BS Agricultural Leadership, Communication, and Education

4 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

University of Missouri

Program Overview

The Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Leadership, Communications and Education at the University of Missouri is designed for students who want to combine agriculture with leadership, communication, education and working with people. Students can choose between Agricultural Communications and Agricultural Education, gaining broad agricultural knowledge alongside practical skills for careers in teaching, public relations, strategic communications, workforce development, sales, youth programs and agricultural organisations.

Curriculum Structure

Year 1: Students begin by building their foundation in agriculture, leadership and the sciences through subjects such as AG_ED_LD 1000: Orientation to Agricultural Education and Leadership, AG_ED_LD 2250: Introduction to Leadership, and AGSC_COM 1160: Foundations of Agricultural Science Communications. Depending on the chosen track, students also develop foundational knowledge through subjects such as Applied Microeconomics, biology, animal science or plant science.

Year 2: The second year develops students’ ability to work with people, communicate effectively and understand agricultural communities. Key subjects include AG_ED_LD 2270: Leadership Development in Youth Organizations, AGSC_COM 2210: Communicating Science to the Public, and AGSC_COM 2220: Verbal Communication in Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources; Agricultural Education students can also begin gaining school-based exposure through AG_ED_LD 2271: Early Field Experience.

Year 3: Students move into more advanced communication, leadership and professional preparation. Courses such as AGSC_COM 3210W: Fundamentals of Communications – Writing Intensive, AGSC_COM 3240: Communicating on the Web, and AG_ED_LD 3010: Leadership in Today’s World strengthen writing, digital communication and leadership skills, while the program also provides an opportunity for an Internship in Agricultural Education and Leadership (AG_ED_LD 4993).

Year 4: The final year focuses on applying leadership and communication knowledge to organisational and educational settings. Students can study AG_ED_LD 4240: Leading Organizational and Community Change and AG_ED_LD 4340: Designing and Delivering Educational/Leadership Programs; students following the Agricultural Education track progress into Methods of Teaching II, Field Experience II and the Student Teaching Internship in Agriculture, creating a direct bridge into professional practice.

Focus Areas: Agricultural Communications — agricultural science communication, web communication, strategic communication, public relations, digital media, advocacy and agricultural marketing; Agricultural Education — agricultural teaching, youth development, educational program management, field experiences, leadership and teacher preparation.

Learning Outcomes: Students develop the ability to lead agricultural organisations and teams, communicate agricultural information to different audiences, design and deliver educational or leadership programs, work with youth and communities, apply agricultural knowledge in professional settings, and use communication and human-relations skills to support the agriculture industry.

Professional Alignment (Accreditation): The Agricultural Education teacher-certification pathway is accredited by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). The program also includes field experiences and internships designed to connect academic preparation with agricultural businesses, government agencies, schools and other professional settings.

Reputation (Employability Rankings): Mizzou reports that more than 95% of graduates achieve a positive career outcome within six months, including employment and graduate-school outcomes. The university also reports that more than 11,500 employers recruit Mizzou students, while Mizzou was ranked No. 4 Best Value among U.S. flagship universities in 2025 and No. 13 among public universities on Time’s Best Colleges for Future Leaders list.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

The Agricultural Leadership, Communication, and Education program at the University of Missouri (Mizzou) is strongly focused on authentic, hands-on learning. Students work with industry, government and extension partners while developing agricultural, leadership, communication and human-relations skills. The program also gives students the flexibility to build experience in areas such as agricultural communications, leadership, education, sales and development.

Students can apply their learning through supervised internships, industry projects, leadership activities and communication-focused coursework. A particularly distinctive experience is helping plan and deliver the Missouri FFA Convention, which brings more than 8,000 high-school students to Mizzou for career-development events, speakers and exhibits.

