Overview
The Professional Agriculture major is an off-campus non-thesis program leading to the Master of Agriculture (M.Ag.) degree. It is available to students wishing to pursue graduate studies in agriculture without taking formal course work on campus. The program is considered to be a terminal master’s degree. It is considered to be a professional degree and not preparation for a doctoral program. It is administered by the Department of Agricultural Education and Studies which has as its focus the teaching and learning processes in a variety of settings including education, extension, public and private agencies, and business/industry training and development.
Faculty Committee
A faculty committee in consultation with the student will determine the set of courses to meet the overall requirements of the degree. The committee will also determine the acceptability of transfer and prior courses taken by the student. In most cases major professor will be selected from the faculty in Agricultural Education and Studies.
Degree Requirements
The program requires at least 32 credits. There are four required courses:
AgEdS
311/590 - Presentation and Sales Strategies for Agricultural Audiences (3 cr)
AgEdS 510 - Introduction to Research in Agricultural Education (3
cr)
AgEdS 561 - Technology Transfer and the Role of Agricultural and Extension
Education (3
cr)
AgEdS 599 - Creative Component (2 - 6 credits)
The remaining credits should include courses and workshops in the broad area of food, agriculture and natural resources, agricultural education, social sciences, and research and statistics.
Creative Component
The creative component is a demonstration of independent creativity by the student through a written report of laboratory, field, or library research on a topic that is approved by the student’s faculty committee. A thesis option is not available.
Admission
Follow directions for admission that are outlined on the Internet at: http://www.admissions.iastate.edu/graduate/index.php
Key components of the application include:
