ABAC, Murray State Partner for Graduate Program in Agriculture  

TIFTON, Georgia – A new agreement between the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College School of Agriculture and Natural Resources (SANR) and Murray State University’s Hutson School of Agriculture (HSOA) will afford ABAC graduates the opportunity to further their education in a graduate level program.

SANR graduates from ABAC who meet the given criteria will be accepted for admission to MSU’s Master of Science in Agriculture online degree program. If students wish to seek admission for the face-to-face option, they will be given full consideration.  ABAC’s SANR graduates have the potential to secure nine hours of graduate credit through the new Accelerated Stallion-Racer Agreement.

Dr. Mark Kistler, Dean of ABAC’s School of Agriculture and Natural Resources, is very excited about the possibilities of the partnership.

“Both institutions share the same values and prepare work-ready graduates through an experiential learning approach,” Kistler said. “What is appealing to us about this master’s degree program are the many options available for our students including concentrations in Agricultural Education, Agribusiness/Economics, Sustainable Agriculture, and Veterinary Hospital Management.”

Kistler said this approach will allow students to gain up to nine credit hours of graduate courses through the completion of additional work while taking their ABAC courses, making for a smooth transition to graduate school.

Dr. Andrew Thoron, Department Head of Agricultural Education and Communication at ABAC, said the online courses will allow graduates to work in the industry while still furthering their education.

“We’ll be able to keep the workforce in-state and contribute to the agriculture industry as our graduates further their education,” Thoron said. “ABAC is known for helping stakeholder groups in agriculture, and we were careful in finding a way to be additive to the value of our graduates while still preparing work-ready graduates for Georgia and surrounding states.”

Dr. Brian Parr, Assistant Dean of the Hutson School of Agriculture at Murray State, has witnessed firsthand the quality of education that has been a long-standing tradition at ABAC and has served students well over the years.

“I have had the pleasure to work with many high-quality students over the years that have benefited tremendously from their experiences with ABAC,” Parr said. “I am glad that we are able to assist high achieving students in getting a head start toward the completion of advanced degrees through Murray State that will build on the solid foundation that they bring from ABAC and will certainly provide further career opportunities.”

To qualify for the program, students must earn a Bachelor of Science degree within ABAC’s SANR with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.75. Students must also submit two letters of reference from ABAC SANR faculty who have taught the student and support their enrollment into the MSU HSOA Master of Science degree program.

For more information, interested persons can contact Kistler at mkistler@abac.edu.