a lab.
~
-* t
Students in a poultry cienc :d_ get the 'lowdown'on the characteristics of an efficient egg laying
chicken.
This poultry science student is shown examin-
ing cell structure of a diseased chicken, using
the department's electron microscope.
Poultry Science
Undergraduate studies in Poultry
Science are designed to equip bright,
enthusiastic students for future
leadership in a dynamic food production
industry. The poultry industry is highly
specialized. Its leaders must be well
qualified in basic and technical areas, as
well as in communication and business
subjects. In the poultry science
curriculum, an attempt is made to give the
student a wide base in the sciences and
humanities as the foundation on which
technical knowledge can be added. With
the broad areas of available employment,
no attempt is made at the undergraduate
level to make specialists of the students.
The Poultry Science Department has
staff competence and course offerings in
the areas of production and hatching
management, processing, genetics, nutri-
tion, physiology, and diseases of poultry.
In formal course work, the student is ac-
quainted with basic concepts of avian
biology and the interrelationship of the
bird to its environment. Students with in-
quisitive minds are encouraged to select,
as juniors or seniors, a poultry problem
course, where an opportunity is given for
them to design and complete a research
project of their choice. This enables them
to become familiar with library techni-
ques, report writing, and interpretation.
Business training in this curriculum is
offered in cooperation with the Depart-
ment of Agricultural Economics and Rural
Sociology and the School of Business.
The departmental research facilities are
used as an important part of teaching.
Where possible, students are employed to
assist in research where they may have
close contact with the professional staff
and apply knowledge obtained in formal
study. This enables the student to obtain
some competence in specialized areas.
Upper level undergraduates are en-
couraged and assisted by faculty and in-
dustry to obtain summer employment
with one of the major poultry companies
to become familiar with commercial
poultry production.
The poultry industry has made enor-
mous growth in the past 25 years and is
currently the leader in Alabama
agriculture. Coupled with this growth has
been a drastic change in complexity -
from the farm flock, where the housewife
was the caretaker-to large environmen-
tally controlled units where engineers
and poultry graduates work as a team with
business managers. This growth and com-
plexity has created need for more
technical and managerial people than the
universities have supplied.
The complexity and business-like
nature of the poultry industry has
demanded a continuous search for per-
sonnel in areas such as sales, service,
purchasing, business management, dis-
ease control, feed manufacturing, per-
sonnel management, hatchery manage-
ment, and farm management. The Poultry
Science Department is in a position to be
of vital service in supplying bright young
men and women for industry at the B.S.
and advanced levels of training.
W,1
Zoology-
Entomology
The Department of Zoology-
Entomology is the largest and perhaps the
most diverse department on the Auburn
campus. Educational opportunities are
offered, which in turn will lead to the B.S.
degree in the general area of zoology, as
well as in the more specialized areas of
entomology, marine biology, and
wildlife. M.S. and Ph.D. degrees are
offered in entomology and wildlife as well
as in the basic zoological sciences.
ZOOLOGY
This curriculum includes all of the
animal-oriented basic biological sciences.
Opportunities exist for the study of both
laboratory-oriented (anatomy, em-
bryology, genetics, and physiology) and
field-oriented zoological sciences
(ecology, systematics, and natural
history). Advanced training in specialized
areas of most laboratory and field-related
disciplines is open to qualified in-
dividuals.
Depending upon the specific training
of the individual, employment oppor-
tunities include:
(1) Research and/or teaching positions
with colleges, universities, and
museums.
(2) Research, administrative, and con-
sulting positions with various state
and feder:l agencies and with
private ir ustry.
(3) Public relations and sales positions
in private industry.
In general, opportunities are much
greater for those holding advanced
degrees.
ENTOMOLOGY
Insects are major competitors with man
for possession of the earth. There are
more than 700,000 different kinds of in-
sects, and, although many are beneficial,
others destroy crops, harm animals,
spread diseases, and cause other types of
damage and annoyance. The Department
offers opportunities for study of various
aspects of entomology: identification
(taxonomy), life history, physiology and
control by chemical, cultural, biological
and pest management methods.
Employment opportunities for in-
dividuals trained in entomology include:
(1) State agricultural experiment
stations, the federal government
and private industry,
(2) teaching, agricultural extension,
and regulatory work,
(3) chemica" companies and pest con-
trol organizations for research and
development, sales, public
relations, and practical control
work,
(4) land-use projects where en-
tomologists develop environmental
impact assessments.
Entomology students are shown 
identifying
butterflies.
MARINE BIOLOGY
Training leading to the B.S. degree in
marine biology is available. Students take
basic and background courses at Auburn
and spend at least one summer, and
preferably two, taking courses at an ap-
proved marine station such as the Gulf
Coast Research Laboratory at Ocean
Springs, Mississippi or the Marine En-
vironmental Sciences Consortium at
Dauphin Island, Alabama. Marine biology
is a fascinating but highly competitive
area. Students should strive for high
scholastic records and plan to do graduate
work after earning the B.S. degree.
Employment opportunities are enhanced
by high levels of achievement in un-
dergraduate and graduate studies.
WILDLIFE
America's wildlife is enjoyed by
millions each year. Game and non-game
species provide endless hours of recrea-
tion for hunters, campers, photographers,
and for people in all walks of life. Outstan-
ding opportunities for studying wildlife
and game management are offered at
Auburn University leading to careers in
wildlife management, conservation, and
research, including:
(1) Owners of large estates and large
pulp and timber producing com-
panies,
(2) state conservation departments for
research and game management
programs, supervisors on state-
owned lands, and conservation of-
ficers,
(3) the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
and many other Federal agencies,
(4) conservation organizations such as
Ducks Unlimited.
Auburn University is an equal
opportunity educational institution