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Agricultural Education and Communication

Agricultural Education and Communication

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Admissions

Contact

Please contact Peggy Lowenstein if you have any questions about the AEC graduate program or the admissions process.

Requirements

Minimum requirements for admission to this program include the following:

  • A recognized baccalaureate, graduate, or professional degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or a comparable degree from an international institution
  • 3.0 upper-division undergraduate grade point average

Exceptions to these requirements are subject to recommendation by the department and approval by the associate dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and the dean of the Graduate School.

Please also see the UF Graduate School’s admissions requirements in the Graduate Catalog, as applicants must meet the requirements of both the academic unit and the Graduate School to be admitted for graduate study.

Non-US and Puerto Rican applicants: Please refer to the UF international student admission requirements on the International Admissions website. 

Application Details

The following items must be completed to be considered for admission:

  • Application Form
  • $30 non-refundable Application Fee payment (credit card payments require an additional $7 processing fee)
  • Official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions previously attended sent to the UF Office of Admissions, PO Box 114000 (201 Criser Hall), Gainesville, FL 32611-4000
  • Three letters of recommendation: This part of the application is automated in the online application and will require contact information for your references. If they are not able to submit the forms electronically through the online application, please have your recommenders send their letters through email to Peggy Lowenstein or by mail to Peggy Lowenstein, PO Box 112060, Gainesville, FL 32611-2060.
  • Statement of Purpose/Letter of Intent: The statement of purpose gives you the opportunity to explain who you are and what you would like to achieve by obtaining a graduate degree from UF AEC. Please respond to all of the following prompts. Your statement of purpose should be no longer than 3 single-spaced pages.
    1. Background. Introduce yourself and explain what led you to apply to the UF/AEC graduate program. What are your career or life goals? How does a graduate degree help you in achieving your career or life goals?
    2. Academic Potential. How have your past academic experiences prepared you for graduate school? How would you describe your approach to learning? What prior experiences do you have with research and writing? What initial ideas do you have for your research (or project for non-thesis MS)?
    3. Experience. How has your professional work experience prepared you to pursue a graduate degree? If you have no professional work experience, what other experiences have prepared you to pursue a graduate degree? How do you approach adversity and stay committed to your goals?
    4. Fit. Which of our specializations do you think will allow you to develop the competencies you will need for your anticipated career? Why? Why is UF/AEC the right program for you? Which of our faculty have the expertise which aligns with your interests? Have you met with them?
  • Résumé or curriculum vitae: The online application provides the option to upload additional files as needed. Please upload a current résumé or curriculum vitae in this section of the online application.
    • Pursuant to Florida Statute, your application requires inclusion of all post-high school education and employment, as well as information about ongoing international affiliations and research funding. Please ensure this information is included on your curriculum vitae (CV) or résumé.
  • Assistantship/fellowship application: Any applicant interested in a departmental assistantship/fellowship must have their complete application packet–assistantship/fellowship application and essay–sent to Peggy Lowenstein. The application can be found here. With regard to the essay, applicants should include information about work-related experience and skills which would be relevant to performing teaching, research, or extension assistantship responsibilities and how these experiences and skills can contribute to the AEC department's programs and mission. Please note this essay is separate from the Statement of Purpose. More funding resources can be found here. 

Application Deadlines

Summer or Fall admission: February 1* (priority review)

Spring admission: September 1* (priority review)

*If you are interested in departmental assistantship/fellowship funding, your application materials should be submitted by the first application review date to be most competitive for available funds.

Prospective Student Campus Visits

We host virtual Gator Day visits in August and December each year. You will hear specifics about applying to the program and have the opportunity to hear from some of our faculty members. The next AEC Gator Day Virtual Visit event will be held on August 15, 2024. Use this link to register, and we will send you more information closer to the event date.  

If you cannot attend Gator Day, please feel free to reach out to our faculty members through email or by phone. Contact information and a short bio for each faculty member can be found in our online directory. Please make sure you review our faculty's bios to determine your fit with their specialization and research interests prior to contacting them so your emails and potential visits with them are productive. 

*Please note that it is not a requirement for applicants to secure an advisor or faculty supervisor prior to applying to the program.

Cost of Tuition and Fees

For more information on the cost and tuition and related fees for Agricultural Education and Communication M.S. degree programs, click HERE.

  • How early should I submit my application and application materials?

    Please note that certain application materials, like transcripts and test scores, can take anywhere from 24 hours to a few weeks to link to your UF graduate application. Please provide ample time for this to occur before the application deadline.

  • What is the admission timeline for the AEC graduate program?

    Applications submitted by the first review deadline will be reviewed by the Graduate Committee a few weeks after the deadline. Additionally, applications submitted by the final review deadline will be reviewed a few weeks after that deadline. Applicants will be notified of their admission decisions as soon as the decisions are finalized. Please note that decisions for departmental assistantship/fellowship funding are released separately from admission decisions and funding decisions are typically released at some point after the final review deadline.

  • What is taken into consideration when admission decisions are made?

    In addition to an applicant meeting the admission requirements listed on this webpage, a faculty member must agree to serve as an advisor for the applicant. Prospective students are expected to reach out to potential AEC faculty advisors prior to and during the admissions process. Please note that there may be instances when current faculty advising loads prevent accommodating additional students in a particular specialization.

  • What is the cost for tuition?

    Tuition and fee information for on-campus students can be found here. Students interested in the online master’s program should see the information here.