About this Program
- College: Agricultural and Life Sciences
- Degree: Bachelor of Science
- Credits for Degree: 120
- Contact: 1.855.99GATOR
To graduate with this major, students must complete all university, college, and major requirements.
Department Information
The UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural Education and Communication is a group of faculty, staff and students committed to connecting people with agriculture through agricultural communication, education, leadership development and Extension education.
More Info
CONTACT
Email | 352.392.0502
P.O. BOX 110540
305 ROLFS HALL
341 Buckman Drive
GAINESVILLE FL 32611-0540
Map
Curriculum
Communication and Leadership Development
With a focus on disseminating scientific knowledge, agricultural education and communication professionals empower communities to gain a balanced understanding of food systems, natural resources, and related sciences. Agricultural Education and Communication students supplement core technical agriculture courses with teaching, leadership, or media experiences.
Communication and leadership development prepares students for entry into agribusiness and communication positions related to human resource development, strategic communication, governmental relations, media relations, corporate training and development, and non-formal education. To build the capacity of students within the CLD undergraduate specialization to serve as catalysts in society, they will take a sequence of courses in both communication and leadership to build upon individual skill sets and specific interests of the student. All students within this specialization will further enhance their knowledge and skills in communication and leadership within the context of agricultural and life sciences through courses that will provide them foundations in all forms of communication (digital, speaking, and writing) and leadership (interpersonal, groups and teams, organizations and global) in addition to specific areas such as social media, change, public issues and campaign strategies.
To graduate, students must earn minimum grades of C in:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AEC 3073 | Intercultural Communication | 3 |
| AEC 3070C | Digital Media Production in Agricultural and Life Sciences | 3 |
| AEC 3414 | Leadership Development | 3 |
| AEC 4031 | The Communication Process in Agricultural and Life Sciences | 3 |
| AEC 4434 | Communication and Leadership in Groups and Teams | 3 |
| AEC 4930 | Communication and Leadership Development Capstone Experience | 1 |
This specialization is also offered at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center in Plant City, Fla.
Critical Tracking records each student’s progress in courses that are required for progress toward each major. Please note the critical-tracking requirements below on a per-semester basis.
Equivalent critical-tracking courses as determined by the State of Florida Common Course Prerequisites may be used for transfer students.
Semester 1
- Complete 1 of 4 critical-tracking courses, excluding labs: AEC 3030C (or equivalent), BSC 2005, BSC 2005L (or any GE-B or P laboratory), MAC 1140 (or equivalent), PSY 2012
- 2.5 GPA required for all critical-tracking courses
- 2.0 UF GPA required
Semester 2
- Complete 1 additional critical-tracking course, excluding labs
- 2.5 GPA required for all critical-tracking courses
- 2.0 UF GPA required
Semester 3
- Complete 1 additional critical-tracking course, excluding labs
- 2.5 GPA required for all critical-tracking courses
- 2.0 UF GPA required
Semester 4
- Complete all critical-tracking courses, including labs
- Complete all lower division critical-tracking courses, including labs
- 2.5 GPA required for all critical-tracking courses
- 2.0 UF GPA required
Semester 5
- Complete AEC 4031
- 2.0 upper division GPA required
- 2.0 UF GPA required
Semester 6
- Complete two of the remaining upper division critical-tracking courses
- 2.0 upper division GPA required
- 2.0 UF GPA required
Semester 7
- Complete three of the remaining upper division critical-tracking courses
- 2.0 upper division GPA required
- 2.0 UF GPA required
Semester 8
- Complete all critical-tracking courses
- 2.0 upper division GPA required
- 2.0 UF GPA required
To remain on track, students must complete the appropriate critical-tracking courses, which appear in bold. These courses must be completed by the terms as listed above in the Critical Tracking criteria.
This semester plan represents an example progression through the major. Actual courses and course order may be different depending on the student's academic record and scheduling availability of courses. Prerequisites still apply.
