TIFTON—Graduates of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College now have a new path to receive their master’s degrees from the University of Tennessee at Martin.
Dr. Mark Kistler, Dean of the School of Agriculture and Natural Resources (SANR) at ABAC, said that a new agreement allows ABAC graduates who have completed a Bachelor of Science degree in ABAC’s SANR and who meet the criteria will be accepted into UT Martin’s Master of Science in Agriculture and Natural Resources online degree program.
“We’re always looking for great opportunities for our graduates,” Kistler said. “I believe this is a way that we can partner with another institution to benefit students who graduate from ABAC’s School of Agriculture and Natural Resources.”
For ABAC graduates who meet the requirements for admission to the graduate degree program and enroll in coursework at UT Martin, the UT Martin School of Agriculture and Applied Sciences can accept up to six graduate credit hours of prior learning toward the required 36 credit hours for a Master of Science degree.
“This is a great collaboration that will ensure opportunities for students to continue their education either as full-time graduate students or part time while they work in their professions,” Dr. Joey Mehlhorn, Dean of Graduate Studies at UT Martin, said. “The opportunities are endless for students to grow professionally.”
Among other requirements for students to be a part of the Stallion-Skyhawk Accelerated Agreement, ABAC graduates must have a minimum 2.5 grade point average on a 4.0 scale and must submit two letters of reference from ABAC SANR faculty members.
Dr. Todd Winters, Dean and Professor of the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences at UT Martin, likes the “pipeline” concept from Tifton to Tennessee.
“This agreement provides a pipeline for ABAC students to expand their credentials and for UT Martin to grow its graduate program,” Winters said. “The end goal is to provide better career opportunities in the agriculture and natural resources sectors.”
ABAC enrolls 3,815 students from 155 of Georgia’s 159 counties and from 52 of Florida’s 67 counties. Students also attend ABAC from 18 states and 19 countries. A total of 1,350 students live on campus. Over 1,400 students study in the School of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
For more information on the new collaboration, interested persons can contact Kistler at mkistler@abac.edu.
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