Explore Majors and Careers

Impact the lives of college students.

The graduate certificate in academic advising provides students a grounding in the foundational elements and essential competencies needed for effective advising practice. Academic advising is a practice-based profession intended to aid students in achieving educational, career and personal goals through the use of the full range of institutional and community resources. Topics will include student development theory, multicultural issues, career development, interpersonal relations for advising and current issues of academic advising.

The academic advising certificate will be offered as a stand-alone credential for those who already hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution or may be offered in combination with the counseling and human resource development (M.Ed.) - administration of student affairs specialization or counseling and human resource development (M.S.) - college counseling specialization.

A strong foundation leading to countless opportunities.

The accounting minor provides students with advanced training in accounting, including managerial, financial, cost and income tax accounting. It is recommended for students with career interests in fields such as accounting, finance, business administration and entrepreneurship. It provides a strong foundation for a graduate program in accounting.

Become a better math teacher by becoming a better mathematician.

The advanced graduate mathematics certificate is designed for current high school mathematics teachers who are either enrolled in or have completed a master’s degree, are interested in getting credentials to teach concurrent dual credit math courses and have already completed nine credit hours of graduate mathematics courses through the graduate mathematics certificate or another avenue (for example the SDSU data science certificate) in order to meet HLC requirements. The 18-credit sequence of the graduate mathematics certificate and advanced graduate mathematics certificate would allow you to do that.

From billboards to television to social media, advertising is everywhere.

In today’s evolving media landscape, advertising professionals must be more creative and strategic than ever. In this program, you will develop a versatile set of skills in writing, promotion, business, marketing, graphic design and digital media. A major in advertising will prepare students with effective written and visual communication, critical thinking, strategy, design and research skills. Graduates gain experience working on teams to develop solutions for applied projects, clients, and competitive campaigns.

From billboards to television to social media, advertising is everywhere.

The advertising minor prepares students with effective written and visual communication, strategy, critical thinking, design and research skills. Students in this program gain experience working on teams to develop solutions for applied projects, clients and competitive campaigns. The advertising minor program is open to students majoring in all fields and compliments a variety of chosen career paths.

The frontiers of air and space.

Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with design and development of aircraft and spacecraft. Applications include traditional piloted fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, as well as autonomous aircraft of various types. The aerospace engineering minor specifies a sequence of courses and academic experiences that provide a basic background in concepts required to solve design problems in aerospace applications. Students that complete the 18-credit minor will have an understanding of basic engineering principles that apply to the design, development and testing of aircraft and spacecraft. Employers include numerous companies involved in the aerospace industry and government agencies such as NASA, the U.S. Department of Defense and the Federal Aviation Administration.

Develop leaders of character for tomorrow’s Air Force.

The Aerospace Studies Department at SDSU is dedicated to training college students for successful careers as officers in the United States Air Force or Space Force. Our detachment at SDSU has cross-town agreements with Dakota State University, Augustana University and the University of Sioux Falls. Students from these schools are authorized to be AFROTC members at SDSU. Cross-town students may call our detachment at 605-688-6106 for more information about AFROTC.

Play an important role in moving agricultural products from farm to market.

The agribusiness marketing minor prepares students for marketing and sales positions in agriculture. Marketing in today’s agribusiness industry requires market knowledge, personal selling skill and product knowledge. The minor combines marketing and sales classes with products oriented classes to prepare students for sales careers in feed, seed, equipment, finance, insurance, local foods and many more.

Become an agricultural problem solver

Agricultural and biosystems engineers have a passion for using engineering skills to solve agricultural problem. Agricultural engineers design equipment and facilities that increase agricultural productivity while protecting the environment. Most employment opportunities are located regionally in production agriculture areas.

Agricultural engineers will continue to be in high demand for as long as there is a need for food production. Agricultural engineers work in a wide variety of settings. Projects include: designing tractors and other agriculture and off-highway equipment, planning climate control systems that increase the comfort and productivity of livestock, creating systems for animal waste disposal, integrating artificial intelligence and geospatial systems, improving efficiency in fertilizer application and automating harvesting systems. Many graduates balance their career while continuing help with farming operations.

