Newly Approved Ph.D. Program in Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication

Since she joined the Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication Department full time in July 2019, Dr. Alexa Lamm has been working toward creating new experiences for students in the Department, and is now Graduate Coordinator of the new Ph.D. program. A long-time goal of the Department, this Ph.D. program focuses on the human dimensions associated with agriculture and environmental science issues.

Students are able to tailor their research to whatever fits them in agricultural leadership, nonformal or formal agricultural and environmental education, or agriculture and science communication.

“Through this program, we are focused on our students getting a strong theoretical foundation for the research they will do in leadership, education and communication,” Lamm said. “Each person's research will look different, but we are all in the department together because we study the human dimensions of agricultural and environmental sciences.”

This Ph.D. program is set apart from other programs based on its flexibility and the ability for a person to truly form a degree that fits them like a glove.There are four required core courses - three theory courses, one in each area (teaching and learning, leadership, and communication) and one course that is a capstone (the application of change theory across all programmatic areas). In addition to these four courses, the doctoral curriculum requires 12 credit hours of research methods.

“A student can easily make this program their own and tailor it to themselves. Depending on what they want to get out of a doctoral program and what kind of position they eventually want to be in (faculty/staff member, non-profit, international development, etc.), these students will have a solid foundation in our core principles and theories, but then will have a very tailored degree.”

The program offers courses in international agriculture and development, communication, problem solving, and specific aspects of teaching and learning. We will also offer a course in field research that gives students a hands-on opportunity to engage in research out in the field. All of these courses and more will be taught face-to-face on the Athens and Tifton campuses.

 “Because Ph.D. programs are more intense and require students to apply concepts directly, whether that be with an instructor or with their peers, we do require these courses to be taken in person.”

Applicants to the ALEC Ph.D. program should hold a master’s degree in agricultural leadership, education or communication or a closely related field. Students who apply from outside of these disciplines can get into this program and excel, but they do have to make a great case for themselves in their statement of purpose explaining why this program would be a good fit for them. Also, just like any other doctoral program, the student applying must meet the UGA standards set in place by the Graduate School. The deadline to apply for Fall of 2020 is February 1, 2020, and the deadline to apply for Spring of 2021 is October 1, 2020.

The ideal candidate for this Ph.D. program is an individual who has a passion for the human dimensions of agriculture and environmental sciences, possesses a clear idea of what they want to do with a doctoral degree, and matches up with a faculty member in the ALEC Department who can help them get to those places. It is also important that they get the most from their experience as a Ph.D. student and are able to pair well with a faculty member that would advise and mentor them. “As this program will be brand new in Fall of 2020, we anticipate admitting five to ten students. There will be some assistantships available and we prefer to have full-time doctoral students. If a student is able to provide sufficient materials, they could be admitted as a part-time doctoral student,” Lamm said.

For more information regarding the ALEC Ph.D., visit the ALEC website or contact Dr. Alexa Lamm at alamm@uga.edu to arrange a meeting.

By Mary Logan Tostenson