Agricultural Education and Communication

Program Information

The Master of Science program is designed to prepare graduates for domestic and international teaching, research, extension, administrative and leadership positions in both the public and private sectors. Courses are taught in an agricultural and natural resources context and are broadly applicable in educational, business, government, and agency settings. The Master of Science program is delivered on-campus and online via the AEC e-Learning Institute (eLI). The Doctor of Philosophy degree program is primarily designed to prepare graduates for academic positions in teaching, research, and extension within the realm of Agricultural Education and Communication. In addition, graduates may obtain positions in administration, human resource management, or training and development.

The Agricultural Communication specialization prepares students for professional communication careers in or dealing with agriculture and agribusiness. It is intended primarily for students who enter with a bachelor’s degree in journalism, agricultural communication/journalism, advertising, broadcasting, public relations, or related fields. Graduates of this option are employed in:

communication or management positions with the numerous commodity or special-interest associations in agriculture and related fields;
communication support positions in agricultural extension and research information departments of land-grant universities, agencies of USDA, state Departments of Agriculture, and agricultural development projects overseas;
advertising and public relations positions with agribusiness firms or commodity associations; and
media positions involved in reporting on agriculture, agribusiness, and natural resource issues.

Students in Agricultural Communication also develop strong skills/application in media writing, production, campaign strategies and/or Web design/desktop publishing. Graduates become prepared for positions in both public and private sectors in both industry and educational settings.

The Agricultural Education specialization is designed to enhance the careers of those employed in the educational professions in agriculture and natural resources. Regardless if one is employed in public school teaching, community college instruction, or training and development in agribusiness, students gain valuable knowledge and experience in designing, implementing, and evaluating educational programs. In addition, graduates of the program command added depth in the understanding of the teaching and learning process. This specialization may be designed to allow students to complete the requirements of teacher certification while completing their master’s degree program. The PhD is a research-oriented degree that has a primary focus of preparing candidates to assume faculty positions in colleges or university teacher education programs. Candidates develop an individual program of study that provides a comprehensive knowledge of teaching and learning processes. The degree also seeks to extend the candidate’s development by providing instruction, research opportunities, and experiences that enhance the depth and breadth of the candidate’s prior learning opportunities.

The Extension Education specialization is designed to prepare students for careers in the Cooperative Extension service, outreach education, and/ or other international agencies. Through coursework and research, students will gain valuable knowledge and experience in designing, implementing, and evaluating educational programs. Extension graduate students choose between a domestic or international focus in regards to coursework and/or research. In addition, graduates of the program command tremendous depth of the teaching and learning process. Candidates who select the Extension Education specialization develop an individual program of study that focuses on such topics as program development, experiential education, the change process, educational technologies and extension, program evaluation and organizational accountability, administration and leadership, and international extension. Graduates become prepared for a variety of positions including extension specialists, county and district extension directors, outreach education coordinators for private and public agencies, 4-H Extension agents and specialists, and educator specialists with international agencies.

The Leadership Development specialization is designed to prepare students for educational leadership, training, and outreach positions in agricultural, extension, community and governmental agencies. Course work in the major will focus on a core of agricultural courses along with emphasis in designing educational/training programs, professional presentation enhancement, leadership development, teaching/training methods, and interpersonal communication. Candidates who select the Leadership Development specialization develop an individual program that focuses on leadership theory and measurement, critical and creative thinking, and leadership in cross-cultural settings. Students will encompass a strong research and theory-based program with a strong knowledge of training and development, and human resource management. Graduates become prepared for positions in both public and private sectors in both industry and educational settings.

Degrees Offered with a Major in Agricultural Education and Communication

Doctor of Philosophy
Master of Science

Requirements for these degrees are given in the Graduate Degrees section of this catalog.

