Master of Science in Agriculture

The graduate program in Agricultural Sciences is designed to further the professional competence of those individuals engaged in production agriculture, careers in agricultural and related agencies, businesses and industries, and/or agricultural education and extension.

The School of Agricultural Sciences maintains five locations with specialized classrooms and laboratories. The Fred Pirkle Engineering Technology Center provides academic space for an interactive learning environment with specialized classrooms and laboratory space. The Agriculture Center is home to the Indoor Arena, Meat Science Lab, Equine Science Facilities, and a greenhouse. Nearby is the Horticulture Center with two greenhouses and a classroom. The William R. Harrell Engineering Technology Center provides excellent advanced teaching and research opportunities in the areas of Agricultural Engineering Technology.

The 1650+ acre Gibbs Ranch is home to purebred and crossbred beef cattle herds, a meat goat flock, and an orchard.  Additional plant, soil, and animal resources are used for instructional and research purposes.

Additional information: Reference the Program Landing Page for additional information, such as cost, delivery format, contact information, or to schedule a visit.

Students seeking admission to the graduate program in Agricultural Sciences must submit the following to the Office of Graduate Admissions:

1. Graduate Application
2. Application fee
3. Official transcripts of all college-level work, including the transcript that shows the date the undergraduate degree was conferred in agriculture, engineering technology, industrial technology, technology, or related field from an accredited four-year institution (Note: Applicants without an acceptable background in agriculture or technology must complete 12 hours of undergraduate stem work earning a minimum GPA of 3.0)
4. GRE scores
5. Two letters of recommendation from faculty in the undergraduate major field of study (not required for SHSU Agriculture graduates)     

A holistic review of each student’s application file will be completed on a competitive basis.

This degree is designed to be a broad-based degree, including thirty-seven hours of coursework. A minimum of fifteen hours from agri-business, agricultural education, agricultural engineering technology, animal science, equine science, and plant and soil sciences is required. In addition, the curriculum includes courses in research methodology and agricultural statistics, and graduate seminar. The remaining semester hours are designated as electives and can be taken in agriculture or from a related field. The degree is designed to provide comprehensive knowledge and capabilities in several fields of agriculture.

Plan 1 - MS in Agricultural Science - Thesis Option

Note: The thesis option must have prior approval by the chair of the thesis committee and includes an oral comprehensive exam and thesis defense. Once enrolled in a thesis course, a student must be continually enrolled until graduation.

Plan 2 - MS in Agricultural Science - Non-thesis Option

Note: The non-thesis option includes the thirty-seven hours listed above and a written or oral comprehensive capstone exam.

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) marketable skills initiative is part of the state’s 60x30TX plan and was designed to help students articulate their skills to employers.  Marketable skills are those skills valued by employers and/or graduate programs that can be applied in a variety of work or education settings and may include interpersonal, cognitive, and applied skill areas.

The MS in Agriculture is designed to provide graduates with the following marketable skills:

• Competency in communication skills and professional presentation skills of scientific knowledge.

• Demonstrate a global perspective of agriculture.

• Demonstrate scientific and technical knowledge in agriculture and related sciences.

• Critically analyze information and make informed decisions.