Program Coordinator/Contact
Mary Christensen, Coordinator
Agricultural Leadership, Education, Communication and Science (ALECS)
Raven Precision Agriculture Center 295
605-688-5133
Joshua Westwick, Director
School of Communication and Journalism
Yeager Hall 211
605-688-4171
Program Information
The Agricultural Education, Communication and Leadership Major is a multidisciplinary program that provides a strong foundation in agricultural sciences. The major allows students the flexibility to select a plan of study based on their interests and skills by choosing one of three specializations: Education, Communication, or Leadership. Students specializing in communication take courses in agriculture along with courses in the School of Communication and Journalism.
Graduates of the Communication specialization report agricultural information to farmers and ranchers, consumers, governmental agencies, agribusinesses, commodity groups, and legislators through positions in public relations, sales, marketing, journalism, social media, and the government.
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the Communication Specialization of the Agricultural Education, Communication, and Leadership Major, students will:
- Demonstrate knowledge and skill across the broad field of the Agricultural, Food, and Natural Resources industries.
- Demonstrate and apply in-depth knowledge of journalism and mass communication.
- Explain the importance of and show evidence of ethical and professional behaviors.
- Locate and evaluate information to solve real world problems.
- Evaluate core competencies and create plans for effective lifetime learning.
- Demonstrate effective written and oral communication skills.
- Evaluate a diverse spectrum of agriculturally related global challenges to communicate culturally responsible solutions to a variety of audiences.
Equipment and Supplies
Agricultural Communication students need a laptop and appropriate software to successfully complete the coursework and be adequately prepared for their professional careers. Apple Macs are the dominate choice in the industry. Necessary software includes Adobe Creative Cloud and Microsoft Word-compatible word processing software, as well as presentation and spreadsheet software, such as PowerPoint and Excel.
Course Delivery Format
The program offers coursework in classroom, studio, online, and field-based settings.
