Agricultural Education

If you have a passion for agriculture and enjoy working with people, then the Agricultural Education major may be a perfect fit for you! By linking the influences of agriculture and education, you will be prepared to instruct the next generation of agricultural leaders as well as consumers. There continues to be a high demand for agriculture teachers, and graduates of this program are also sought after for numerous positions outside of formal education. 

Students in this major have a wide variety of technical interests including animal agriculture, science, plant agriculture, agricultural mechanics, agribusiness, and natural resources. Within the degree, you can choose from two concentrations to meet your career goals: leadership and teaching.

In order to be successful in any of the career opportunities that lead from the agricultural education degree, graduates must have gained a broad knowledge of agriculture. At Clemson, you'll gain understandings from the science behind genetically modified soybeans, to the political challenges of water management, and on to the complexities of agricultural marketing and commodities. While the curriculum is balanced to expose you to the many facets of agriculture and natural resources, there are also opportunities to select course work specific to your interests.

Teaching Concentration
The teaching concentration is for students who wish to pursue teacher certification for working in secondary education. You must complete a supervised student teaching experience as well as the Praxis examination required by the S.C. Department of Education.

Leadership Concentration
The leadership concentration trains you to become a leader, trendsetter and innovator for the agricultural industry. Graduates may find themselves in positions with agricultural corporations, government agencies or nonprofit organizations.

CAFLS Degree + Agricultural Education Teaching Certificate
The Agricultural Education Teaching Certificate is a great option for students enrolled in any of the bachelor's degree programs within the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences. Qualified students can add the certificate as an enhancement to their current degree, requiring an additional 31 credit hours of specified coursework and a semester of directed-student teaching.

For the 2022 admissions cycle, Clemson has adopted a test-optional policy. Applicants are not required to submit a standardized test score to be considered for admission to Clemson for the 2022-2023 academic year.

If you choose that test scores should be used, your scores must be submitted electronically by the respective testing agency. Clemson’s institutional code for SAT is 5111, and the code for ACT is 3842. Clemson super-scores both the SAT and the ACT. For the SAT, this means that the overall total SAT score will then be derived by taking the highest of the evidence-based reading and writing/math scores.

According to The ACT, superscoring at Clemson means that we “consider a student’s highest ACT section (or subtest) scores regardless of test date. The super composite ACT score is calculated as the average of the best ACT English, Reading, Math, and Science subject scores and is used as one of multiple factors in admission and financial aid.”