This program prepares students to teach Agricultural Education in the public schools of Virginia and throughout the United States. The program includes extensive preparation in organization, management, curriculum development, and instructional planning and delivery. The skills developed are aimed specifically at preparing Agricultural Education teachers, but are usable in any profession that requires extensive contact with the public. With over 10,000 teachers of Agricultural Education in the United States and an annual requirement for about 700 replacement teachers nationwide, the demand for our graduates far exceeds the supply. Extension Option Students in this option are aiming at careers in Cooperative Extension.
Most states require master's degrees for beginning extension agents.
We would anticipate that most Extension option graduates would continue their formal education at the graduate level in order to qualify to work in Cooperative Extension. Graduates from this program are ideally suited for generalist positions in Extension, such as 4-H agent, because this is a degree program that provides a broad background in many of the technical disciplines in the agricultural sciences, rather than a concentration in a single discipline. Upon graduation with a degree in any of those areas, and the minor in Agricultural Education, a student will be licensed to teach agriculture. This program provides the same basic professional development courses and experiences required of Agricultural Education Teaching option students. In addition, graduates in scientific disciplines which are particularly biology-intensive, often find that they are also eligible for licenses to teach biology.