Undergraduate enrollment in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources is up 5.2 percent over last year, the college's ninth straight annual increase.
"This trend reflects what we're seeing in the job market," said Steve Waller, dean of CASNR. "Jobs in agricultural and natural resources fields are expanding. This is a very good time to get a degree in one of these fields. CASNR had its largest ever Career Fair this fall."
CASNR's undergraduate enrollment is at 2,114, its all-time high. That number includes 15 students enrolled at CASNR through the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Degree programs with at least 25 students that grew in enrollment include: Pre-veterinary Medicine, Agronomy, Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness and Environmental Studies.
CASNR's increase ranked second among UNL colleges. UNL's total undergraduate enrollment this year is 24,445, up 1 percent from a year ago.
Graduate student enrollment in CASNR went up 6.5 percent, to 636. In total, CASNR's total enrollment including graduate and professional programs is 3,296.
Waller also noted that the number of CASNR graduates December 2012, May 2013 and August 2013 comprised the college's largest graduated class ever, up 6.4 percent to 451.
Other numbers from the fall 2013 CASNR class:
– First-time student enrollment in CASNR increased 19.9 percent to 434. The degree programs with the largest class of new freshmen were Animal Science, 56; Pre-veterinary Medicine, 54: Agribusiness, 49; Forensic Science, 39; and Agronomy, 35.
– Nebraska residents comprise 77.6 percent of first-time freshmen.
– The CASNR population is 58.4 percent male and 41.6 percent female.
– The top five degree programs based on CASNR enrollment are: Animal Science, 300; Agribusiness, 220; Agronomy, 200; Fisheries and Wildlife, 194; and PGA Golf Management, 111. Biochemistry has a total enrollment of 259, with 85 of those in CASNR and 174 in the College of Arts and Sciences.
More details at: http://go.unl.edu/6une