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Going Global: the Certificate in International Agriculture and Resource Management
5/1/2009
Writer: Bill Gibbs, 979-845-2211, billgibbs@tamu.edu
College Station--If Dr. Glen Shinn and Dr. Gary Briers have their way, many more graduate students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences will add the “Certificate in International Agriculture and Resource Management” to their educational plans at Texas A&M University.
Briers and Shinn, both professors in the department of agricultural leadership, education and communications and teachers in the certificate program, are passionate about the need for international education and eager for students to understand agriculture from a global perspective.
They believe that the certificate program, a 13-semester-hour or more graduate program taken in conjunction with a regular graduate degree, strengthens a student’s education.
“For the graduate student there are many good reasons to consider this certificate,” Shinn said. “Employers highly value international education. It shows focus and specialization. The credits are readily transferred, and because a student can get the specialized courses without completing an additional master’s or doctorate, it is typically far more economical than a second degree.”
With planning, there is no additional time or cost
“In fact, with careful planning at the beginning of a graduate program, a student can earn the certificate at no additional time or cost,” Briers said.
The certificate is an emphasis area. Students in the program select four three-credit core courses with an international emphasis from their graduate major. They then enroll in a one-credit seminar course with students from different departments, allowing them to learn across disciplines.
“Many students discover that by carefully selecting their core courses, they can add the international certificate without impacting their degree schedules or adding additional cost,” said Briers.
Core courses vary by the graduate program. Examples are: International Agricultural Economics (AGEC 652), Integrated Farming Systems (AGRO 609), and Agricultural Advisor in Developing Countries (ALEC 644).
Core and complementary courses all have an international flavor
At first glance, many of the core courses would not appear to have an international flavor. But a student should not judge a course by its name alone, Shinn advised.
Principles of Adult Education (ALEC 610) looks at educational principles and techniques drawn from around the world. Advanced Principles of Agroecosytems Management (ENTO 623) focuses on the impact of insects and mites on the world’s food supply.
To supplement the certificate, students are encouraged to enroll in complementary courses outside their discipline and participate in an international experience.
Some of these complementary courses are: International Development Perspectives (LDEV 673), Natural Resource Economics (AGEC 604), and Tropical Meteorology (ATMO 658), as well as regular courses in other disciplines outside the student’s home department.
International experiences, including internships can be built in
International experiences can range from a short faculty-led trip during spring break or during the summer to a full-blown living-abroad experience at one of the university’s centers in Mexico, Italy or Costa Rica. Students also have the option of enrolling in universities overseas with reciprocal exchange agreements. Texas A&M has agreements with 25 universities in 20 nations, including the University of Queensland in Australia, Oxford University in the United Kingdom and the University of Copenhagen in Denmark.
Program leaders also encourage students to participate in professional international internships, where they can both obtain practical hands-on job experience in another culture and earn up to six graduate credit hours.
Although not required, some students also take language courses as electives.
The program is coordinated through the Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture, which is part of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Texas AgriLife Research.
Cathryn Clement, an administrator with the Borlaug Institute, is the academic coordinator for the certificate program.
Clement is quick to point out career benefits to participants.
The certificate brings career benefits
“Multiple studies have been conducted to measure the effectiveness of international experience as a way to enhance careers,” Clement said. “These studies have consistently shown if there are two equally qualified candidates for a position and one has had international experience, 90 percent of the time the one with an international background will get the job.
“These graduates who have earned the international certificate, particularly those who have also traveled internationally, have a distinct advantage over those who have not. Employers recognize we live in a global economy and they want employees who understand that world business culture,” she said.
Clement also said many other benefits, in addition to the obvious career pluses, come with the program.
“When you are U.S.-centric, you don’t realize that other cultures have experts who have information not available to you,” she said. “For example, on a trip to the Caucasus, one of our professors, Dr. Leonard Pike, collected the onion germplasm that led to the development of the Texas 1015 onion, which along with the mild jalapeno, has revolutionized the U.S. salsa industry. You learn that others may have solutions we don’t have.”
The best university? International experience
“And there are personal reasons, too,” Clement said. “People with international training are more confident, self-reliant and more understanding than those who have not had these experiences. Traveling in a strange country and learning a new language are experiences that not only broaden you, they change you for the better.”
“A faculty colleague from Spain once asked me, ‘What is the best university in the world?’ His answer to his own question was: His answer was ‘international travel experience.’ As I have thought about that question, I have come to believe that he may be right,” Shinn said.
Each year between four and eight students complete the certificate program, but the program coordinators hope that will change.
“This program is not well known,” Shinn said. “Most students learn of it by word-of-mouth from their peers. But we have the capacity to handle many more. Our goal is up to 50 students a year. That is about 25 percent of the yearly total of those earning master’s or doctorates from the college.”
“We want to get the word out,” Briers added. “Our students need to know about this program.”
To find out more:
Contact: Cathryn Clement, Academic Coordinator
Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture
cclement@ag.tamu.edu
979-458-0820
About the college:
With an enrollment of almost 6,700 students in 14 academic departments, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University offers more than 80 undergraduate and graduate degrees and has a faculty of more than 300, including two Nobel laureates. Research programs include food sustainability and safety, human and animal health, genetics, renewable natural resources and bioenergy. Dr. Mark Hussey is vice chancellor and dean. For more information on the college, visit http://AgLifeSciences.tamu.edu.
Five Reasons to Consider the Certificate in International Agriculture and Resource Management
1. The student is more marketable, resulting in better job offers and more plentiful promotion opportunities.
2. With careful planning, no additional expense or time will be needed beyond than a conventional graduate program without the certificate.
3. The certificate is noted on official transcripts, and all courses are transferrable.
4. International travel may be able to be incorporated into the student’s financial aid package. Some departments also offer travel stipends and grants to offset expenses.
5. An international experience provides personal benefits and helps students to develop skills and positive traits they would not otherwise obtain.
Source: Cathryn Clement, Academic Coordinator, Borlaug Institute for International Development
