Geoscience Program Information at Alabama A&M University

Xiongwen Chen, Biological and Environmental Science, Alabama A & M University

Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical (A&M) University is a historical black college and university. Alabama A&M University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools' Commission on Colleges to award baccalaureate, master, educational specialist, and doctoral degrees. The College of Agricultural, Life and Natural Sciences (CALNS) at Alabama A&M University is challenging stereotypical conceptions of agricultural and life and natural sciences as it prepares students to excel in a changing world. To meet the future needs of society, CALNS offers diverse programs, many of which are not traditionally associated with agriculture or family and consumer sciences. Within its four academic departments – Biological and Environmental Sciences, Community and Regional Planning, Family and Consumer Sciences, and Food and Animal Sciences, and Military Sciences, program emphases reflect today's technological advancements and possibilities.

The department of Biological and Environmental Sciences prepares students for a variety of careers in health care, food and agriculture, in basic and applied biosciences and environmental sciences that lead to careers in research, industry, teaching and public service professions. Biology alone and in combination with environmental sciences is the gateway to many exciting educational and employment opportunities in the industry. Diverse Issues in Higher Education's Top 100 Degree Producers ranked AAMU 7th in the production of African American graduates in Biological and Biomedical Sciences in the nation for the year 2008 and the PhD program in Plant and Soil Science as one of the leading producers of African American PhD's in Agricultural Sciences.

The Forestry, Ecology and Wildlife Program is professionally accredited by the Society of American Foresters, one of two such programs in Alabama and the only professionally accredited forestry program at a Historically Black College or University. FEWP offers a Bachelor of Science Degree in Forestry, with degree options in Forest Management and Forest Science, and minors in Wildlife Biology and Fisheries. Graduate study opportunities (M.S. and Ph.D.) in forestry and related disciplines are available through the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences. To provide students with additional opportunities for working in the research programs with faculty mentors, the departmental faculty mentors receive research support from USDA (NIFA, Forest Service and Natural Resource Conservation Service), National Science Foundation, private industry, private foundations, US Department of Education and the National Aeronautical and Space Administration. Our program emphasizes collaborative learning with emphasis on the development of problem-solving and critical thinking skills of our students. These skills constitute the foundation of a successful career in the biological, natural resources and environmental sciences.

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