About the College
Vision. To enrich the lives of people in Iowa, the nation and the world through excellence in education, scholarship, service and leadership in food, agricultural, environmental and social sciences.
Mission. To discover and share science-based knowledge for the development of socially beneficial, economically successful and environmentally sound systems for food and other renewable resources; to engage communities for enhancing the quality of life; and to prepare students to become future leaders in agriculture and society.
History. Iowa State's excellence in agriculture began with the establishment of the institution in 1858 as an agricultural college and model farm.
Departments and Faculty. The College has 15 academic departments, including 8 co-administered with other colleges. The College supports 278 tenured or tenure-track faculty, plus an additional 43 faculty in other colleges receive Experiment Station support.
Students. U.S. News & World Report featured the College in its “America's Best Colleges 2006” edition. The College enrolled 2,539 undergraduate and 646 graduate students, Fall 2006. The College and its departments annually award more than $1 million in scholarships. The College is a campus leader in student retention rate (88%) and graduation rate (70%). About 74 percent of freshmen participate in learning communities. The College is a national leader in student participation in study-abroad programs. Agriculture Career Day is the largest student job fair of its kind in the country. The College's placement rate is more than 98 percent. Sixty-seven percent of recent graduates begin their careers in Iowa.
Research through the Experiment Station. ISU is the 5th most-cited university in the world for agricultural sciences. The College administers more than $85 million in annual research expenditures through the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station. Current priorities include biorenewables, genomics, environmental stewardship, human health and wellness, food safety and security, and producer competitiveness and profitability. College faculty lead national efforts to map the genomes of crops and animals and one is the U.S. bioinformatics coordinator for 6 animal genome databases.
Extension to Agriculture and Natural Resources. ANR Extension is the largest unit in ISU Extension, involving faculty and staff in 2 colleges, 12 departments, 10 centers and special initiatives and nearly 50 field specialists across Iowa. Target programs include fostering economic development, growing Iowa's bioeconomy, value-added agricultural enterprises, helping beginning farmers, development of entrepreneurs, environmental stewardship, leadership development and rural-urban connections.
Alumni and Giving. The College's alumni worldwide number about 34,000. Nearly half live in Iowa. In FY06, the College raised $20 million, its 2nd most successful year ever. Since 2002, the College has more than doubled its number of donors.
Academic Departments and Majors
Departments
Agricultural Education & Studies
Agricultural & Biosystems Engineering
Agronomy
Animal Science
Biochemistry, Biophysics & Molecular Biology
Ecology, Evolution & Organismal Biology
Economics
Entomology
Food Science & Human Nutrition
Genetics, Development & Cell Biology
Horticulture
Natural Resource Ecology & Management
Plant Pathology
Sociology
Statistics
Majors
Agricultural Biochemistry
Agricultural Business
Agricultural Education
Agricultural Studies
Agricultural Systems Technology
Agronomy
Animal Ecology
Animal Science
Biology
Dairy Science
Dietetics
Entomology
Environmental Sciences
Food Science
Forestry
Genetics
Horticulture
Industrial Technology
Microbiology
Nutritional Science
Public Service & Administration-Ag
Secondary Majors
Environmental Studies
International Agriculture
Seed Science
Preprofessional Programs
Premedicine
Prelaw
Preveterinary Medicine
