SPECIALIZATIONS

Two specializations are offered: Agricultural Education and Communication and Leadership Development. Each requires core courses and electives. Department advisors help students in selecting appropriate electives.

Agricultural Education

The Agricultural Education specialization prepares students for a variety of rewarding careers in teaching. This includes teaching agriculture and natural resources in middle schools and high schools, as well as educator positions in agency, community, and non-profit settings.

Students who complete the program of study for this specialization are prepared to meet the Florida Department of Education’s requirements for agriculture teacher certification, and they also possess the “people skills” sought by employers throughout the agriculture industry and in other public and private sectors.

Communication and Leadership Development

The Communication and Leadership Development specialization prepares students for entry into agribusiness and communication positions related to human resource development, corporate training, political interests and agricultural literacy. Coursework focuses on core leadership and communication courses that includes digital media, writing, and interpersonal skills.

Students will learn the knowledge and skills needed to educate individuals, enhance leadership in communities and organizations and communicate ideas and issues to different audiences. Through formal courses and internship experiences, students will learn to apply principles of communication and educational theory to work-based settings; to create, interpret and analyze written and oral messages and multimedia presentations used in agricultural and life sciences; and to educate and communicate agricultural issues effectively to various audiences.

Before Graduating Students Must

• Agricultural Education specialization: Achieve a passing grade on the state of Florida's Professional Knowledge Exam for teacher certification.
• Communication and Leadership Development specialization: Achieve a minimum grade of C in AEC 4052, the communication and leadership development capstone experience, as evaluated by a committee of faculty.
• Achieve minimum grades of C in AEC 3030C and AEC 3033C.
• Achieve a minimum grade of C in a department internship course (AEC 4942, AEC 4943, AEC 4944 or AEC 4948) or a capstone experience course (AEC 4052).
• Complete requirements for the baccalaureate degree, as determined by faculty.

Students Will Learn to

Student Learning Outcomes | SLOs

Content

1. Describe, explain, and apply fundamental pedagogical concepts, skills and processes.
2. Describe, explain, and apply fundamental concepts, skills and processes in technical agriculture.

Critical Thinking

3. Analyze and apply data from multiple assessments and measures to diagnose students’ learning needs, inform instruction based on those needs, and drive the learning process.
4. Critique and assess data-informed research to improve instruction and student achievement.

Communication

5. Demonstrate written communication forms in a manner appropriate in Agricultural Education.
6. Develop oral communication presentations in a manner appropriate in Agricultural Education.

Curriculum Map

I = Introduced; R = Reinforced; A = Assessed

Academic Learning Compact 6

Courses	SLO 1	SLO 2	SLO 3	SLO 4	SLO 5	SLO 6
AEC 3030C						I, R, A
AEC 3033C					I, R, A
AEC 3323	I, R
AEC 4200	I, R			I, R, A
AEC 4202	I, R		I, R, A		R
AEC 4224	I, R				R
AEC 4228	I, R					R
AEC 4942	R	R			R	R
Fla DoE Agriculture Subject Matter Exam		A
Fla DoE Professional Certification Exam	A
Self-Assessment	A	A	A	A
Technical Agriculture Coursework		I, R

Assessment Types

• Technical agriculture coursework
• Clinical teaching and community profile assignments
• Exams
• Self-assessment
• Florida Department of Education professional teaching certification exam
• Florida Department of Education Agriculture Subject Matter exam

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