Agricultural Institute nets
No. 1 ranking
The Agricultural Institute in N.C. State's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences ranks No. 1 in the nation among two-year associate degree programs in agriculture and related sciences, according to an annual rankings report published in Community College Week.
Using data from the U.S. Department of Education, Community College Week identified the top 100 associate degree programs offered by two-year and four-year colleges and universities in the country. The CALS Agricultural Institute climbed from No. 2 to secure the top spot in this year's overall ranking of both two-year and four-year institutions.
"We are thrilled to be recognized as a national leader in agricultural technology education," said Dr. John Cornwell, director of the Agricultural Institute. "Our program is distinctive because it offers a number of diverse majors as well as new courses of study that keep students up to date with rapidly changing technology."
The Institute offers nine academic programs leading to an associate of applied science degree, ranging from agribusiness management to landscape technology. Its programs are designed to prepare students for careers in agriculture and related industries, with a focus on hands-on technical training.
With nearly 400 students, the Institute is the largest program of its kind in the country.
"Graduates of the Agricultural Institute are in great demand in North Carolina and throughout the nation," Cornwell said. "Typically, 95 percent are employed in their fields of interest within six months of graduation."
Community College Week, a biweekly publication for and about two-year colleges, bases its rankings on the latest data from the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics, including the number of degrees and other formal awards conferred in academic, vocational and continuing professional education programs in a variety of categories. Degree programs in the category of agriculture and related sciences are turfgrass management, ornamentals and landscape technology, agribusiness management, livestock and poultry management, field crops technology, pest management and general agriculture.
- Suzanne Stanard
Using data from the U.S. Department of Education, Community College Week identified the top 100 associate degree programs offered by two-year and four-year colleges and universities in the country. The CALS Agricultural Institute climbed from No. 2 to secure the top spot in this year's overall ranking of both two-year and four-year institutions.
"We are thrilled to be recognized as a national leader in agricultural technology education," said Dr. John Cornwell, director of the Agricultural Institute. "Our program is distinctive because it offers a number of diverse majors as well as new courses of study that keep students up to date with rapidly changing technology."
The Institute offers nine academic programs leading to an associate of applied science degree, ranging from agribusiness management to landscape technology. Its programs are designed to prepare students for careers in agriculture and related industries, with a focus on hands-on technical training.
With nearly 400 students, the Institute is the largest program of its kind in the country.
"Graduates of the Agricultural Institute are in great demand in North Carolina and throughout the nation," Cornwell said. "Typically, 95 percent are employed in their fields of interest within six months of graduation."
Community College Week, a biweekly publication for and about two-year colleges, bases its rankings on the latest data from the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics, including the number of degrees and other formal awards conferred in academic, vocational and continuing professional education programs in a variety of categories. Degree programs in the category of agriculture and related sciences are turfgrass management, ornamentals and landscape technology, agribusiness management, livestock and poultry management, field crops technology, pest management and general agriculture.
- Suzanne Stanard