College of Agricultural, Life, and Physical Sciences

The College of Agricultural, Life, and Physical Sciences provides a diverse offering of programs ranging from physical and life sciences to agribusiness economics. The college prides itself in delivering experiential opportunities for its students. Whether those opportunities are on its 2000 acre working farm or in one of its many well equipped research laboratories, they are the hands-on learning experiences necessary to ensure our students a more successful career path.

The College of Agricultural, Life, and Physical Sciences offers the following undergraduate degrees, minors and certificates in six schools.

School of Agricultural Sciences

B.S. Agribusiness Economics
B.S. Agricultural Systems and Education
B.S. Animal Science
B.S. Crop, Soil, Environmental Management
B.S. Fermentation Science
Agribusiness Economics, Minor
Agricultural Education, Minor
Agricultural Systems, Minor
Animal Science, Minor
Crop, Breeding, Genetics, and Biotechnology, Minor
Crop, Soil, and Environmental Management, Minor
Equine Studies, Minor
Food and Process Engineering Technology, Minor

School of Biological Sciences

B.A. Plant Biology
B.A. Zoology
B.S. Biological Sciences
B.S. Microbiology
B.S. Physiology
B.S. Plant Biology
B.S. Zoology
Biological Sciences, Minor
Microbiology, Minor
Physiology, Minor
Plant Biology, Minor
Plant Biology - Plant Biodiversity, Minor
Plant Biology - Plant Biotechnology, Minor
Plant Biology - Plant Ecology, Minor
Zoology, Minor

School of Chemical and Biomolecular Sciences

B.A. Chemistry
B.S. Biochemistry
B.S. Chemistry
Chemistry, Minor
Forensic Science, Minor

School of Earth Systems and Sustainability

B.A. Geology
B.S. Geography and Environmental Resources
B.S. Geology
Ancient Practices, Minor
Environmental Studies, Minor
Geography and Environmental Resources, Minor
Geology, Minor
GIS, Minor
Sustainability, Minor

School of Forestry and Horticulture

B.S. Forestry
B.S. Horticulture
Conservation Law Enforcement, Certificate
Intensive Controlled-Environmental Plant Production, Certificate
Horticulture, Minor

School of Physics and Applied Physics

B.S. Physics
Physics, Minor

Admission and Graduation Policies

New and transfer students eligible for admission to the bachelor of science programs must meet University entrance requirements and program requirements for admission to the major.

Students must complete all coursework with a 2.0 average (C or better) on a 4.0-point scale to qualify for completion. Additionally, students must fulfill all academic program and SIU requirements including the University Core Curriculum, total credit hour, residency, and GPA requirements to qualify for completion.

Course Retake Policy

Students with majors housed within CALPS who wish to retake a course in accordance with SIU's Repeat Policy (e.g. to replace a failing grade obtained in their first attempt) can do so with the approval of their academic advisor. However, the College regards unlimited course retakes to be against our students' long-term interests. Thus, if a student wishes to enroll in a course for the third time (regardless of which college and unit is offering the course), they must first file a petition with the CALPS Dean's Office, through their academic advisor. As part of this process, the student will need to obtain written permission to retake the course from the course instructor and the appropriate school director (or the program's corresponding director of undergraduate studies). The student will also need to provide a written explanation of their specific circumstances and/or past difficulties in the course, as well as an outline of their plan to help them achieve a better outcome in the course if their petition were to be approved. Students are cautioned that approvals to take a course for the fourth time are rarely approved. Students are encouraged to reach out to their respective academic advisor if they have any questions about this policy or if they would like to initiate a petition to retake a course.

School of Biological Sciences Academic Requirements

Two courses, totaling at least six credit hours must be completed as supportive skills. Supportive skills courses are courses in communication or computation skills that have been approved by the major program and must be chosen from the following subject areas: (a) foreign language; (b) English composition or technical writing; (c) statistics; or (d) computer science.

Living Learning Community

All students with majors in the College of Agricultural, Life, and Physical Sciences have the opportunity to live and learn with others in similar majors. The College boasts two unique Living Learning Communities, located on beautiful Thompson Point, as well as East Campus, on the SIUC campus. Each Living Learning Community (LLC) is designed to provide students with a higher level of engagement and opportunity.

There are many benefits associated with living in the Living Learning Community, including getting to know professors and classmates, greater access to academic resources, specialized programs in the residence hall, and developing a sense of belonging to the University community. There are a variety of weekly programs and activities including visits by key faculty and staff, tutoring opportunities, and participation with student leaders from our Registered Student Organizations, which plan and participate in special programs and events for the College.

Course Sequence

It is important that required courses in the program be taken in the proper sequence. Sequence guidelines are available from the college advisement office and through the schools. Courses at the 300- and 400-level are generally reserved for juniors and seniors.

Transfer Students

Students enrolled in community colleges who plan to transfer to the college should take courses that provide backgrounds in mathematics, physical sciences, social sciences, and humanities. Students may transfer at any time, but there are advantages in having completed a baccalaureate-oriented associate degree program. Community college students may contact the College Advisement Office for course recommendations applicable to majors in the college.

Pre-Health Professional Programs

SIU admits students with majors in pre-chiropractic, pre-dentistry, pre-medicine, pre-occupational therapy, pre-optometry, pre-physician assistant, pre-physical therapy, pre-podiatry, and pre-veterinary. These are not degree programs, but indicate the students’ plans upon completion of the baccalaureate degree. Therefore, students are also required to declare a degree-oriented major. They will complete their degree requirements and fulfill additional professional school requirements with the guidance of a Health Care Professions Advisor in the College. Students who choose to pursue these careers must be dedicated and have good academic ability in both the sciences and humanities.

International students should be aware that acceptance at American public professional schools is difficult. As a general rule, no financial aid is available for non-citizens. A small number of international students are accepted at private schools, which are costly.

Students pursuing a career in veterinary medicine have the option of registering in the School of Biological Sciences or the School of Agricultural Sciences. Typically, students are either Zoology or Animal Science majors.

SIU Carbondale also has a traditional pre-nursing program for students who plan to apply to other schools of nursing besides SIU. Pre-pharmacy students may apply to pharmacy schools at SIUE and other locations after two to three years of rigorous prerequisite course work.