Here are some of the program-specific opportunities students can take advantage of:

Supervised internship: The curriculum includes AG_ED_LD 4993 – Internship in Agricultural Education and Leadership, where students undertake field-based learning with an agricultural business, industry or government agency in education, training and development. Internship plans are developed jointly by the student, faculty supervisor and industry partner.
Industry and government projects: Students work with industry, government and extension leaders to develop skills through authentic, hands-on experiences rather than relying only on classroom learning.
Live educational projects: In AG_ED_LD 4340 – Designing and Delivering Educational/Leadership Programs, students have worked directly with outside stakeholders to develop educational programs. One project involved Mizzou and University of Illinois students collaborating with an external partner and meeting the partner in St. Louis to determine project deliverables.
Communication and digital skills: Coursework includes Communicating on the Web, Fundamentals of Agricultural Communication, Communicating Science to the Public and Verbal Communication in Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, giving students practical preparation for communicating agricultural information across different media.
Team projects and leadership: Team and Organizational Leadership develops students' ability to communicate within groups, plan and conduct leadership programs, evaluate results and apply appropriate leadership strategies.
Missouri FFA Convention experience: Agricultural education students can help plan the annual Missouri FFA Convention, including career-development events, speakers and exhibits for more than 8,000 high-school students.
Leadership mentorship: The Litton Leadership Scholars experience combines leadership coursework with field-based mentorship, self-reflection and interaction with industry leaders, giving students opportunities to develop leadership skills outside the traditional classroom.
Agricultural communications hands-on activities: Mizzou's Exploring Ag Communications and Leadership experience gives students practical exposure to photography, videography, interviewing, graphic design and teamwork, culminating in a portfolio featuring original videos, photos and graphics.
Research and applied social sciences: The program sits within CAFNR's Division of Applied Social Sciences, whose research areas include teaching and learning, agricultural and environmental policy, community food systems, and cooperative management and governance.
Teaching-focused field experience: Students pursuing the agricultural education pathway can complete AG_ED_LD 4995 – Student Teaching Internship in Agriculture, a field-based experience combining observation and practice in a secondary/adult agriculture program.
Agricultural facilities and learning environment: Students are part of Mizzou's College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR), giving them access to a broader agricultural learning environment and its facilities, programs and experiential opportunities.

Progression & Future Opportunities

The Agricultural Leadership, Communication, and Education bachelor's program at the University of Missouri (Mizzou) prepares graduates to combine agricultural knowledge with communication, leadership and people-development skills. The program opens pathways into agriculture education, communications, public relations, workforce development, government, extension and agricultural business, giving graduates flexibility across the wider food and agriculture sector.

Typical career opportunities include:

Agriculture Teacher / FFA Advisor
Public Relations or Strategic Communications Specialist
Workforce Development Trainer
Extension Youth Specialist / Agricultural Program Specialist

Mizzou provides several strong pathways from the classroom into employment:

Dedicated career support: CAFNR Career Development provides individual career appointments, résumé and cover-letter reviews, interview preparation, career fairs and internship/job support through Handshake.
Employment outcomes: 96% of CAFNR graduates report a successful career outcome, while a recent CAFNR report shows a 97.5% full-time job success rate within six months over the past three years.
Employer connections: More than 200 organizations recruit CAFNR students, with employers able to participate in career fairs, workshops, student-group activities and on-campus interviews.
Program-specific employers: Students have internship and employment connections involving organizations such as the Missouri Department of Agriculture, Corteva, Farm Journal, University of Missouri and Missouri school-based agricultural education programs.
Real industry exposure: A recent Mizzou student in this field completed a Grower Services internship with the Missouri Corn Growers Association, gaining experience with agricultural members, events and federal-level industry engagement.
Signature professional experience: Agricultural education students can help plan the Missouri FFA Convention, which brings more than 8,000 high-school students to the Mizzou campus for career-development events, speakers and exhibits.
Industry-connected curriculum: The program works with industry, government and extension partners to give students authentic, hands-on experiences rather than limiting learning to the classroom.
Salary figures: Mizzou does not publish a program-specific graduate salary figure for this bachelor's degree on its official program pages. Rather than using third-party salary estimates, the university identifies career paths such as training and development, public relations, sales, communications and agricultural education.
Professional value: The degree develops a combination of agricultural expertise, leadership, communication and human-relations skills, allowing graduates to work across agricultural businesses, commodity organizations, government agencies and University of Missouri Extension.
Graduation and career progression: CAFNR's career-success figures include outcomes such as employment and continuing education, giving students a strong platform whether they enter the workforce immediately or continue their studies.

Further Academic Progression: After completing the bachelor's degree, students can continue into Mizzou's Master of Science in Agricultural Leadership, Communication and Education, which expands knowledge in agricultural education, leadership, communication, research methods and program development. Students interested in advanced research can subsequently pursue doctoral-level study; Mizzou's CAFNR offers a PhD in Agricultural Education.