Students seeking to tackle food security and clean water will now be able to do so at Kentucky State University. The university is offering a new Bachelor of Science degree program.
The Bachelor of Science degree program in Aquatic Science is focused on aquatic systems and sustainable resource management. It was approved at the end of January by the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education.
The new degree will become one of the few undergraduate programs of its kind in the nation and the first in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
The degree will be offered through Kentucky State’s School of Aquaculture and Aquatic Science.
Officials with KSU said experiential learning will be central to the curriculum, including access to Kentucky’s only dedicated aquatic research complex, the Aquatic Research Center.
The ARC includes 33 research ponds, a 3,000-square-foot hatchery, a 3,500-square-foot nutrition laboratory, and a 14,000-square-foot production technologies building, along with specialized facilities supporting year-round environmental research and student learning.
The USDA projects nearly 58,000 annual job openings for graduates with bachelor’s degrees in food, agriculture, and the environment, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects nearly 11,000 jobs per year in water treatment alone.
