The on-campus Agricultural Education Master of Science program is planned as an advanced professional or terminal degree for students who have completed the requirements of a four-year curriculum in agricultural education or allied fields of study. Areas of concentration include program planning, curriculum development, teaching methodologies, instructional technologies and youth development. Students seeking the terminal degree in the program complete course work in both education and agriculture for professional development to become community college instructors of agriculture programs, extension agents or other related work areas. Those seeking the terminal degree may also elect to apply to a doctoral program (UIUC does not currently offer a PhD in Agricultural Education). Only students in the on-campus degree option may pursue the advanced professional degree and may apply for state certification for teaching high school agriculture. The Council on Teacher Education serves as the governing body for certification at the University of Illinois, and specific course work can be planned for students to meet requirements for both certification and the Master of Science degree. The program is open to students from a variety of curricula in addition to agricultural education students including those interested in agricultural, consumer, and environmental sciences. Please click here for more information on this advanced professional degree.
To complete the degree, 32 hours of approved graduate level courses must be fulfilled. A thesis is optional; a non-thesis option is available requiring the submission of a research/professional paper. The AgEd master's program must be completed within five years after admission to the graduate college. Courses required in agriculture for the degree program may be selected from any department in the College of Agriculture, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES), other than in Agricultural Education, including courses from other online/off-campus programming in ACES. Applications for graduate students are accepted once a year, and the deadline is January 15th of each school year. Application materials and information may be obtained through the Graduate College at the following URL: http://www.grad.uiuc.edu/general/application.html
Degree Requirements for the M.S. Degree in Agricultural Education
On-Campus Contact
Dr. James C. Anderson II, Assistant Professor
Office: 155 Bevier Hall
Phone: (217) 244-0285
Fax: (217) 244-7877
Email: jcandrs1@illinois.edu
