By NANCY VORIS
Indiana Correspondent COLUMBUS, Ind. — Hoosier farm kids now have another choice when pursuing higher education in agriculture, and not have to move from the farm to do it.
Ivy Tech Community College is adding its agriculture degree program at the Columbus campus, joining campuses in Lafayette, Kokomo, Terre Haute, Richmond and Evansville already offering the program. The program helps educate students on the changes in agricultural technology and business, including high-tech intensive crop and livestock techniques, biofuels, seed genetics and precision ag technology.
Classes at Columbus begin in August, offering Associate of Applied Science and Associate of Science (AS) degrees. Credits earned in the AS program can transfer to the Bachelor of Science in Agriculture program at Purdue University.
Matt John, agriculture program chair at Columbus, said several students have already applied for the program and he expects enrollment to increase rapidly in coming months. About half plan to transfer credits to Purdue to continue the program, while others will apply the education to their job or look at new opportunities.
“I’m excited,” he said. “As more students find out it is available, I expect to see a good number coming out.”
The choices for students pursuing agricultural studies are limited. Students may not be academically or financially suited to attend Purdue, John said, or may not be able to attend a smaller college because they want or need to stay on the family farm.
The agriculture AS degree includes courses in professional, technical and management skills so that graduates will have a strong foundation of agriculture, math, science and general education courses. Coursework will prepare students to transfer into one of the many agriculture BS degree programs at Purdue. Students take 15 credit hours of transfer agriculture courses and 46 of general education courses needed to complete a bachelors degree at Purdue.
The agriculture AAS degree provides more hands-on experience and knowledge through classroom, laboratory and field trip activities. Students take a core of 27 credit hours of agriculture courses and 18 credit hours of agriculture courses in one of four agriculture concentrations: livestock management, crop management, agricultural equipment management or agricultural business management.
A supervised agriculture internship is also required in the curriculum, allowing students to apply concepts learned in the classroom while building a network of contacts in the agriculture industry.
In line with Ivy Tech’s mission, the Agriculture degree programs provide students with access to new education and transfer opportunities while meeting the needs of Indiana’s employers and workforce in a high-growth field.
In 2005 it was estimated that 15 million acres of Indiana land were being farmed by more than 49,000 farms. The Indiana Department of Agriculture’s strategic plan for 2025 calls for dramatic increases in the state’s food and agricultural segments. To achieve this growth, the industry’s workforce must be trained in the science and technology that is becoming more critical to the field.
Ivy Tech Community College is the state’s second largest public post-secondary institution, with 23 campuses. For more, visit www.ivytech.edu or e-mail John at mjohn2@ivytech.edu |
