Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication (Agricultural Education)

4 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

University of Nebraska Lincoln

Program Overview

The Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication (Agricultural Education) at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln prepares students to become agricultural educators while developing strong skills in leadership, communication, teaching and technical agriculture. The program combines agricultural science with education and extensive field experience, preparing graduates for agricultural education and work-based learning careers in grades 6–12, as well as opportunities in extension and the agribusiness industry.

Curriculum Structure

Year 1: Students establish their agricultural and teaching foundation through courses such as ALEC 135 – Introduction to Agricultural Education (Early Field Experience), ASCI 100 – Fundamentals of Animal Biology and Industry, and SCIL 101 – Science and Decision-Making for a Complex World. ALEC 135 is particularly practical, requiring a 40-hour early field experience in a school-based agricultural education program, where students explore lesson planning, learning objectives and peer teaching.

Year 2: Students strengthen their communication, leadership and teaching capabilities through ALEC 102 – Interpersonal Skills for Leadership, ALEC 206 – Teaching and Learning Design, and agricultural science coursework. The curriculum progressively connects leadership and teaching theory with practical agricultural education, helping students build the skills needed to engage learners and communicate agricultural concepts effectively.

Year 3: Students advance into professional education and agricultural content areas while continuing to develop their ability to design meaningful learning experiences. The program's emphasis on field experiences, teaching methods and career and technical education allows students to connect university learning with real secondary-school environments and professional practice.

Year 4: The program culminates in ALEC 431 – Student Teaching, a 12-credit experience completed through a university-approved cooperating secondary school. Students apply their teaching, agricultural knowledge, classroom-management and communication skills in an authentic school setting, completing the practical preparation required for the agricultural education teaching pathway.

Focus areas: Agricultural education, agricultural science, leadership, interpersonal communication, teaching and learning design, career and technical education, classroom management, work-based learning and field-based teaching experience.

Learning outcomes: Graduates develop effective written, visual and oral communication; leadership and problem-solving skills; the ability to design and deliver engaging instructional programs; and critical-thinking and reflective skills for continuous professional development. Agricultural Education students additionally develop the ability to create meaningful learning experiences, understand how students learn and develop, and apply agricultural subject knowledge in educational settings.

Professional alignment (accreditation): Completion of the Agricultural Education option provides professional endorsement and preparation for Nebraska teacher certification in agricultural education and work-based learning for grades 6–12, subject to the Nebraska Department of Education's certification requirements. Students must meet the program's academic and professional requirements, including the required agricultural work experience, before entering student teaching.

Reputation (employability rankings): The University of Nebraska–Lincoln describes this as Nebraska's only university currently graduating agricultural education teachers, supported by a statewide network of 200+ agricultural education programs. Students also build professional connections through cooperating schools, internships, guest speakers, conferences and events involving agriculture and education professionals.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

The Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication (Agricultural Education) at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln is strongly focused on learning through real classrooms, field experiences and professional practice. Students begin gaining practical teaching experience early in the degree and progressively move into supervised fieldwork, laboratory-based instruction and a substantial student-teaching experience, supported by Nebraska’s statewide network of agricultural education programs.

Students can build these practical skills through several dedicated experiences:

Early field experience: ALEC 135 – Introduction to Agricultural Education (Early Field Experience) requires 30 additional hours of field experience in a school-based agricultural education program. Students learn lesson-plan development, write objectives and essential questions, practise peer teaching and critically reflect on teaching as a potential career.
SAE and FFA experience: ALEC 234 – Planning SAE and FFA Programs includes 20 hours of required early field experience and focuses on supervised agricultural experiences, FFA advising, leadership and career education, with technologies introduced to support program leadership.
Laboratory facilities: ALEC 308 – Laboratory Instruction and Management provides experience with different instructional laboratory environments, including mechanics, greenhouse and land labs. Part of the course is conducted at Southeast Community College in Lincoln so students can gain experience with equipment used in career and technical education programs.
Supervised fieldwork: ALEC 331 – Supervised Field Experiences allows students to observe and participate in different phases of agricultural education and/or agribusiness under supervision.
Teaching practice: ALEC 405 – Methods of Instruction includes 25 hours of required early field experience, while ALEC 405L – Methods of Instruction Laboratory gives students practice delivering instruction in middle- or high-school agricultural education settings.
Community project work: ALEC 422 – Facilitation and Project Planning provides an experiential opportunity to facilitate a project within a community. Students travel to project sites within 75 miles of Lincoln, with at least five project visits, and generally work in pairs.
Student teaching: ALEC 431 – Student Teaching is the program's capstone experience, with a department-arranged placement and 7–16 weeks of off-campus student teaching. Students participate under guidance in different phases of public-school Agricultural Education programs.
Internship opportunities: ALEC 495A – Internship in Leadership Development provides an internship in a selected agribusiness, industry or agency, involving development of a training program and leadership activities.
Research and independent projects: ALEC 496 – Independent Study in Leadership Education allows students to undertake projects involving research, literature reviews or extensions of coursework under faculty supervision; eligible students can also complete ALEC 499H – Honors Thesis involving a scholarly research project.
Statewide professional network: Students in the teacher-preparation programs can learn through a network of more than 200 agricultural education programs across Nebraska, gaining early field experience and continued hands-on exposure throughout the program.
Faculty and professional support: The program provides faculty mentorship and one-to-one advising, alongside opportunities for internships, mentorship, networking and student-organization involvement.

Progression & Future Opportunities

The Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication – Agricultural Education option at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln prepares students to become agricultural educators while building practical skills in teaching, classroom management, career and technical education, and agricultural leadership. Graduates can also apply their preparation to extension education and agribusiness, giving them career flexibility beyond traditional classroom teaching.

Typical career opportunities include:

Agricultural Education Teacher (6–12)
Extension Educator
Agribusiness Professional
Agricultural Education/Training Specialist

Career progression is supported through:

Hands-on teaching experience: Students gain early field experience in Nebraska schools, including observing teachers, assisting with lessons, working with students and eventually leading instruction before completing student teaching.
Statewide professional network: Students connect with more than 200 agricultural education programs across Nebraska, creating opportunities to learn from educators and industry partners throughout the state.
Student teaching and professional development: The Agricultural Education option combines hands-on teaching labs, professional development activities and student teaching to prepare graduates for agricultural education careers.
Industry and community connections: Through internships, guest speakers, conferences and professional events, students can build networks with professionals across agriculture, education, leadership and communication.
Extension opportunities: ALEC works closely with Nebraska Extension in areas including community leadership development, youth leadership development and teaching and learning in non-formal settings.
Career preparation: The university reports graduate roles including Agriculture Education Teacher/FFA Advisor, Training and Support Coordinator, Conference and Event Coordinator, Farm Broadcaster and Skilled and Technical Sciences Teacher, demonstrating the range of careers available from the broader ALEC degree.
Employment and salary statistics: The official University of Nebraska–Lincoln program pages identify career pathways and examples of graduate employment, but do not publish a specific employment rate or salary figure for the Agricultural Education option. Therefore, no university-specific salary or employment percentage is stated here.
Professional qualification value: The Agricultural Education option is specifically designed to prepare students to become a certified secondary education teacher in Agricultural Education, providing a direct professional pathway into 6–12 agricultural education.

Further Academic Progression: Graduates can continue into advanced study at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln or elsewhere. UNL specifically lists graduate pathways among ALEC graduates including the M.S. in Leadership Education, Ph.D. in Human Sciences with a specialization in Leadership Studies, Master of Applied Science, and Master of Agricultural and Environmental Education at the University of Georgia.