The Plant Protection (3+1 Sino-Foreign Cooperative Education) program is a joint undergraduate program between Northwest A&F University and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in the United States. It was approved by the Ministry of Education in 2022 and start accepting students in 2023.

Northwest A&F University is a key university directly under the Ministry of Education, and is listed in the national "985 Project" and "211 Project". It was one of the first universities selected as the national "Double First-Class" initiative in 2017, and was selected again in the second round in 2022. The Plant Protection discipline is a first-class national discipline, and the college of plant protection has a high-level faculty led by academicians, a national key laboratory for crop stress resistance and efficient production, and a national Lab of Virtual Reality. It has cultivated more than 8,000 high-quality plant protection talents for society.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is a prestigious public research university with a long history. Known for its rigorous academic culture and fruitful research achievements, it is often referred to as a "public Ivy League ". It is a member of the “Big Ten”, a group of fourteen universities in the Midwest of America, and is one of the 60 members of the Association of American Universities. The university was ranked among the "Top 10 Best Places to Work in Academia" by the Scientist Magazine and is renowned in various disciplines and fields. It has produced three Nobel Prize laureates and one Turing Award laureate."

This major relies on high-quality educational resources from both domestic and foreign sources, with a focus on meeting the talent needs of the country. It aims to cultivate well-rounded individuals who are physically and mentally healthy, possess a reasonable knowledge structure, have a sound character, noble humanistic spirit, deep feelings for the agriculture, rural areas, and farmers, and social responsibility. Graduates of this major are expected to have solid professional knowledge and practical skills in plant protection, be proficient in modern agricultural science and technology, possess an international perspective and innovation ability, and be able to engage in plant protection teaching, scientific research, marketing, administrative management, and operation in the fields of agriculture, horticulture, food, and related sectors.

This major is a four-year program that adopts a "3+1" training mode, where students study for the first three years at Northwest A&F University and the fourth year at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Students who complete the required credits and meet the graduation requirements will receive a bachelor's degree in Agriculture from Northwest A&F University and a bachelor's degree in Plant Biology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Graduates of this major have a stronger competitive edge when applying for advanced degree programs of renowned universities and research institutions in Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, Singapore etc. They can also work in government agencies, public institutions such as the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the General Administration of Customs, as well as large domestic and foreign companies like Syngenta.

Campus of Northwest A&F University

Campus of University of Nebraska Lincoln