Agricultural Education and Communication Departmental Courses

Course List by Depts
Code	Title	Credits
AEC 5032	Agricultural and Natural Resources Media Writing	3
AEC 5034	Digital Media Production in Agriculture and Natural Resources	3
AEC 5037	Agricultural and Natural Resources Media Production	3
AEC 5060	Public Opinion and Agricultural and Natural Resource Issues	3
AEC 5074	Agriculture, Resources, People, and the Environment: A Global Perspective	3
AEC 5206	Teaching Methods in Agricultural Education	3
AEC 5227	Teaching in Agricultural Education Laboratory Facilities	3
AEC 5302	Professional Skill Development in Agriscience Education I	1-3
AEC 5324	Philosophy and Development of Agricultural Education	3
AEC 5416	Critical and Creative Thinking in Problem Solving and Decision Making	3
AEC 5440	Interpersonal Leadership in Agricultural and Life Sciences	3
AEC 5454	Leadership Development for Extension and Community Nonprofit Organizations	3
AEC 5501	Professional Skill Development in Agriscience Education II	1-3
AEC 5541	Communication and Instructional Technologies in Agricultural and Life Sciences	3
AEC 5544	Curriculum Development and Assessment Techniques in Emerging Agricultural Technologies	3
AEC 5545	Special Methods in Teaching Agriculture	3
AEC 5546	Program Planning in Agricultural Education	3
AEC 6210	Designing Educational Programs in Agricultural Settings	3
AEC 6211	Delivering Educational Programs in Agricultural Settings	3
AEC 6212	Teacher Education in Agriculture	3
AEC 6229	Laboratory Instruction: Theory and Practice	3
AEC 6300	Methodology of Planned Change	3
AEC 6316	From America to Zimbabwe: An Overview of International Extension Systems	3
AEC 6321	The Land Grant University and University Governance	3
AEC 6325	History and Philosophy of Agricultural Education	3
AEC 6411	Organizational Leadership in Agriculture and Life Sciences	3
AEC 6419	Communication and Competencies for Global Leadership	3
AEC 6426	Development of a Volunteer Leadership Program	3
AEC 6501	Developing and Conducting Needs Assessments in Extension Settings	3
AEC 6512	Program Development in Extension Education	3
AEC 6540	Agricultural and Natural Resources Communications Theory and Strategies	3
AEC 6543	Teaching and Learning Theory: Applications in Agricultural Education	3
AEC 6552	Evaluating Programs in Extension Education	3
AEC 6611	Agricultural and Extension Adult Education	3
AEC 6704	Extension Administration and Supervision	3
AEC 6767	Research Strategies in Agricultural Education and Communication	3
AEC 6905	Problems in Agricultural and Extension Education	1-3
AEC 6910	Supervised Research	1-5
AEC 6912	Nonthesis Research in Agricultural and Extension Education	1-3
AEC 6932	Special Topics In Agricultural Education and Communication	1-3
AEC 6933	Seminar in Agricultural Education and Communication	1-3
AEC 6940	Supervised Teaching	1-5
AEC 6945	Practicum in Agricultural Education and Communication	1-9
AEC 6947	Experiential Learning in Agricultural Education	3
AEC 6971	Research for Master's Thesis	1-15
AEC 6980	Thesis/Dissertation Proposal Development	3
AEC 7979	Advanced Research	1-12
AEC 7980	Research for Doctoral Dissertation	1-15

College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Courses

Course List by College
Code	Title	Credits
ALS 5156	Agricultural Ecology Principles and Applications	3
ALS 5905	Individual Study	1-4
ALS 5932	Special Topics	1-4
ALS 6046	Grant Writing	2
ALS 6166	Exotic Species and Biosecurity Issues	3
ALS 6921	Colloquium on Plant Pests of Regulatory Significance	1
ALS 6925	Integrated Plant Medicine	4
ALS 6931	Plant Medicine Program Seminar	1
ALS 6935	Topics in Biological Invasions	3
ALS 6942	Principles of Plant Pest Risk Assessment and Management	3
ALS 6943	Internship in Plant Pest Risk Assessment and Management	1-10
ANS 6936	Graduate Seminar in Animal Molecular and Cell Biology	1-2
BCH 5045	Graduate Survey of Biochemistry	4
STA 6093	Introduction to Applied Statistics for Agricultural and Life Sciences	3
STA 6329	Matrix Algebra and Statistical Computing	3

Agricultural Education & Communications (PHD)

SLO 1 Knowledge
Summarize contemporary and foundational theory and research in the selected specialization

SLO 2 Knowledge
Apply, analyze and synthesize content knowledge, evolving concepts and philosophies in the selected specialization to solve problems by identifying component parts, relationships and ideas.

SLO 3 Skills
Apply visual and nonvisual techniques in the use of instructional materials and methods.

SLO 4 Skills
Apply concepts and principles related to design, implementation and evaluation of formal and non- formal education and/or training and development programs.

SLO 5 Skills
Apply principles, practices and strategies for conducting behavioral research in agricultural and natural resource professions.

SLO 6 Professional Development
Display ethical behaviors, cultural sensitivity, teamwork, professional conduct and communication.

Agricultural Education & Communications (MS)

SLO 1 Knowledge
Display competency in contemporary and foundational theory and research in their selected specialization.

SLO 2 Knowledge
Apply, analyze and synthesize content knowledge and evolving concepts and philosophies in the selected specialization to solve problems by identifying component parts, relationships and ideas.