Agricultural Communication

Agricultural Education
    Undergrad Program
        Degree Checksheet
    Graduate Program
        Degree Checksheet
    Add-On Certification
    Career Opportunities
    Student Activities
    Contact

Agricultural Leadership

Interdisciplinary Certificate in Leadership and Service (ICLS)

Extension Education

Internationalization

Admissions

Financial Assistance

What is Agricultural Education?

An Agricultural Education degree prepares you to teach agriculture in public schools and specialized post-secondary technical programs.

Enter a wide range of other careers in agriculture, including sales, training and service jobs.

Pursue graduate study leading to advanced positions in teaching, administration, research, supervision, and management.


Undergraduate Program | top
Agricultural Education is a program in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, working in cooperation with the College of Education, with courses from both disciplines. The University requires you to take a number of core courses in the natural and physical sciences, the social sciences, and the humanities. You will also take basic education courses concerning foundations, special needs/exceptional children, and educational psychology. The Agricultural Education faculty will provide instruction in teaching methods, curriculum planning, leadership development and community study. They also supervise school practicums, apprentice (student) teaching, and ag industry internships in locations throughout Georgia.

Beyond these basic requirements, you are free to choose technical agriculture courses that fit your interests and career plans. You are strongly advised to take a wide variety of courses in all areas of agriculture in order to serve the diverse interests of public school students, and to give you career versatility. However, you can still concentrate up to four courses in an area that may be of particular interest to you, such as horticulture, agronomy, animal science, dairy science, poultry science, economics, or engineering technology. You can get specific information on all phases of the admissions procedure by contacting the Agricultural Education Undergraduate Coordinator.

Graduate Studies | top
Graduate studies provide an in-depth look at issues and concerns of educators leading to advanced positions in teaching, administration, research, supervision, and management. The Masters degree in Agricultural Education (M. Ed.) is currently jointly administered between the Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication and the Department of Occupational Studies (EOCS) in the College of Education. A faculty member in EOCS advises students on EOCS core courses. The Agricultural Education faculty (ALEC) advises on certification matters, including Agricultural Education and Technical Agriculture classes along with related support courses. The GRE (verbal and quantitative) and/or MAT scores are used for admittance into the program and Graduate School. A degree in agriculture is not necessary, but prerequisite courses in foundation, special needs, and educational psychology will have to be met for teacher certification. For information about program requirements, contact the program coordinator.

General Graduate School Admissions procedures or requirements can be obtained upon request from The Office of Graduate Admissions.
Department of Occupational Studies - College of Education
Graduate School



Add-on Teaching Certification | top
If you graduate from another agriculture major, it is possible for you to add certification to teach Agricultural Education while completing a Master's degree. Any student with a BSA degree may be able to obtain certification to teach. The student will be expected to take the basic education courses and other related courses to broaden their knowledge of agriculture. If you are interested in Agricultural Education, contact the program coordinator for further information.
Program of Study 5th Level Certificate
Program of Study 6th Level Certificate

Teaching Opportunities | top
Opportunities for graduates in Agricultural Education have never been better. A continued shortage of public school teachers of agriculture has existed for 35 years, and today's renewed emphasis on improvements in public education has increased the need. In fact, there are twice as many teaching jobs available annually as there are qualified graduates to fill them. The best news of all is that starting salaries for teachers of agriculture are competitive with the starting salaries of graduates in other segments of agriculture.

Other Career Options
A degree in Agricultural Education doesn't mean you can only teach. The Agricultural Education program of study is broad and flexible, allowing you to gain a basic understanding of most facets of agriculture, without locking yourself into any one career. That means that when you graduate, you can choose from many different jobs in Georgia's biggest industry-agriculture. Here are some examples of different careers for which a degree in Agricultural Education can prepare you:
    Cooperative Extension Service Agent
    Farm Bureau Representative
    Breed Association Representative
    Agricultural Bank Representative
    Farm Service Agency Representative
    Agricultural Co-op Manager
    Agricultural Equipment and Supply Manager
    Agricultural Commodity Association Representative
    Farmer/Rancher
    Entrepreneur in Agricultural/Environmental Business

Student Activities | top
As a student in Agricultural Education you will be encouraged to gain broad leadership experience by participating in diverse clubs and activities sponsored by the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and across campus. You are required to enroll in the Ag Ed leadership seminar each semester; only one-third of the credit can be earned by attending class -- the remainder comes from leadership activities. The UGA Collegiate FFA is the co-curricular organization that works to promote the advancement of agriculture by encouraging leadership and skills in the field of Agricultural Education. Its membership is open to students interested in agriculture, as well as those planning on teaching agriculture in Georgia's public schools.

Any Questions? | top
For more information on Agricultural Education, contact the coordinator:

        Dr. Maynard Iverson
        106 Four Towers
        The University of Georgia
        Athens, GA 30602
        (706) 542-1204
        miverson@uga.edu