A census of baccalaureate agriculture teacher education program requirements

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the nation’s baccalaureate agriculture teacher education programs of study to synthesize current coursework requirements. Sixty-five baccalaureate programs of study were analyzed. The mean number of semester credit hours was 125.2, and the mean number of credit hours in the areas of professional knowledge, technical knowledge, and general knowledge were 37.8, 42.0, and 36.6, respectively. Great variability was found within these descriptive measures when observing the standard deviation, minimum and maximum values, and configuration of courses within each category. We recommend the profession engage in intense and deliberate conversations on how to best design programs of study at the national level. These conversations would provide the opportunity for the collective wisdom of the profession garnered through investigation of the literature and sharing of knowledge gained through personal experiences, which can be used to inform the decision making process at individual institutions.