Off-Campus Soil Science Courses

Off-campus soil science courses are offered on a regular basis, generally on Saturdays, on the Amherst campus. Other courses are offered as blended courses, with lecture on-line, and one or 2 field days during the semester; or as fully online courses.  Some of the courses, such as soil morphology and mapping, may travel throughout southern New England. We try to offer 2 courses each Fall and Spring semester, for a total of four 3-credit courses per year. Short, 1-credit courses are offered during the summer.  Courses are generally identical to courses offered at the Amherst campus, and are often taught by the same instructors. Some of the instructors work in the private sector or for governmental agencies. All hold Graduate Faculty status. Courses are offered on a rotating basis, allowing the student to take at least 6 different courses over a 2-year cycle. No courses may be taken on a pass/fail basis. Students must maintain a 3.0 Grade Point Average (GPA) to graduate.

Courses offered on a regular basis include:

STOCKSCH 515 - 3 cr Microbiology of the Soil*
STOCKSCH 564 - 4 cr Environmental Soil Science*
STOCKSCH 566 - 3 cr Soil Formation*
STOCKSCH 575 - 4 cr Environmental Soil Chemistry*
STOCKSCH 576 - 1 cr Hydric Soils (on-campus 2-day class)
STOCKSCH 577 - 1 cr Advanced Hydric Soils (on-campus 2-day class)
STOCKSCH 580 - 3 cr Soil Fertility
STOCKSCH 585 - 3 cr Inorganic Soil Contaminants
STOCKSCH 597M - 3 cr Soil Morphology and Mapping*
STOCKSCH 597O - 3 cr Organic Contaminants
STOCKSCH 602 - 3 cr Research Literature

Courses marked with * are recommended for certification as a Professional Soil Scientist and are required for graduation with a MS degree in Plant and Soil Sciences. The above courses are offered off-campus through UMASS Online (OE). Please contact OE at 413-545-2484 to register for the courses or to find out which courses are scheduled for the upcoming semester.
You do not need to be enrolled in the MS program to take any of the above listed courses. Anyone holding a BS degree may register for these courses.