| Semester One | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| Select one: | 3-4 | |
| Economic Issues, Food and You (Gen Ed Social and Behavioral Sciences) | ||
| Principles of Macroeconomics (Gen Ed Social and Behavioral Sciences) | ||
| Principles of Microeconomics (Gen Ed Social and Behavioral Sciences) | ||
| Principles of Food and Resource Economics (Gen Ed Social and Behavioral Sciences) | ||
| BSC 2005 | Biological Sciences (Critical Tracking; State Core Gen Ed Biological and Physical Sciences) | 3 |
| Select one: | 1 | |
| Laboratory in Biological Sciences (Critical Tracking; Gen Ed Biological Sciences) | ||
Any Gen Ed Biological Sciences or Physical Sciences Laboratory (Critical Tracking) | ||
| State Core Gen Ed Composition; Writing Requirement | 3 | |
| State Core Gen Ed Humanities | 3 | |
| Elective | 2 | |
| Credits | 15-16 | |
| Semester Two | ||
| Quest 1 (Gen Ed Humanities) | 3 | |
| AEC 3030C | Effective Oral Communication (Critical Tracking) | 3 |
| MAC 1140 | Precalculus Algebra (Critical Tracking; State Core Gen Ed Mathematics) | 3 |
| Gen Ed Biological or Physical Sciences | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Semester Three | ||
| PSY 2012 | General Psychology (Critical Tracking; State Core Gen Ed Social and Behavioral Sciences) | 3 |
| STA 2023 | Introduction to Statistics 1 (recommended; Gen Ed Mathematics ) | 3 |
| American history or political science elective (Gen Ed Social and Behavioral Sciences) | 3 | |
| Gen Ed Composition; Writing Requirement | 3 | |
| Gen Ed Diversity or International | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Semester Four | ||
| Quest 2 (Gen Ed Physical Sciences) | 3 | |
| AEC 3065 | Issues in Agricultural and Life Sciences | 3 |
| Agriculture/natural resource elective | 3 | |
| Electives | 6 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Semester Five | ||
| AEC 3033C | Research and Business Writing in Agricultural and Life Sciences (Writing Requirement) | 3 |
| AEC 3070C | Digital Media Production in Agricultural and Life Sciences (Critical Tracking) | 3 |
| AEC 3073 | Intercultural Communication (Gen Ed Social and Behavioral Sciences with Diversity or International) | 3 |
| AEC 3413 | Working with People: Interpersonal Leadership Skills | 3 |
| AEC 3414 | Leadership Development | 3 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Semester Six | ||
| AEC 4031 | The Communication Process in Agricultural and Life Sciences (Critical Tracking; Writing Requirement) | 3 |
| Select two: | 6 | |
| Social Media Strategy and Leadership for Agricultural and Life Sciences | ||
| Instructional and Event Planning in Agricultural and Life Sciences | ||
| Development and Role of Extension Education | ||
| Advanced Agricultural Communication Production | ||
| Leadership for Personal and Organizational Change | ||
| Global Leadership | ||
| Program Development and Evaluation | ||
| Organizational Leadership for Nonprofits | ||
| Principles of Public Relations | ||
| Select one: | 3 | |
| Moral Leadership in Agriculture and Natural Resources | ||
| Agricultural Risk Management and the Law (Fall) | ||
| Agricultural and Natural Resource Law (Spring) | ||
| Agricultural and Natural Resource Ethics | ||
Similar ethics course | ||
| Approved elective in area of concentration | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Summer After Semester Six | ||
| AEC 4946 | Comm and Lead Dev Internship | 3 |
| Credits | 3 | |
| Semester Seven | ||
| AEB 3133 | Principles of Agribusiness Management | 3 |
| AEC 4035 | Communication Practices for Agricultural and Life Sciences | 3 |
| AEC 4434 | Communication and Leadership in Groups and Teams (Critical Tracking) | 3 |
| Approved electives in area of concentration | 6 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Semester Eight | ||
| Select two: | 6 | |
| Social Media Strategy and Leadership for Agricultural and Life Sciences | ||
| Instructional and Event Planning in Agricultural and Life Sciences | ||
| Development and Role of Extension Education | ||
| Advanced Agricultural Communication Production | ||
| Leadership for Personal and Organizational Change | ||
| Global Leadership | ||
| Program Development and Evaluation | ||
| Organizational Leadership for Nonprofits | ||
| Principles of Public Relations | ||
| Agriculture/natural resource elective | 3 | |
| Approved elective in area of concentration | 3 | |
| Credits | 12 | |
| Total Credits | 120 | |
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
- Describe, explain, and apply fundamental pedagogical concepts, skills and processes.
- Describe, explain, and apply fundamental concepts, skills and processes in technical agriculture.
Critical Thinking
- 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.
- Critique and assess data-informed research to improve instruction and student achievement.
Communication
- Demonstrate written communication forms in a manner appropriate in Agricultural Education.
- Develop oral communication presentations in a manner appropriate in Agricultural Education.
Curriculum Map
I = Introduced; R = Reinforced; A = Assessed
| 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