About AG*IDEA
AG*IDEA, an affiliate of the great plains idea, is a national consortium of land grant universities offering programs and courses in agriculture disciplines. If you are interested in earning a graduate certificate online, or taking online agricultural coursework to expand your knowledge base in a certain area, consider the following information
Fully Online
A typical AG*IDEA online course includes students from around the world and all walks of life. AG*IDEA students are working professionals, educators, innovators, researchers, family members and community leaders. The fully-online certificates and courses of AG*IDEA provide flexibility, enabling students to balance career advancement with professioal, social and financial commitments.
Top Faculty
The courses in the AG*IDEA programs are taught by top faculty members in each field. Students acquire a knowledge base that is applicable to current demands in their chosen fields. Graduates of AG*IDEA programs are equipped with the skill set and theoretical background needed for success in future pursuits.
Accredited Universities
The AG*IDEA programs are supported by thirteen public research universities, each of which brings a unique strength to the multi-institution Alliance.
The University partners are:
Clemson University, Colorado State University, University of Florida, University of Georgia, Iowa State University, Kansas State University, Michigan State University, University of Missouri, Montana State University, University of Nebraska, North Carolina State University, North Dakota State University, Oklahoma State University, South Dakota State University, Texas Tech University
The Universities intending to join AG*IDEA are:
University of Arkansas, Auburn University, California State University - Chico, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of Kentucky, Mississippi State University, University of Nevada Reno, New Mexico State University, North Carolina A & T University, The Ohio State University, Oregon State University, Purdue University, University of Tennessee, Virginia Tech
Agriculture Programs
Since 2008, AG*IDEA has sponsored certificate programs and courses in the following disciplines:
Agricultural Education
Agricultural Mechanization
Food Safety and Defense
Grasslands Management
New programs coming soon
AG*IDEA Faculty groups are currently developing exciting new online programs in:
- Agricultural Communications
- Agricultural Law
- Biobased Products and Bioenergy
- Horticulture
- Poultry Science
- Soil, Water and Environmental Science
- Swine Science
Check back soon for program updates!
Click here for programs in the Human Sciences
The Great Plains IDEA Model
The Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance (IDEA) was founded in 1994 capitalizing on the institutional resources of 11 major research universities to sponsor graduate education programs through distributed learning technologies. The Alliance offers fully-online graduate coursework and program options in high-demand professional fields.
The Great Plains IDEA is a collaborative project of member institutions to support internet-based programs offered jointly by multiple institutions.
Academic programs are the core of the Alliance. Each member institution awards academic credit and degrees for programs in which they participate. Curricula are developed by inter-institutional faculty teams.
- Institutions choose the programs with which to affiliate
- Although the core curriculum is the same, the program name, course titles and course numbers are unique to each member institution.
- All courses and curricula recieve full institutional review prior to implementation and meet institutional academic standards.
- Program faculty who meet the qualifications for teaching at their employing institution are granted de facto teaching credentials at other member institutions.
- Students seek admission to the institution of their choice and institutional admissions standards and processes prevail.
- Students pay a negotiated common price/credit hour to the institution at which they matriculate.
- Assessment of instructional program quality and student learning outcomes are institutional responsibilities but the process of assessment and feedback is coordinated centrally by the Alliance.
"I am excited to help provide leadership to the development of a national distance education alliance for agriculture. AG*IDEA will enhance curriculum opportunities for our current students, plus help us reach place-bound students with a wider variety of certificate and degree programs. By partnering with other agricultural colleges, we can also be more efficient with larger distance education class enrollments and complementary course offerings. Becoming an affiliate of the Great Plains ISEA gives us a real jump-start by providing an immediate infrustructure for multi-institutional collaboration that will allow our alliance to move directly to program development and delivery."
- Don Boggs, Kansas State University