DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL
AND INDUSTRIAL SCIENCES
The Department of Agricultural and Industrial Sciences consists of two major programs of study, Agricultural Sciences and Industrial Technology. Specific requirements for each degree offered are outlined under the respective program headings. For more information on the Department of Agricultural and Industrial Sciences, please visit www.shsu.edu/agr or contact the graduate coordinator, Dr. Stanley Kelley, sfkelley@shsu.edu.
Requirements for Admission
MS and MA Programs
Students seeking admission to the graduate program in Agricultural Sciences or Industrial Technology must:
1. Submit a Graduate Studies Application for Admission with the application fee to Graduate Studies;
2. Submit official transcripts of all college-level work, including the transcript that shows the date the undergraduate degree was conferred;
3. Submit GRE scores;
4. Submit two letters of recommendation from faculty in the undergraduate major field of study; and
5. Complete an undergraduate degree in agriculture, industrial technology, technology or related field from an accredited four-year institution. (Applicants without an acceptable background in agriculture or technology must complete 12 hours of undergraduate stem work earning a minimum GPA of 3.0)
A holistic review of each student’s application file will be completed on a competitive basis.
AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES PROGRAM
Master of Science in Agriculture
The graduate program in agricultural sciences is designed to further the professional competence of those individuals engaged in production agriculture, careers in agricultural and related agencies, businesses and industries, and/or agricultural education and extension.
The Agricultural Sciences program maintains four locations with working laboratories. The Agriculture Center is home to the Indoor Arena, Meat Science Lab, Equine Science Facilities, and a greenhouse. Nearby is the Horticulture Center with two greenhouses and a classroom. The Ag. Mechanization and Technology Center provides excellent advanced teaching and research opportunities in the areas of power and machinery, electrification, geomatics, soil and water conservation, irrigation, drainage, landscaping, bio-fuels, and wood/metal construction and fabrication. The 1600-acre Gibbs Ranch is home to purebred and crossbred beef cattle herds and a meat goat flock, along with additional plant, soil and animal resources used for instructional and research purposes.
Agricultural Sciences Option: 37 Semester Hours
This degree is designed to be a broad-based degree including thirty-seven hours of coursework. A minimum of fifteen hours from agri-business, agricultural education, agricultural mechanization, animal science, horticulture/crop sciences, and/or agronomy is required. In addition, the curriculum includes courses in research methodology and agricultural statistics, and a graduate seminar. The remaining semester hours are designated as electives and can be taken in agriculture or from a related field. The degree is designed to provide comprehensive knowledge and capabilities in several fields of agriculture.
Required Courses:
| AGR 575 | Statistical Methods in Agriculture | 3 SCH |
| AGR 635 | Techniques and Interpretation of Research | 3 SCH |
| AGR 614 | Graduate Seminar | 1 SCH |
| Five courses (15 SCH) can be selected from the following areas: | 15 SCH | |
| Agribusiness (500-level) | ||
| Agricultural Education (500-level) | ||
| Agricultural Mechanization (500-level) | ||
| Animal Science (500-level) | ||
| Horticultural/Crop Sciences/Agronomy (500-level) | ||
| Electives (may be 400- [6 hours maximum], 500- or 600-level) | 15 SCH | |
Non-thesis and thesis options are available. The non-thesis option includes the thirty-seven hours listed above followed by a written comprehensive capstone exam. The thesis option must have prior approval by the chair of the thesis committee and includes an oral comprehensive exam and thesis defense. Six of the fifteen elective hours are used for research and thesis preparation. Once enrolled in a thesis class, a student must be continually enrolled until graduation.
MBA in Agri-Business
In a cooperative effort between the College of Business Administration and the Department of Agricultural Sciences, students may earn an MBA with a concentration in agri-business. Students seeking the MBA with the concentration in agri-business must earn a minimum of 24 graduate credit hours from courses offered by the College of Business Administration, to include the MBA core, and twelve graduate credit hours in agriculture courses. To earn the concentration in agri-business, the four (4) graduate electives in the MBA program must be used to take courses from the group of AGR 536, AGR 560, AGR 583, AGR 586, and AGR 598. With approval from the graduate coordinators of the MBA program and agri-business program, a maximum of two 400-level agriculture courses may be used in lieu of two of the 500-level agriculture courses. The combination of business and agriculture courses create an innovative degree for a candidate interested in pursuing a career in agricultural business. This program is administered by the College of Business Administration, but electives in agribusiness are administered by the Department of Agricultural and Industrial Sciences. For more information on the program, contact Dr. Michael Lau, michaellau@shsu.edu.
For application forms or further information, contact:
Coordinator of Graduate Studies
College of Business Administration
Sam Houston State University
Huntsville, TX 77341-2056
Telephone: (936) 294-1246
www.shsu.edu/~coba/
Senior Courses Open to Graduate Students
AGR 432 Fruit and Vegetable Production
AGR 433 Soil Fertility Management and Fertilizers
AGR 434 Agribusiness Marketing
AGR 464 International Agriculture
AGR 470 Forage Crops and Pasture Management
AGR 471 Agricultural Safety and Health
AGR 472 Sports Turf Management
AGR 473 Equine Reproduction
AGR 474 Agricultural Market Analysis and Prices
AGR 475 Advanced Agribusiness Management
AGR 479 Equine Nutrition
AGR 480 Beef Cattle Production and Management
AGR 481 Advanced Agricultural Mechanics
AGR 483 Range Management
AGR 485 Applied Electronics/Hydraulics in Agriculture
AGR 487 Agricultural Engines and Tractors
AGR 489 Animal Reproduction
AGR 492 GPS Applications in Agriculture and Construction
AGR 493 Renewable Energy Sources from Agriculture
AGR 494 Animal Feeds and Feeding
AGR 495 Animal Breeding and Genetics
A maximum of six hours of 400-level courses may be taken toward the completion of the master’s degree. Course requirements in 400-level courses will be appropriately modified for graduate credit.