Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication (ALEC)

program overview
The Master of Science in Agricultural Business and Leadership is offered with two concentrations: a) Agribusiness Management, and b) Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication (ALEC). The degree is offered with two options, thesis or non-thesis. A completely online degree option is available for non-thesis students. The thesis option in Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication (ALEC) concentration requires a minimum of twenty-nine (29) credit hours of coursework and a thesis of four (4) credit hours.

The candidate for the degree with thesis option under this concentration must complete twelve (12) credit hours of core courses: AGSC 5060, AGSC 5110, AGSC 5120, AGSC 5610, AGSC 5620; twelve (12) credit hours minimum of required courses in the concentration; and nine (9) credit hours maximum of electives.  

The non-thesis option requires a minimum of thirty-five (35) credit hours of coursework. The candidate for the non-thesis degree must complete eleven (11) credit hours of core courses: AGSC 5060 or AGSC 5150, AGSC 5110 or AGSC 5065, AGSC 5350, AGSC 5610, AGSC 5620; fifteen (15) credit hours minimum of required courses in the selected concentration; and nine (9) credit hours maximum of electives. These courses must be approved by the Advisor and Department Chair. 

Admission Requirements
Applicants must have the equivalent of a bachelor's degree from an accredited four-year degree-granting college or university with a major in one of the Agricultural Sciences or Agricultural Education or Agricultural Communications or closely related areas, a minimum quality grade point average of 2.50 on a 4.00 point scale, and a minimum score of 290 on the GRE (verbal and quantitative) or 370 on the MAT for unconditional admission. Higher GPAs from accredited colleges and universities or GRE scores may be used to compensate for some minor deficiencies in admission requirements. 

 Program of study
The degree candidate must file a program of study after completing at least nine semester hours of graduate credit, but before completing fifteen hours of graduate credit. The program lists the courses that will be used to satisfy degree requirements, as well as detailing how other requirements will be met. The student may later change the program of study with the written approval of the Department and the Graduate School. 

When the candidate files the program of study, he or she may also apply for admission to candidacy. The candidate must have a grade point average of 3.0 or above and successfully defended the thesis proposal (thesis option) or successfully passed the written and oral comprehensive examinations (non-thesis option) to be eligible for admission to candidacy. 

Program of Study  
 Core Courses  
 12-credit hours required for thesis students OR 11-credit hours required for non-thesis students. 

  • AGSC 5060 - Statistics for Research (3)  
  • OR  AGSC 5150 - Statistical Research Methods in Agricultural Education 

Non-thesis or online students may take AGSC 5150 to meet the core requirement. Thesis students may take AGSC 5150 as an elective course. 

  • AGSC 5110 - Research Methods (3)  
  • OR AGSC 5065 - Qualitative Research Methods (Non-thesis or online students may take AGSC 5065 to meet the core requirement. Thesis students may take AGSC 5065 as an elective course). 
  • AGSC 5120 - Thesis Writing (Thesis Option) (4)  
  • AGSC 5350 - Independent Study of Contemporary Issues and Problems (3) (Non-thesis students are required to take AGSC 5350. Thesis students may take AGSC 5350 as an elective course). 
  • AGSC 5610-5620 - Graduate Seminar in Agricultural Sciences (1-1)  

Concentration Required Courses
Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication (ALEC) 12-credit hours minimum for thesis students or 15-credit hours minimum for non-thesis students. Additionally, AGSC 5020, AGSC 5030, and AGSC 5040 are required for those seeking Teaching License; AGSC 5050  is required for endorsement to teach Agriscience. 

  • AGSC 5010 - Foundations of Agricultural and Extension Education (3)  
  • AGSC 5020 - Teaching and Learning Methods in Agricultural and Extension Education (3)  
  • AGSC 5030 - Curriculum Development and Program Leadership in Agricultural and Extension Education (3)  
  • AGSC 5040 - Program Planning, Development and Evaluation (3)  
  • AGSC 5050 - Methods of Teaching Agricultural and Environmental Stem (3)  

Concentration Elective Courses  
 6-credit hours maximum for thesis students OR 9-credit hours maximum for non-thesis students with the approval of the advisor and department head. 

TELC 5001, TELC 5004, and TELC 5005 are required courses for those seeking a teaching license. 

