Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Education and Communication University of Florida

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.

Two specializations are offered: agricultural education, and communication and leadership development. Each requires core technical agriculture courses and preprofessional education. Department advisors help students in selecting appropriate electives.

Agricultural Education

The agricultural education specialization provides the basic courses for agricultural teacher certification in Florida. Students must have a minimum 2.5 GPA to enter the teacher education specialization and, during their first semester, attain a passing score on the general knowledge portion of the FTCE. An internship is required for this specialization. In addition, graduates must apply to the Florida Department of Education for certification.

Communication and Leadership Development

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.