Professor Funk says one report went through 11 drafts. The 30-month program starts with a series of basic business courses taken through Athabasca University. The second phase centres on agriculture, with the instruction handled by the University of Guelph. Courses include agricultural policy, agricultural financing, and marketing. One of the courses is an elective, allowing students to pursue an area of special interest.
Students get up to a month off after taking a sequence of three eight-week courses.
We have to remember that they re spending at least 20 hours a week on course work, Professor Funk says. This is in addition to their regular work, family life, and all the other things they have to do. They need breaks to preserve their sanity. The universities supply text books for most courses. Other reading assignments come on floppy disks.