Program Overview

Graduate Program

The Agricultural Education and Communication department offers degrees of Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy. While obtaining a degree in Agricultural Education and Communication, students may specialize in one of four areas:

• Agricultural Communication
• Agricultural Education
• Extension Education
• Agricultural Leadership Education

Master's Degree

The master’s degree is offered in a traditional face-to-face format for on-campus students or in an online format for students pursuing their degree from a distance. The master’s degree is designed to prepare graduates for teaching, research, extension, administrative, and leadership positions in the public and private sectors. The on-campus and distance program each typically take two years to complete.

Doctor of Philosophy

The Doctor of Philosophy degree is primarily designed to prepare graduates for faculty and/or administrative positions in teaching, research, and extension. The PhD program typically takes 3 years to complete for full-time students.

Certificates

Graduate students can also obtain a certificate in addition to their degree through our department. Currently, there are three certificates available:

• Teaching and Learning in Agricultural and Life Sciences
• Leadership in Agriculture and Natural Resources
• Agriscience Secondary Teaching Preparation

Minors

A graduate minor is a block of course work completed in any academic unit outside the student’s major. A graduate minor in AEC is available at both the MS and PhD levels. An AEC minor must be approved and added by the student’s home academic unit. All students with an AEC minor must have an AEC supervisory committee member. A special appointment may not serve as the committee member for the minor. The minor appears on the student’s transcript along with the program name and the degree awarded. A 3.00 GPA in minor coursework is required for minor credit. Courses taken elsewhere may not be used to satisfy minor requirements. PhD students must have a minimum of 12 credit hours of graduate-level AEC coursework. Master’s students must have a minimum of 6 credit hours of graduate-level AEC coursework.