Bachelor of Science [B.Sc] (Agriculture) From Shivaji University, Kolhapur

Bachelor of Science or B.Sc. in Agriculture is an undergraduate degree awarded by Indian Universities for 10+2 pass students. The course duration is four years. Like, BE/B. Tech, or MBBS, B.Sc. (Ag.) is considered as a 'professional' degree by Government of India. The course is not so popular among students but the demand of trained professionals in Agriculture is very high. Agriculture is a source of employment for over 50% of the population. The sector contributes around 13.9% to the GDP.

B.Sc. Agriculture graduates can find jobs in both public and private sectors. The Gazetted post of Government of India like Agricultural Officer (Agronomist) is one of the most prestigious jobs in public sector after B.Sc. Agriculture. Some private sector MNCs like ITC, Monsanto and Cargill, are beginning to establish their presence in commercial farming as well as small farmer-led production initiatives. So they are on the lookout for young executives to handle extension services.

There are  42 State Agricultural Universities (SAUs), 1 Central Agricultural University (CAU), 5 Deemed Universities (DUs) and 4 general Central Universities with Agriculture faculty in India. These institutions provide admission at UG level in 11 disciplines and about 15,000 students get enrolled every year. There are large numbers of private colleges and general universities too which admit large number of students in B.Sc. Agriculture course.

Top Universities offering B.Sc. Agriculture

• Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore
• Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana
• Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar
• Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar
• University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore

Course Objective

B.Sc. Agriculture involves study of agriculture sciences and use of modern scientific equipment and techniques in agriculture, land surveying, soil science, water resource management, animal and poultry management, basics of biotechnology etc. The objective of the course is to use these concepts to train students to improve agricultural productivity.

Course Structure

Agricultural education is a broad term which includes disciplines of Agriculture (Agronomy), Veterinary Science, Forestry, Fisheries, Horticulture, Home Science etc.

The B.Sc. (Ag.) degree in India is typically a 4-year course under credit based semester system. The program also includes a compulsory 1 semester of internship (Rural Agricultural Work Experience). Most of the courses are infused with practical with emphasis on 'hands on experience and learning by doing'. 

The minimum qualification for entry to B.Sc. (Ag.) is Intermediate (12 years of school education) in Science (with Physics, Chemistry, Biology and/or Mathematics) or Intermediate in Agriculture stream (limited states). Depending on the university, the eligibility varies in terms of a combination of subjects. Eligibility criterion also varies for reserved categories as per the reservation guidelines of GOI.