Skip to main content Skip to search Skip to search results

Purdue University. College of Agriculture

 Organization

Historical Information

As a land-grant university, a central part of Purdue’s mission is providing students with an adequate agricultural education. Courses in agriculture originated with the first classes taught at the university in 1874, but it wasn’t until 1878 that the School of Agriculture was established. In 2004, the school was renamed to the College of Agriculture.

Since its inception, the purpose of the Purdue University College of Agriculture has been to teach the theoretical and practical elements necessary for careers in agriculture and horticulture. Purdue’s investments in student and faculty resources caused the College of Agriculture to grow in graduates and geographic extent throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. By 2023, usnews.com ranked Purdue’s College of Agriculture eighth in the nation, with approximately 2,750 undergraduates enrolled and 20 agricultural research facilities.

Citation

Board of Trustees minutes, 1878 Oct. 21, BOTM18781021, Board of Trustees Minutes, Purdue University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections, Purdue University Libraries, 4. https://earchives.lib.purdue.edu/digital/collection/bot/id/20191/rec/1

Citation

Board of Trustees Minutes, 2004 Nov. 19, BOTM20041119SM, Board of Trustees Minutes, Purdue University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections, Purdue University Libraries, 25. https://earchives.lib.purdue.edu/digital/collection/bot/id/31145/rec/1127

Citation

“Research Facilities,” College of Agriculture, Purdue University, Accessed June 20, 2024. https://ag.purdue.edu/department/arge/facilities-and-research/research-facilities.html

Citation

“Student Enrollment, Fall 2023,” Undergraduate Admissions, Purdue University, Accessed June 20, 2024. https://admissions.purdue.edu/academics/enrollment.php

Found in 1 Collection or Record:

Hepburn and Sears papers

 Collection — Box: 1
Identifier: MSF 503
Scope and Contents This collection contains information compiled by William Hepburn and Louis Martin Sears for an unpublished book on the history of Purdue's academic departments: Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, the Engineering Experiment Station, Engineering Extension Service, Agriculture, Indiana Experiment Station, Agricultural Extension, Pharmacy, Home Economics, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Education, English, History and Economics, Modern...
Dates: 1922 - 1928