UC Davis College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences Really Rocks!
By Patrick Cavanaugh, Farm News Director
Helene Dillard, dean, UC Davis College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, is pleased with the big numbers of students attending the top-ranking College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
Helene Dillard, dean, UC Davis College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences
“It’s really rocking,” said Dillard. “We’re doing very, very well. We have one of the largest numbers of incoming students ever in the entire university. Our College has peaked out its 7,300 undergraduates. We’ve never had that many at one time.”
Why the increased interest in studying agriculture? Dillard said, “We think what’s moving that needle is that everyone is interested in food. They are interested in agriculture. And they are really interested in that intersection between agriculture and the environment. We have a record number of students that just cannot wait to come on board. We are really thrilled with how smart they are and how eager they are to learn.”
Among the many courses offered by the College, Dillard said Animal Science classes are probably among the most popular. “But of course, beer classes and the coffee class are really popular too. But right now, I’m seeing tremendous interest in agricultural economics and in animal science, to become veterinarians and ranchers, plus specific academic interest in poultry and sheep.”
“Again, those are all things that UC Davis does, so we’re really excited. We’re also seeing a lot of interest in plant sciences, more on that sustainable and food systems and our viticulture and enology program’s growing as well.
Recent Graduate Program Rankings for UC Davis College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences and related disciplines include:
- 1st in agricultural sciences (Thomson Reuters ScienceWatch 2011)
- 2nd in agriculture and forestry (QS World University Rankings 2016)
- 2nd in agriculture worldwide (U.S. News & World Report’s “2016 Best Global Universities”)
- 1st in ecology and the environment (Thomson Reuters ScienceWatch 2011)
- 1st in food science and nutrition (Thomson Reuters ScienceWatch 2010)
- 1st in plant science (U.S. News & World Report’s “2016 Best Global Universities”)
- 1st in animal science (U.S. News & World Report’s “2016 Best Global Universities”)
- 1st for veterinary science (QS World University Rankings 2016)
- 1st among the nation’s veterinary schools (U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Graduate Schools” 2016)
- Between 1st and 15th among 44 programs in nutritional biology (National Research Council 2010)
- 4th in environment/ecology (U.S. News & World Report’s “2016 Best Global Universities”)
- Between 1st and 7th in Entomology among 28 programs (National Research Council 2010)
- Between 5th and 29th among 116 programs in plant biology (National Research Council 2010)
- Between 7th and 42th among 116 programs in plant pathology (National Research Council 2010)
- 13th in environmental engineering worldwide (QS World University Rankings 2016)
- 29th in environmental engineering worldwide (2016 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects, ShanghaiRankings)
(Source: University of California, Davis, Graduate academic program rankings.)