Cutting-edge science to feed and fuel the future.

Agricultural and biosystems engineering graduate students normally have as their goal a better understanding of the current theories, principles, issues and problems in agricultural, environmental and biological systems. Graduate studies improve the student’s ability to think critically and creatively, and to synthesize, analyze and integrate ideas for decision-making and problem solving. Undertake research and advanced study in specialization areas such as food and biomaterial processing, physical properties of biological materials, natural resource engineering, structures, indoor environment, waste management and machine design.

Innovative and advanced systems engineering to feed and fuel the future.

Students who undertake this Ph.D. in agricultural and biosystems engineering graduate degree normally have as their goal a better understanding of the current theories, principles, issues and problems in agricultural, biological, thermal, fluid, control, bulk materials storage/handling systems, animal systems and mechanical systems. Graduate studies improve the student’s ability to think critically and creatively, and to synthesize, analyze and integrate ideas for decision-making and problem solving.

This program offers students an opportunity to undertake research and advanced study in specialization areas such as:

biorenewable energy and bioresource conversion technologies.engineering of advanced precision agriculture systems used in production agriculture.natural resources engineering for utilization and conservation of soil and water resources.advanced manufacturing and quality control technologies focused on composition, properties and integrity of materials.advanced thermal-fluid systems.advanced composites.advanced animal systems.bulk materials storage/handling systems.systems modeling.

What are the rights and obligations of a farmer? How do you pursue legal protection for land, produce and property? What does it look like to ensure the safety of others when it comes to agricultural practices?

Take your knowledge of the law and agricultural experience to the next level with SDSU’s 15-credit online certificate in agricultural and environmental law. Focus on legal issues that arise in rural communities and the food industry. Examine legal concerns surrounding water quality, land-use and other environmental issues. Develop a working understanding of the legislative regulation of food production, renewable energy and an expanding population. Learn to recognize and understand legal issues related to agricultural business contracts, tenancy, property, agency and employment issues. The goal of the program is to provide you with a firm grasp of the laws that may impact your career and personal activities. The agricultural and environmental law certificate provides a foundational understanding of core agricultural legal concepts while offering different areas of emphasis that appeal to your specific interests and experiences.

Good to Grow

Agricultural business blends a strong foundation in business training with specialized coursework in agricultural topics to prepare students for careers in 21st century agribusiness. Coursework focuses on the following agriculture topics: management, marketing, finance and policy. Agricultural business majors tend to work for agricultural lenders, local cooperatives, implement companies, etc. in roles like commodity merchandiser and farm management specialist.

Prepare for a growing industry.

The agricultural business minor builds on a foundation of economic theory and management skills as it applies to the agricultural sector. This minor will benefit students pursuing careers in production agriculture, agribusiness, rural banking and other fields.

Inspire future generations of agriculturalists.

Preparing agricultural educators to critically evaluate curricular content, programmatic effectiveness and community needs to deliver culturally responsible and environmentally sound formal and informal instruction in the global agriculture, food, fiber and natural-resource systems.

SDSU’s interdisciplinary master’s in agricultural education online graduate program prepares students for the career paths of their choosing: agricultural education (both formal and informal), post-secondary education, nonprofit organizations and leadership in the broader agriculture industry.

Inspire future generations of agriculturalists.

Agriculture education graduates are prepared for careers teaching agriculture, food and natural resources content. Graduates will qualify for a secondary teaching certificate and will also be prepared for a variety of careers in the agriculture industry.

Teaching agriculture and providing leadership for a local FFA chapter is a very rewarding and promising profession. A national shortage of agricultural educators, extending to many states across the country, means that numerous positions are available each year. 

