Academic Programs Annual Report 2004

The past year has been an exciting one in the College of Agriculture. Academic programs in the College are stronger and more diverse than ever as a result of the merger in 2003 of the Colleges of Agriculture and Human Environmental Sciences. Numbers don't tell the whole story, but they do provide a shorthand version of who we are. Here are some of our statistics for 2004.

Degrees Granted-
The College, which offers 15 Bachelor of Science degrees, granted 418 B.S. degrees in 2004. The College also offers 12 different Master of Science degree programs and 10 Doctor of Philosophy programs. The College conferred 69 M.S. and 33 Ph.D. degrees in 2004. These degrees represent 10% of the degrees awarded in 2004 by the University. In fact, during the past 10 years, the number of degrees granted by the College has increased by 129%, the largest increase of any College at UK.

Student Enrollment-
Demand for College of Agriculture degree programs remains strong. Undergraduate enrollment for 2004 was at 1,801 students (nearly 10% of all UK undergraduate students). The number of graduate students in the College included 238 M.S. and 169 Ph.D. students.

The five-year enrollment graph shows the steady growth in College enrollment over the past five years and the impact of the merger with Human Environmental Sciences in 2003. Approximately 35% of the undergraduate population in the College is in the School of Human Environmental Sciences. College degree programs experiencing the highest demand are Animal Sciences; Merchandising, Apparel and Textiles; Family and Consumer Sciences; Agricultural Economics; Agricultural Biotechnology; Nutrition and Dietetics; and Agricultural Education, Communications, and Leadership. Enrollment in these seven programs accounts for over 70% of the total enrollment in the College.

Student Diversity-
For most of the past 10 years, the proportion of females in the undergraduate programs of the College has been increasing slowly; by 2002, approximately 45% of the undergraduate students were female. After the School of Human Environmental Sciences joined the College, female student enrollment increased to 58% of the total College enrollment. At the graduate level, 65% of M.S. degree students and 46% of Ph.D. students are female. African American enrollment for all degree programs increased from 3% in 2002 to approximately 5.7% in 2004, and numbers of other minorities have increased as well.

Life of the College-
Currently we have 29 different clubs associated with the College. Seven judging teams provide invaluable hands-on experience for students. Many students in the College also are involved in agricultural fraternities, which include FarmHouse and Alpha Gamma Rho for men and CERES for women.

The Ambassador programs for Agriculture and Human Environmental Sciences merged into one program during Spring 2005. These students represent the College during recruitment and alumni functions and many other College-sponsored events. The student councils have also been merged, resulting in one organization representing the interests of all College of Agriculture students.

Global Learning-
This past year 10 students spent three weeks in Shandong Province of China. Five students also traveled throughout the Burgundy region of France. This coming summer, another contingent of students will be traveling to France, and a group will also travel to Ghana.

We are proud of our academic programs, the diversity of the College community, our numerous student organizations, and the international travel opportunities we offer. We believe no work is more important than educating students-we are preparing future leaders for the Commonwealth and the country.

Michael D. Mullen
Associate Dean, Office of Academic Programs

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