  • AGSC 5080 - Agribusiness Management and Market Analysis (3)  
  • AGSC 5090 - Food and Fiber Industry (3)  
  • AGSC 5100 - Environmental, Resource Economics and Management (3)  
  • AGSC 5140 - Contemporary Issues in Animal Science (3)  
  • AGSC 5150 - Livestock Production and Management (3)  
  • AGSC 5350 - Independent Study of Contemporary Issues and Problems (3)  
  • TELC 5001 - Adolescent Development (3)  
  • TELC 5004 - Survey of Exceptional Children (3)  
  • TELC 5005 - Teaching and Learning with Technology (3)  
  • TELC 5006 - Teachers as Agents of Change (3)  

Students may take a 3-credit hour guided elective course as recommended by the major advisor. 

Teaching License in Agricultural Education  
 The Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences partners with the College of Education and the State of Tennessee to help individuals earn an initial teaching license to work as an Agricultural Educator in Tennessee schools. 

The Practitioner Teacher License with Academic Endorsements in Agricultural Education 6-12 (Code 150) and Agriscience 6-12 (Code 151) is only available to individuals with the following credentials:  

  1. Applicant must have a registered TNCompass account, available at https://tdoe.tncompass.org/Account/Login?ReturnUrl=%2f  
  2. Applicant must hold a bachelor’s degree in an area of Agriculture 
  3. Applicant must be enrolled in the Graduate Program of Study for the Master of Science in Agricultural Business and Leadership with a concentration in Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication (ALEC) 
  4. Applicant must have verified content knowledge for Agricultural Education and Agriscience, as defined by the State of Tennessee Board Policy 

The following online courses are required for Practitioner Teacher License with Academic Endorsements in Agricultural Education 6-12 (Code 150):  

  • AGSC5020 – Teaching and Learning Methods in Ag & Extension (3) 
  • AGSC5030 – Curriculum Development and Program Leadership in Ag & Extension (3) 
  • AGSC5040 – Program Planning/Dev & Evaluation in Ag & Extension (3) 
  • TELC5001 – Adolescent Development (3) 
  • TELC5004 – Survey of the Exceptional Child (3) 
  • TELC5005 – Teaching and Learning with Technology (3) 

If an applicant also wishes to possess an Endorsement in Agriscience 6-12 (Code 151), he/she must also complete the course, AGSC 5050 (3 crs) which is taught in conjunction with Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education (CASE) Institutes at Tennessee State University or as advised by the Agricultural Education Focus Group Leader. 

Applicants must pass the Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT): Grades 7–12 (5624) PRAXIS Exam and the Agriculture (5701) PRAXIS Exam. 

Applicants are strongly encouraged to Contact Dr. John Ricketts if you are interested in enrolling in this program and for assistance in navigating for admission requirements or concentration requirements. 

PDF version: Program of Study - ALEC

degree requirements
thesis option
Each student must pass Research Methods (AGSC 5110) and Statistics for Research (AGSC 5060), must have a thesis advising committee appointed and must have advanced to candidacy before enrolling in Thesis Writing (AGSC 5120). 

The candidate must submit a thesis on a topic approved by the major advisor. Upon completion of the thesis, the candidate must satisfactorily pass an oral examination conducted by the Thesis Examination Committee. Students choosing thesis option in Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication (ALEC) concentration will require 33 hours of coursework which will include four (4) credit hours of thesis research. 

non-thesis option
This option is for students who would like to focus on training in specialized areas to meet the needs of employers in agricultural product processing, marketing organizations, input supply firms, teaching, agricultural extension services, and various state and federal government agencies. This program is not recommended for students who have farther aspirations toward pursuing a Ph.D. degree. 

Students choosing the non-thesis option will be required to take a minimum of 35 hours of course work which will include AGSC 5350 - Independent Study of Contemporary Issues and Problems. Graduate students with guidance from their major advisor will identify contemporary issues and problems in agricultural business, education and leadership, conduct a comprehensive literature review, write a report in a format of a review paper and make an oral presentation to his or her advisory committee. 

Comprehensive Examination: Upon completion of core and concentration required courses including AGSC 5350, students choosing the non-thesis option must take a comprehensive written and oral examination administered by the student's advisory committee and other faculty members representing appropriate subject matter areas. The student's major advisor will serve as chairperson of the committee conducting the examination. If a student fails the comprehensive examination, one retake will be allowed. Should the student again fail, a third and final examination may be taken upon completion of additional course work (minimum of 6 hours) to be selected by the student's advisory committee.  

For more information, contact the Director of Graduate Programs: Dr. Bharat Pokharel , (615) 963-6054.