Advocate for agriculture

Agricultural communication graduates have a broad understanding of the agriculture industry and its challenges, along with effective communication and journalism skills to share these topics with others. They hold a wide variety of communications related positions in agribusiness, advertising, marketing, news media and public relations. 

Serve as a leader in the Agriculture and Food Industry.

The leadership specialization requires courses in leadership skills development, basic science and agriculture. It allows considerable flexibility for students to choose supporting elective courses.

Graduates of the leadership specialization will pursue careers of service to such entities as agricultural commodity organizations, breed associations, community development organizations, government and businesses.

Focused curriculum in agriculture.

Agricultural science offers students a practical introductory education in agriculture. The foundational understanding of agriculture allows graduates of our associate degree program to qualify for career opportunities in production agriculture or entry level business and sales positions. Students within this program are able to transition into a bachelor degree program without transferring institutions. 

Flexible program providing a competitive edge in agriculture.

Agricultural science offers students a practical, well-rounded education in agriculture. Because of their comprehensive background, ag science majors are placed in a wide variety of professional capacities in the agricultural industry, including sales, business, management and production.

Specific positions are determined in part by students’ academic coursework, internships, work experiences and extracurricular involvement.

Often students seek this major because of a career goal to own or operate a farm or ranch. Additionally, students frequently select this major to pursue multiple areas of interest in agriculture or to explore their interest within agriculture.

Creating the future of agriculture.

Agricultural systems technology (AST) offers hands-on, real world experience with the latest agricultural equipment, software, facilities and techniques. Industry feedback on class content coupled with strong student support prepares for their dream profession. Students get a flexible program with opportunities to establish their network of leading agriculture professionals.

With job placement consistently near 100%, AST offers job security across a wide variety of agriculture professions. Some students want to learn how to improve their family farm and ranch operations while others want to start their own agriculture business. We help students develop strong managerial, leadership, interpersonal and communication skills to go anywhere they want in agriculture. Our graduates stand apart from other degrees because they have a strong, versatile foundation of both technical and agriculture business skills. Many graduates balance their career and continue helping with farming and ranching operations.

Feed the world.

The agronomy major provides broad training in the crop and soil sciences. Agronomy involves the science of producing and using plants in agriculture for food, feed, fuel, fiber and land restoration. We offer a high-quality education and training experience for undergraduates to equip them with the knowledge and skills needed to be successful in pursuing well-paid and highly respected careers.

This program provides students with an integrated understanding of crop development and management, entomology, natural resource management, plant breeding, plant pathology, weed science, seed technologies, soils and crop production systems with precision agriculture integrated into many areas. The major also prepares students for entry agricultural careers throughout the United States and into research and graduate study in plant science and other related fields.

The agronomy major prepares students for many careers, such as crop consulting, precision agriculture, sales and marketing, seed production, grain production, ecosystem management, product research and development, seed testing and soil and natural resource conservation. There are tremendous opportunities for agronomy majors!

Feed the world.

The agronomy minor provides training in plant, soil and pest management. It complements a variety of majors by providing a focus on the science and technology of producing and using plants in agriculture for food, feed, fuel, fiber and land restoration. Employment possibilities include careers in crop consulting, crop/plant and soil research, seed and forage production and marketing agricultural inputs (fertilizers, seed, chemicals). The minor strengthens employment opportunities in government agencies, such as, the Cooperative Extension Service, Farm Service Agency, Agricultural Research Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Developing Engaged Citizens

Contemporary issues of social, political, cultural and community importance require American citizens equipped for civic engagement. Civic engagement may be measured by behaviors including voter turnout, volunteerism, community engagement, citizen advocacy and holding an appointed or elected office. All American citizens have the right and responsibility to participate in the work of self-governance. Americans demonstrate civic engagement when they individually and collectively identify and address issues of public concern for the public good. The American civic traditions certificate will prepare you with the foundational knowledge to understand current debates through the lens of history, political structures and differing perspectives to cultivate an educated and engaged citizenry. This certificate is beneficial to all majors.