Background
Thie undergraduate program of study at SEBS leading to a B.S. in Agriculture and Food Systems Major Teacher Education Track is designed for preparation to become a certified K-12 Teacher of Agriculture. It also prepares students for agricultural extension and outreach work.
This program provides agricultural science, subject area preparation toward teacher certification at the Rutgers Graduate School of Education (Five Year, 4+1 Agricultural Science Education, teacher education program). However, graduates will also be prepared to pursue teacher certification at other graduate schools or the Alternative Route teaching certificate. Successful completion of N. J. Teacher Certification is required to qualify as a K-12 Teacher of Agriculture.
Students apply to the 5-year program at GSE by February 1, ideally in their Junior year.
From the N.J. Teacher State Certification (PDF):
Subject Matter Preparation
For certification as an Agriculture teacher, current regulations require that applicants complete a minimum of 30 credits in a coherent sequence in the subject field of Agriculture. A coherent sequence requires that at least 12 credits are completed at the advanced level of study (junior, senior or graduate level). Examples of courses accepted for Agriculture include animal science, plant science, forestry, natural resources, food science and horticulture. Related courses may be accepted depending on the course description/content. Please provide a course description if a course is not taken from the Agriculture Department. Courses in pedagogy/education are not accepted towards the subject matter preparation. The final determination as to which courses will be counted towards the Agriculture subject matter is based on professional and content standards found in the NJ Certification Code. All credits must appear on a regionally accredited 2 or 4-year college/university transcript.
Professional Teacher Preparation
Current regulations for certification require that applicants complete a coherent sequence of study in professional education which may be completed in a provisional teacher program or an approved teacher preparation program. This is to advise that courses presented by the applicant in professional education must be a coherent sequence of courses that culminates in supervised clinical practice.
4+1 Rutgers SEBS/GSE Program in Agricultural Science Education
One option available to students enrolling in SEBS, is a 4+1 B.S./Ed.M. program. Students apply to the Rutgers Graduate School of Education (GSE), for submatriculation in their senior year.