New Ph.D. Program Boosts Agricultural and Human Sciences

Big changes are coming to the Department of Agricultural and Human Sciences (AHS) in NC State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. 

AHS will offer a new Ph.D. degree that converts the department’s current Ed.D. curricula into a comprehensive program, synthesizing a youth and family focus with agricultural and extension education. This change will benefit current and future graduate students studying any AHS discipline.

“We’re filling a need for those in the world of education, specifically agricultural education,” says Benjamin Chapman, AHS department head.  

The University of North Carolina System Board of Governors approved the degree proposal in February, and the Ph.D. program will begin accepting students for the fall 2024 semester.

Interdisciplinary Education that Meets Students’ Needs

AHS was created in 2016 by merging the former departments of Youth, Family and Community Sciences and Agricultural and Extension Education. 

After its formation, AHS leadership proposed combining the graduate programs to remove redundancies and create a comprehensive educational experience. The new Ph.D. program will strengthen the department’s interdisciplinary, holistic approach to its graduate programs. 

“We have the master’s of science and nonthesis master’s degrees, but we still had an Ed.D. that only covered half of our department’s expertise,” Chapman explains. “We didn’t want to have two different groups of graduate students within the department under two different programs.”

“We want to recruit students at the doctoral level who can conduct research and produce dissertations under everything we do in our department.”

The new doctoral degree in agricultural education and human sciences will encompass all aspects of AHS: leadership, agricultural extension, agricultural education, and family and community sciences.

“We want to recruit students at the doctoral level who can conduct research and produce dissertations under everything we do in our department,” Chapman says.

Annie Hardison-Moody, associate professor, extension specialist and AHS director of graduate programs from 2020 to 2023, has been a key figure in promoting the new doctorate. 

She cites a survey of current AHS doctoral students: “All 11 said they would prefer to graduate with a Ph.D. degree. It makes more sense for many of our students going into industry, academia, research or extension,” she says. “The new program gives students more options as to which faculty they can work with and the courses they can take across the department.”

Enriched Curriculum and Growth

AHS anticipates accepting Ph.D. students for the fall 2024 semester. Current Ed.D. students can continue their path or transfer to the Ph.D. track. Students pursuing a master’s degree also have the chance to apply for the new program.

The educational doctorate began in the College of Education but later moved to CALS due to its agricultural education focus. The Ph.D. program will build on the collaboration with the College of Education and leverage all AHS disciplines to complete the curriculum. 

“We collaborate with every department within CALS and many other departments and colleges within NC State,” Chapman says. “Those departments include communications and sociology in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and parks, recreation and tourism in the College of Natural Resources, among others.”

“We envision recruiting students who could touch all those areas and fit across the entire college.”

The new curriculum will include foundational theoretical and research courses that the current Ed.D. doesn’t provide. One course will be a seminar that students take in their first semester in which they’ll explore theories and philosophies that are central to AHS disciplines. The other course will be a research colloquium where students will learn how AHS faculty design research studies and processes. 

AHS leadership anticipates increased enrollment from 15 Ph.D. students in the first year to double in the fifth year — mainly due to faculty securing research grants for the department. This increase in funding allows the department to provide prospective students with the desired doctoral education.

Targeting Diverse Professionals

AHS aims to expand its graduate academic offerings to include financial management, local food systems, food safety, nutrition, volunteer resource management, and curriculum development and evaluation. 

“We envision recruiting students who could touch all those areas and fit across the entire college,” says Chapman.

Department leadership believes individuals who head nongovernmental agencies and not-for-profits will seek the Ph.D. degree, along with individuals from federal and state agencies who work in community health, community development or youth program initiatives.

“We also see filling a need for those who work in agricultural extension, education and leadership,” Chapman says, adding that high school principals, administrators and CALS employees are a target market for the program. 

He also predicts that the program will support workforce development among graduates working in North Carolina Cooperative Extension as district or county directors.

A Collaborative Spirit

Hardison-Moody acknowledges the support given to AHS faculty by the NC State Graduate School and the unwavering dedication her colleagues have invested in bringing the new Ph.D. to fruition.

“Our faculty has demonstrated immense commitment to this endeavor,” she says. “Countless meetings, student surveys, developing a comprehensive graduate handbook and creating new courses reflect the extensive time and effort invested.”

Hardison-Moody is proud of the collaborative spirit shown by the faculty throughout this initiative.

“I am grateful to collaborate with a faculty that not only focuses on increasing student numbers or securing funding but genuinely cares about the well-being of our students and strives to provide them with the best possible support.”