Entomology is a basic and applied science of insects and their relatives such as ticks and mites. Insects are the most numerous and diverse forms of life on earth; they are essential constituents of virtually every terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem. While society benefits from the many diverse roles played by the vast majority of insects, some species may become limiting factors in the production, processing and storage of our food and fiber crops, and to the health and well being of humans and animals. The knowledge and skills possessed by entomologists are essential components of modern integrated pest management strategies designed to safely and efficiently produce adequate food supplies for a continuously expanding world population, and to impede the transmission of insect-borne diseases, while at the same time protecting our endangered species and fragile ecosystems.

The Bachelor of Science degree in Entomology leads to a wide array of career opportunities with strong employment demands among corporate and private agribusiness; urban pest management companies; scientific and technical organizations; public health agencies; local, state and federal governments; and international organizations. In addition, employment opportunities exist in areas such as forensic entomology, conservation biology, environmental quality, food quality, regulatory inspection, public health and many more. Our curriculum is sufficiently flexible such that a student, in consultation with the academic advisor, may tailor the degree to meet their individual academic goals, including requirements for graduate school, professional schools in the health career areas (medical, veterinary, dental), as well as providing the analytical skills needed for law school. Our department also participates in the Texas A&M accelerated certification program for teaching, which is an innovative approach to training Texas secondary science teachers to gain the background education needed to prepare for certification to teach science grades 8-12. Students majoring in related areas such as agronomy, animal science, horticulture, biology, genetics and biomedical sciences may wish to consider augmenting their knowledge base and broaden their career opportunities by electing to either double major or to minor in entomology. Interested students should contact the departmental undergraduate advisor for additional information on these options.