A detailed history of the Crop Science Department was published in 1990 by P. H. Harvey, entitled Crop Science, A Harvest of 100 Years. The roots of Crop Science trace back to 1877 when research in crop production was begun, followed by initiation of a teaching program in 1887. At the time General Agriculture included crop and soil management, soil chemistry, and crop production. In 1904-05 Ag Hall was built and became the home for field crop and soils research and teaching. In 1912 the building was renamed Patterson Hall, and housed field crop and soils activities until 1939. Farm demonstration and county agent activities began in North Carolina in 1907, primarily fueled by boll weevil problems. North Carolina State was the first land-grant college to sign a memorandum of agreement with the USDA to improve relations between the federal and state partners (1909).

The Department of Agronomy was officially established in 1922. After some continued growth, the Great Depression saw a decrease in activities. In 1939, the Agronomy Department moved from Patterson Hall so renovations could take place. Financial constraints prevented the renovations from occurring, and the department never moved back to the building. For many years the department occupied space wherever any could be found. Finally in 1952, the department moved into Williams Hall, a building it still occupies.

From relatively early times, M.S. degrees were awarded, although on only a sporadic basis during the 1920s and 1930s. Shortly before WWII, PhD programs were established, and the first Ph.D. graduates in crops and in soils were awarded in 1947 to Drs. Roy Blaser and Nyle Brady. Because NC State was not approved at that time to award PhD degrees, official awards occurred at Chapel Hill.

In 1956, the department was split into Soils and Field Crops. The undergraduate curriculum was kept together, and to this date the Agronomy undergraduate curriculum is a shared responsibility. In 1956, the division was made based on size and diversity of the department. The previous head of the agronomy department, Dr. E.T. York said, "It was impossible for one department head to adequately cover both soil and crop interests." The departmental name was changed to Crop Science in 1962, in part to connote an emphasis that included basic as well as applied scientific activities.

In 1986, an addition to Williams Hall was opened, providing much needed space. As of 2001, Crop Science personnel were located at the Mountain Research Station at Waynesville, the Tidewater Research Station at Plymouth, Williams Hall, Method Road Unit 3 complex, the USDA/ARS Headhouse on Ligon Street, Hillsborough Street CALS Annex, Lake Wheeler Crops Unit, and the Oxford Tobacco Station.