Two students closely study an assembled skeleton of a large mammal A student works with an anatomy torso

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Feeding and changing the world

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is one of the world’s leading agricultural colleges preparing students to make a difference as leaders who address life’s greatest challenges in food, the environment, and plant-animal-health systems. The college offers the nation’s top agricultural technology programs, an award-winning entrepreneurship program, and the nation’s only student-managed farm.

Valeria Miranda Ortiz poses with a dapple grey horse
Closeup of two people examining a beehive

What can I study?

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences offers 26 undergraduate majors and 35 graduate programs in addition to hands-on opportunities for students to hone skills in leadership, communications and cultural competency, within and across disciplines.

Majors, minors and certificates

Research

Researchers in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences advance knowledge through basic science and its application in the fields of agronomy, animal science, food safety, ecology, plant pathology and the social sciences, building on more than 130 years of leadership.

Homegrown football field

A group of students pose on the turfgrass grown for the ISU football field
A collaborative project to grow and replace the turfgrass on Iowa State's football field offered valuable hands-on learning experiences for students. Iowa State is one of the first universities to grow its own football field sod within a year.

Innovation and entrepreneurship

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences was an early innovator, launching one of the world's foremost one of the foremost programs for developing agricultural entrepreneurs. Students gain entrepreneurship experience inside and outside the classroom, complemented by programs in business incubation, public-private partnerships, technology commercialization, and industry interaction.

Start Something in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

A student pitches an entrepreneurial idea to a group
Iowa State's Start Something Network is just one of the many ways you as can be part of Innovate at Iowa State – an inclusive culture that fuels curiosity and nurtures creative sparks.

Opportunities

If you're looking for more than just a schedule of classes, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences offers plenty of ways to branch out and enrich your experience.

Make a world of difference

The study abroad office team is here to help you find a travel program that fits and provide the resources you need to make it happen.

Success at Iowa State

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences career fair, held in the fall and spring, is the largest in the nation. Employers flock to campus to fill internships and full-time positions with CALS graduates.

Agriculture and Life Sciences career paths

  • Agronomist

  • Horticulturist

  • Livestock production specialist

  • Ag technology services leader

  • Agriculture buyer

  • Farm/field operations director

  • Agricultural marketer

  • Research scientist

Featured story

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Opportunities lead to global career

Kendra Spier

'20 dairy science and global resource systems

I'm ready to apply

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I'm ready to accept

See all that Iowa State offers