5/03//2011

Auburn College of Ag Offers Online Certificate, For-Credit Courses

AUBURN, Ala.—Auburn University’s College of Agriculture has expanded its distance education program and now is offering undergraduate courses that can be taken either for professional continuing education certification or for academic credit in subjects ranging from turfgrass management to poultry health.

The undergraduate-level courses that will be available online summer semester 2011 are basic crop science, basic soil science, turfgrass management, plant genetics and crop improvement, poultry health, general plant pathology and introduction to entomology. The deadline for registering for summer classes is May 19. Details can be found online at www.ag.auburn.edu/distanceeducation.

Certificate courses give professionals in the fields of agriculture, conservation and natural resources and those working with environmental agencies the opportunity to continue their education and refresh their knowledge base. They also can be beneficial for students who are preparing for graduate school.

Individuals who sign up for certificate courses are not required to enroll as students at Auburn, nor must they pay a registration fee. At the end of their courses, they will be awarded certificates of completion instead of transcripts.

The cost for taking online undergraduate-level courses as certificate courses is $260 per credit hour. For students taking the distance-ed courses for academic credit, the cost is $292 per credit hour for Alabama residents and $876 per credit hour for non-residents. All formally enrolled undergraduate students also must pay a $446-per-semester registration fee.

All of the college’s online courses are Web based and asynchronous, which means students can download information at times that are convenient to them and can submit assignments and take their exams online.

The College of Ag launched its distance education program three years ago with a graduate-degree program in agronomy and soils. Students who enroll in that program, which is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, can pursue either a master of science degree, which requires original research and a thesis, or a nonthesis master of agriculture degree.

To learn more about ag’s distance learning opportunities and to stay abreast of courses that will be offered fall 2011 and spring 2012 semesters, visit the website at www.ag.auburn.edu/distanceeducation, or contact Megan Ross at mhr0001@auburn.edu or 334-844-3201.

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Contact: Katie Jackson, smithcl@auburn.edu or 334-844-5887

OFFICE OF AG COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING
Auburn University College of Agriculture
Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station
3 COMER HALL, AUBURN UNIVERSITY
AUBURN, AL 36849
334-844-4877 (PHONE) 334-844-5892 (FAX)
AgComm@auburn.edu