Agricultural Education Program

http://ageducation.montana.edu

Agricultural & Technology Education

https://www.montana.edu/agtecheducation/

230 Linfield Hall
PO Box 172830, Bozeman , MT 59717-2830
Tel: 406-994-6663

Graduate Coordinator:  Dr. Carl Igo

Department Head: Dr. Dustin Perry

Faculty Directory


Overview

The Montana State University Agricultural Education graduate program is designed to prepare graduates for entry into or advancement in formal and non-formal teaching careers. This program also provides development of professional leadership skills for other careers in agricultural leadership and communications.

The Agricultural Education master's degree program, with its various options, can be tailored to meet each student's career goals. In addition to the wide variety of professional courses in agricultural education, offerings are also available from all academic Departments in the College of Agriculture, including agricultural economics and economics, animal and range sciences, land resources and environmental sciences, plant sciences and plant pathology, and microbiology and cell biology. Specialization areas such as adult education, educational administration, career education, and curriculum coordination are also available through cooperation with the College of Education, Health and Human Development. 

Program Requirements

The program offers two pathways to completion, both of which can be taken online. Plan A is the traditional thesis option while Plan B requires a professional paper or project. The program offers considerable flexibility to students to help them meet their professional and personal objectives. Plan A requires a thesis and a minimum of 30 credit hours, of which 20 credits are considered traditional coursework and 10 credits are thesis preparation. Students who choose Plan B are required to complete a professional paper or project based on a current research issue related to the student's emphasis area. Students will take a minimum of 30 credit hours of coursework, of which 24 credits are considered traditional coursework and 6 credits are professional paper credits. The final selection of the student's professional paper or project will be the student's responsibility in collaboration with their Major Advisor and Graduate Advisory Committee. The typical student enrolled in the Plan B pathway will complete two of the following four options as part of program requirements:

  1. Complete a comprehensive exam.
  2. Create a research project formatted for journal publication.
  3. Create a research project formatted for a conference proceeding.
  4. Submit a substantial grant proposal for funding.

The requirements for students in the online program are similar to those for students following the Plan B program. Taking a minimum of 6 credits per semester, students will take a minimum of 30 semester hours of graduate coursework. Their coursework must include: Research Methods (AGED 506), Philosophy of Teaching and Learning in Agricultural Education (AGED 511), Program Planning and Evaluation (AGED 507), Creative Problem Solving (AGTE 591), and Graduate Seminar (AGED 594) two times during your program.   A final written exam and a professional paper are required in lieu of a thesis.

Admission 

Before you apply to the Agricultural Education program, take a moment to review the application requirements on the Agricultural Education homepage. Once all application materials are received the Agricultural Education graduate committee will review the application (typically after the application deadline). Application deadlines are July 1 for a Fall start, November 15 for a Spring start and March 15 for Summer (international applicants must have materials in two months prior to these dates)  Based on their review, the department will provide their recommendation to The Graduate School; all applications will receive a response through your application portal. Teaching and Research Assistantships may be available for qualified students. If interested, please direct your questions to the Departmental Graduate Coordinator, Dr. Carl Igo

Required Application Materials – to be added to GS application

The following is a list of application materials required by the Department:  

  1. Letter of Intent:  Future plans and interest in teaching and research in agriculture
  2. 3 Professional letters of recommendation
  3. Official transcripts: 3.0 undergraduate GPA
  4. Writing Sample – up to 10 pages and may be a previous capstone project, thesis, journal article, or other scholarly work which exemplifies your writing abilities.
  5. Phone Interview 
  6. (Optional) GTA application (check box and statement of interest of teaching)

Links

Application for on campus and online programs: http://www.montana.edu/gradschool/admissions/getting_started.html

Additional information for online program: http://www.montana.edu/online/degrees/agricultural-education/

Graduate Programs 

https://www.montana.edu/agtecheducation/graduateprogram.html

Degree Requirements

To earn a Masters of Science in Agricultural Education students must complete a minimum of 30 credits.  Students deficient in preliminary course work may be required by their graduate committee to take additional courses for which they will not receive graduate credit (courses numbered 400). Coursework must include: Research Methods (AGED 506), Philosophy of Teaching and Learning in Agricultural Education (AGED 511), Program Planning and Evaluation (AGED 507), Creative Problem Solving (AGTE 591), and Graduate Seminar (AGED 594) two times during your program. The masters program may be taken under either of two plans. One plan requires a thesis (Plan A) and other requires a professional paper or project (Plan B).