2024-2025 Graduate Catalog Agriculture

Full-time students should expect to take at least two years to complete the master’s program once they have completed any deficiency coursework.

Each sequence has a thesis and non-thesis option. Required core courses for the degree program are: AGR 403, AGR 445, and AGR 497.

All master’s degree programs require a minimum of 50 percent of the non-thesis credit hours applied to the degree to be 400-level courses or above.

Agribusiness Sequence

This 37-hour sequence requires:

• 7 hour required core: AGR 403, AGR 445, and AGR 497
• 6 hours: MBA 430 and MBA 421;
• 12 hours: AGR 418, AGR 420, AGR 422 or AGR 424
• Plus Option 1 or 2
• Students who completed a limited number of business courses as undergraduates may be required to take some or all of the following Pre-MBA courses in accounting, statistics, economics, management, marketing, finance, and business law. Foundation courses cannot be presented for use in the Agriculture degree program.

Students with non-business undergraduate degrees may have to complete Pre-MBA Program courses before enrolling in MBA core courses. The responsibility for demonstrating prior academic coverage of the material at the appropriate level rests with the student, and should be completed at least one month prior to the beginning of the first semester of course work.

Option I - Thesis

• the degree requirements listed above
• 6 hours of Master’s Thesis (AGR 499)
• 6 hours of electives

Option II - Non-Thesis

• the degree requirements listed above
• a synthesizing experience consisting of 3 hours of Independent Study (AGR 400) under the direction of a major advisor and with the approval of an advisory committee OR an immersion-based professional training experience for 3 hours of Independent Study (AGR 400) approved by the graduate program coordinator and oral examination.
• 9 hours of electives

Elective Courses

The following Department of Agriculture courses are acceptable to satisfy the elective courses requirement of the Agribusiness Sequence: AGR 304, AGR 305, AGR 306, AGR 312, AGR 313, AGR 315, AGR 318, AGR 319, AGR 320, AGR 324, AGR 352, AGR 353, AGR 355, AGR 357, AGR 363, AGR 375, AGR 383, AGR 400, AGR 408, AGR 409, AGR 417, AGR 425, AGR 426, AGR 446, AGR 464, AGR 465, AGR 472, AGR 480, AGR 492; MBA 411, MBA 416, MBA 427, MBA 440, MBA 450; MKT 440, MKT 445; MGT 440, MGT 482, MGT 484 or coursework of interest from pertinent departments approved by the student’s committee.

Additional 300-level graduate electives may come from the Departments of Accounting; Finance, Insurance and Law; Management and Quantitative Methods; and Marketing. (Agribusiness students may earn no more than 12 credits from 400-level courses in the College of Business.) 300- and 400-level graduate electives may come from the Department of Economics (excluding ECO 401).

Agriscience Sequence

This 36-hour sequence requires:

• 7 hour required core: AGR 403, AGR 445, and AGR 497
• 3 hours: BSC 490
• plus Option I or II

Option I - Thesis

• the degree requirements listed above
• 6 hours of Master’s Thesis (AGR 499)
• 20 hours of electives selected from the list below

Option II - Non-Thesis

• the degree requirements listed above
• a synthesizing experience consisting of 3 hours of Independent Study (AGR 400) under the direction of a major advisor and with the approval of an advisory committee OR an immersion-based professional training experience for 3 hours of Independent Study (AGR 400) approved by the graduate program coordinator and oral examination.
• 23 hours of electives selected from the list below

Elective Courses

The following courses are acceptable to satisfy the elective courses requirement of the Agriscience Sequence: AGR 304, AGR 305, AGR 306, AGR 352, AGR 353, AGR 355, AGR 357, AGR 363, AGR 375, AGR 408, AGR 409, AGR 417, AGR 425, AGR 426, AGR 446, AGR 462, AGR 464, AGR 465, AGR 472, AGR 480, AGR 492; BSC 301, BSC 333, BSC 365, BSC 415; CHE 344, CHE 444; GEO 403, GEO 404, GEO 405, GEO 419, GEO 460, GEO 461, GEO 465, GEO 480 or coursework of interest from pertinent departments approved by the student’s committee.

Concentrations

Students selecting the Agriscience Sequence may elect an Animal Science, Agronomy, or Horticulture concentration. Students may choose courses from the following lists for each concentration.

• Animal Science: AGR 363, AGR 372, AGR 375, AGR 408, AGR 409, AGR 417, AGR 425, AGR 426, AGR 465, AGR 472, AGR 480, AGR 492; BSC 415; CHE 344, CHE 444.
• Agronomy: AGR 304, AGR 305, AGR 306, AGR 355, AGR 357, AGR 363, AGR 446, AGR 462, AGR 464, AGR 492; BSC 301, BSC 333, BSC 365, BSC 415; GEO 403, GEO 404, GEO 405, GEO 419, GEO 460, GEO 461, GEO 465, GEO 480.
• Horticulture: AGR 352, AGR 353, AGR 355, AGR 357, AGR 358, AGR 363, AGR 446, AGR 462, AGR 464, AGR 492; BSC 301, BSC 333, BSC 365, BSC 415.

Agricultural Education and Leadership Sequence

Students who completed a limited number of Agricultural Education or education courses as undergraduates may be required to take undergraduate foundation courses as a prerequisite. Foundation courses cannot be presented for use in the Agricultural Education and Leadership degree program.

This 36-hour sequence requires:

• 7 hour required core: AGR 403, AGR 445, and AGR 497
• 14 hours of agriculture electives
• 9 hours from Teaching and Learning, Technology, or other coursework identified by the students’ graduate committee as relevant to the area of interest
• plus Option I or II

Option I - Thesis

• the degree requirements listed above
• 6 hours of Master’s Thesis (AGR 499)

Option II - Non-Thesis

• the degree requirements listed above
• a synthesizing experience consisting of 3 hours of Independent Study (AGR 400) under the direction of a major advisor and with the approval of an advisory committee OR an immersion-based professional training experience for 3 hours of Independent Study (AGR 400) approved by the graduate program coordinator and oral examination.
• 3 hours of electives from the list below

Elective Courses

The following Department of Agriculture courses are acceptable to satisfy the elective courses requirements of this sequence: AGR 304, AGR 305, AGR 306, AGR 312, AGR 313, AGR 315, AGR 318, AGR 319, AGR 320, AGR 352, AGR 353, AGR 355, AGR 357, AGR 363, AGR 375, AGR 408, AGR 409, AGR 417, AGR 418, AGR 420, AGR 422, AGR 424, AGR 425, AGR 426, AGR 446, AGR 462,  AGR 464, AGR 465, AGR 472, AGR 480, AGR 490, AGR 491, AGR 492. Additional graduate electives may come from Teaching and Learning (TCH 401, TCH 407, TCH 409, TCH 410, TCH 411, TCH 430, TCH 432, TCH 438, TCH 450, TCH 453, TCH 473, TCH 478) and/or Technology (TEC 310, TEC 423, TEC 424, TEC 425, TEC 430, TEC 431, TEC 432, TEC 433) or coursework of interest from pertinent departments approved by the student’s committee.