By Maggie Smith / Jul 31, 2018 10:52:09 AM
The Auburn College of Agriculture’s distance education program, Auburn Ag Online, has been ranked the second best online agriculture degree program in the nation by guidetoonlineschools.com.
The ranking was based on affordability and academic strength, using out-of-state tuition and average SAT and ACT scores. To be considered for the rankings the school must offer at least one fully online agriculture degree at the bachelor’s level or higher.
“Our online programs have opened some major doors for working professionals over the years,” Dean Paul Patterson said. “Both academic quality and affordability are leading factors when professionals choose a program like this. It is great to see that, on a national stage, our online programs are competitive in both areas.”
Dennis Shannon, the crop, soil and environmental sciences professor who got the online program off the ground, says the program is the best buy in online programs related to crop and soil science.
“We offer high quality courses and flexible programs so that students can tailor their individual plan of study to fit their career goals,” Shannon said. “We offer personal care and match students with faculty advisors that best fit their interests. Our tuition is lower than comparable programs offered by other universities as well.”
The Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences began offering distance education courses in 2008, and the online graduate degree program was officially approved two years later. The first students enrolled spring semester 2011.
