Course List - Bachelor of Science in Turfgrass Science
All the courses that compose Penn State's bachelor of science degree program in turfgrass science can be completed around your own schedule — wherever and whenever it's most convenient for you. All core courses in the program are one semester in length (15 weeks for the fall and spring semesters and 12 weeks for the summer semester). The start and end dates for the core courses correspond to the University's calendar.
Bachelor of Science Degree in Turfgrass Science (120 credits)
Requirements for the Major: 89 credits (This includes 18 credits of prescribed General Education courses: 3 credits of GWS courses; 6 credits of GQ courses; 9 credits of GN courses.)
| Prescribed Courses (49 Credits) | ||
| A S M 307 | Golf Course Irrigation and Drainage Golf course irrigation systems; including sprinkler selection; piping; control systems; scheduling. Surface and subsurface drainage topics. Note: Students may not take both A S M 217 and A S M 307 for credit. |
3 credits |
| BIOL 127 | Introduction to Plant Biology Cellular structure and organization; physiological processes; classification; reproduction and development; relationship of plant groups. Students who have passed BIOL 240W may not schedule this course. |
3 credits |
| CHEM 202 | Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry I Introduction to organic chemistry, with emphasis on the properties of organic compounds of biochemical importance. Because of duplication of subject matter, students may not receive credit for both CHEM 202 and CHEM 210. |
3 credits |
| CMPSC 203 | Introduction to Spreadsheets and Databases Design, use, and programming of spreadsheets and data bases with applications from a range of disciplines. |
4 credits |
| ENT 317 | Turfgrass Insect Pest Management Introduction to entomology and management of insect pests of cool- and warm-season turfgrass. Prerequisite: TURF 235, CHEM 101, or CHEM 110 |
3 credits |
| MATH 021 | College Algebra I Quadratic equations; equations in quadratic form; word problems; graphing; algebraic fractions; negative and rational exponents; radicals. |
3 credits |
| PPATH 412 | Turfgrass Disease Management Introduction to biology of turfgrass pathogens and management of cool- and warm-season turfgrass disease. Prerequisites: TURF 230; TURF 235; CHEM 101 or CHEM 110; BIOL 127 |
3 credits |
| SOILS 101 | Introductory Soil Science A study of soil properties and processes and relationships to land use, plant growth, environmental quality, and society. |
3 credits |
| TURF 230 | Turfgrass Pesticides Chemical toxicity, formulations, environmental fate, labels, MSDS, calibration, IPM, safety, handling, storage, and Pennsylvania certification and regulations. |
1 credit |
| TURF 235 | The Turfgrass Characterization of the primary plant species used for sports, lawn, and utility turf; includes turfgrass morphology, environmental adaptation, and cultural requirements. |
3 credits |
| TURF 238 | Turf and Ornamental Weed Control Students will be introduced to the development of integrated weed management strategies utilizing a variety of cultural and chemical methods. Prerequisites: CHEM 110; TURF 230 (may be taken concurrently), TURF 235 (or equivalent) |
3 credits |
| TURF 425 | Turfgrass Cultural Systems A study of turfgrass maintenance practices and how their interrelationships can be utilized to develop management systems. Prerequisite: SOILS 101, TURF 235 (or equivalent) Recommended: TURF 238, TURF 297, ENT 317, PPATH 412 |
3 credits |
| TURF 434 | Turfgrass Edaphology Characterization of soil's physical and chemical properties for the establishment and maintenance of sports turf; includes root zone construction. Prerequisite: SOILS 101, TURF 235 (or equivalent) |
3 credits |
| TURF 435 | Turfgrass Nutrition Study of turfgrass nutrition and growth; emphasizing constructed and mineral soil fertility, nutrient uptake and function, and fertilizer use efficiency. Prerequisites: SOILS 101, TURF 235 |
4 credits |
| TURF 436W | Case Studies in Turfgrass Management Case study and discussion considering integrated management of selected turfgrass sites; emphasis on problem analysis, principle application, and decision making. Prerequisites: TURF 230 (may be taken concurrently), TURF 235 (or equivalent) Recommended: TURF 495, TURF 425 |
3 credits |
| TURF 490 | Colloquium Presentations developed by students in consultation with the course instructor. Prerequisite: seventh-semester standing Students should have completed approximately three-quarters of their 120-credit degree requirements before enrolling in TURF 495 (internship-summer term), immediately followed by TURF 490 (seminar-fall term). |
1 credit |
| TURF 495 | Internship Supervised off-campus, nongroup instruction including field experiences, practicums, or internships. Written and oral critique of activity is required. Prerequisite: prior approval of proposed assignment by instructor Students should have completed approximately three-quarters of their 120-credit degree requirements before enrolling in TURF 495 (internship-summer term), immediately followed by TURF 490 (seminar-fall term). |
3 credits |
| Additional Courses (13 credits) | ||
| BIOL 011 | Introductory Biology I | 3 credits |
| BIOL 012 | Introductory Biology II | 1 credit |
| CHEM 101 | Introductory Chemistry | 3 credits |
| ENGL 202C or ENGL 202D |
Effective Writing: Technical Writing or |
3 credits |
| METEO 003 or METEO 101 |
Introductory Meteorology or Understanding Weather Forecasting |
3 credits |
| Supporting Courses (27 credits) Select credits from each of the following two categories to fulfill the supporting courses requirements: |
||
| Professional Management and Economics | 15 credits | |
| Professional Agriculture | 12 credits | |
| General Education (45 credits) | ||
| Writing and Speaking (GWS) | 9 credits | |
| Quantification (GQ) | 6 credits | |
| Natural Sciences (GN) | 9 credits | |
| Arts (GA) | 6 credits | |
| Humanities (GH) | 6 credits | |
| Social and Behavioral Sciences (GS) | 6 credits | |
| Health and Physical Activity (GHA) | 3 credits | |
| Electives (4 credits) |
NOTE: Listed prerequisites may be waived by the course instructor if you can demonstrate the required level of competency.
Please note: Among the above degree requirements, students should incorporate at least 3 credits in US cultures, 3 credits in international (IL) cultures, and 3 credits in writing across the curriculum courses. The above course list includes only courses offered by World Campus. An official degree audit or the recommended academic plan for this program may include additional course options and detailed requirements. All students are expected to complete at least 36 Penn State credits to earn this degree. Please consult an academic adviser for details.