Graduate Programs

The Graduate Program (M.S. and Ph.D.) in Agriculture administered through the Department of Agricultural Sciences offers two different concentrations:  (1)  Agricultural Systems Management and (2) Agricultural Education. The M.S. and Ph.D. degrees require students to conduct research leading to writing a thesis (M.S.) or dissertation (Ph.D.). There is a non-thesis M.S. option available to pursue.

The faculty in the Department of Agriculture Sciences are known for their commitment to teaching and research. Primary research areas cover various aspects of agriculture with emphasis on precision agriculture, agricultural robotics, power machinery, biomass handling and processing, irrigation and drainage, water management, soil and water conservation, natural resources economics, and sensors and emerging technologies.

Admission to graduate studies (M.S. or Ph.D. in Agriculture) begins with the submission of an official application to the Clemson University Graduate School via their website. Upon receipt of all admission materials, the Graduate School will forward the applications that meet all the admission requirements to the Department of Agricultural Sciences for review. Applicants must meet all the requirements for M.S. or Ph.D. in Agriculture stipulated by the Department of Agricultural Sciences before official acceptance will be granted.

Please visit the  Clemson Graduate School for further details on application and admission requirements and  Graduate School’s Policy  (PDF).

Details about the M.S. and Ph.D. programs in Agriculture can be found in the Department of Agricultural Sciences Graduate Student Handbook. Please email the graduate coordinator, Dr. Vassalos ( mvassal@clemson.edu ), to request a PDF of the complete Agricultural Sciences Graduate Student Handbook. 

For International Applicants

International applicants will follow the same admission requirements but will require to submit TOEFL or similar English proficiency assessment test scores. Unofficial transcripts from all academic institutions attended by the applicants must be submitted to the Graduate School and to the department for evaluation purposes. Upon acceptance, students should submit official records through their institution.

The Master of Agricultural Education (M.AgEd.) is a professional degree designed to enhance the human resource skills in agriculture and education. The flexible program provides a core of planning, delivery, evaluation, and administrative strategies while encouraging specialization in teacher education, adult and extension education, agricultural communications, youth development or technology transfer. Degree recipients hold positions as agriculture teachers, extension agents, agricultural and environmental agency employees, as well as human resource development specialists in agricultural industry.

A minimum of 30 credit hours is required for the professional degree. With 12 credit hours devoted to the major field, three credit hours in statistics, and the remaining courses based on students’ concentration areas, the M.AgEd. is a flexible program providing a core of planning, delivery, evaluation, and administrative strategies while encouraging specialization in teacher education, adult and extension education, agricultural communications, youth development or technology transfer.

Students who earn an M.S. in Agricultural and Applied Economics (APEC) learn to apply economic theory, design experiments or surveys, estimate econometric models, and test hypotheses to analyze many economic phenomena such as individual choices and valuation, business practices, agribusiness decisions, environmental sustainability, and the economic effectiveness of government policies. Most graduates use their skills for employment in increasingly valuable niches of economic analysis and management in the private or public sector. Other graduates subsequently earn doctorates in economics, agricultural and applied economics, or statistics.

The curriculum of the M.S. in APEC program is relatively flexible. Students must earn 12 credits in four core courses in applied microeconomics, macroeconomics or public-policy economics, econometrics or regression analysis, and statistics or advanced econometrics. Students must also earn at least 18 additional graduate credits from elective courses in economics or statistics. There is a thesis option and a non-thesis option.

To view the course listings please visit the Graduate Catalog page.

Graduate Catalog

Applications should be completed by February 1 to guarantee a decision and notification before April 15 for the Fall semester .  Applications submitted after February 1 will be reviewed as time permits.  Students with inadequate or exceptional backgrounds may apply for the Spring semester but should notify the graduate coordinator (mvassal@clemson.edu) if they do.  International students who apply for the Spring semester need to complete their applications no later than September 15. 

To view a full list of clubs offered within CAFLS, visit the clubs page.