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The following links will take you to the titled sections on this page.
Philosophy and Intent
The intent of the Graduate Program in Sustainable Agriculture (GPSA) is to develop student
competence and expertise in the design, implementation, and evaluation of sustainable
agricultural systems. The program's curriculum is designed to satisfy
the formal requirements for MS and PhD degrees as established by the ISU Graduate
College as well as to foster transdisciplinary and systems-level thinking. Accordingly,
the principles on which the curriculum is founded are:
- academic rigor and breadth, and
- flexibility for integrative thinking and experiences.
In practice, this means that the program prescribes only a minimum number of core courses,
and it vests in each student and her/his Program of Study (POS) Committee the prerogative
to develop a Program of Study (POS) tailored to that student's specific needs and interests. For
explanations of the POS Committee and POS, please see the "Definitions" section below.
Structure of the Curriculum
A summary table with curriculum requirements is available at the following link.
GPSA Curriculum
Details about the curriculum may also be found in the GPSA Faculty and Student
Handbook. Please see the following link for a complete copy of the handbook.
GPSA Faculty and Student Handbook
Please note: The GPSA Handbook contains details pertaining to the curriculum existing
before Fall 2006. Students who matriculated prior to Fall 2006 should consult
the handbook if they wish to apply the pre-reform curriculum to their Program of Study (POS).
Sustainable Agriculture Courses
GPSA class offerings -- those with the SUSAG program designator -- include the core courses of
- SUSAG 509, Agroecosystems Analysis
- SUSAG 600, Sustainable Agriculture Colloquium, and
- SUSAG 610, Foundations of Sustainable Agriculture.
For a complete listing of SUSAG classes (including links to syllabi), please see
http://www.sust.ag.iastate.edu/gpsa/courses.html
Please note: SUSAG courses other than 509, 600, and 610 may be applied as
thematic area courses (see below) and/or elective courses in a GPSA Program of Study.
Thematic Areas
The curriculum incorporates a cross-disciplinary training standard that is realized through
enrollment in courses in selected thematic areas. The requirement for study within
thematic areas is intended to enhance a student’s ability to succeed professionally in
interdisciplinary contexts.
Therefore, to satisfy the thematic area requirement, students must
take courses outside of the disciplines in which they have previously trained and, while at ISU, outside
their respective home departments and co-major programs (if applicable). Thematic areas do not
constitute specializations within the GPSA.
The program has defined seven cross-disciplinary thematic areas:
- landscape and watershed management,
- international development and food security,
- crop and livestock production and protection,
- policy, governance, and economics,
- engagement and communications, and
- philosophy, ethics, and history.
- social justice (a new addition approved in spring 2012)
In defining these areas, the GPSA Curriculum Committee developed a set of learning outcomes for
each area. These outcomes are described in detail in a document available through the
following link.
Thematic Area Learning Outcomes
The program has compiled a list of suggested courses that are considered to meet thematic
area guidelines and a list of specific courses for the social justice area. The program has also
created a matrix that plots a selection of suggested courses
against their applicable thematic areas. Links to these references follow.
Catalog Descriptions of Suggested Thematic Area Courses
Catalog Descriptions of Suggested Social Justice Courses
Thematic Area Course Matrix
The above lists are not comprehensive; other courses may be proposed
by students, faculty advisors, and POS Committees. The GPSA Director of Graduate Education (DOGE)
will review all proposed courses for their suitability in meeting program guidelines.
Dual MS and MCRP Degree Program
As sustainability has been adopted as a goal beyond the agricultural sciences, demand is growing for
trained professionals in related disciplines who can think at a systems level and draw on a
multi-disciplinary base to solve problems.
In response to this need, the GPSA and the ISU Department of Community
and Regional Planning have combined resources to offer a dual degree program leading to the Master
of Science degree in sustainable agriculture and the Master of Community and Regional Planning degree.
The following link provides a summary of the curriculum plan for the dual MS-MCRP degrees.
MS-MCRP Curriculum Plan
For more information about the dual degree admissions process and curriculum, please contact
the GPSA program coordinator at gpsa@iastate.edu.
Guidelines for Interpreting the Curriculum
The GPSA Curriculum and Coordinating Committees have developed a set of guidelines to help students
and faculty understand the intent of the curriculum and apply its rules. These guidelines follow.
Links to references are provided in the text.
- The GPSA curriculum is intended to develop student expertise in the design,
implementation, and evaluation of sustainable agricultural systems.
See the
GPSA Learning Outcomes.
- A GPSA graduate Program of Study (POS) should be composed so as to foster interdisciplinary
thinking and breadth of understanding in the student. A student from any given academic
background is expected to complement her/his previous education with a set of courses and
experiences chosen from outside of her/his previous academic trajectory.
The thematic area curriculum standard is intended to
serve as tool to achieve this goal.
- Students must complete the
GPSA Individual Curriculum Plan (ICP) form at the
same time as they complete their
Program of Study (POS) form. Completing both
forms simultaneously helps the student and committee ensure that curriculum standards
are met. Both forms require the signatures of all committee members. ICP forms
are available for both the new and old curricula at the following URL.
http://www.sust.ag.iastate.edu/gpsa/forms.html
- In most cases, students will come to the program requiring appropriate course work
to ensure that they have a strong understanding of agricultural systems. However,
in exceptional cases, the POS Committee may determine that a student already possesses
such knowledge from previous training and therefore does not require additional course
work.
- At the discretion of the faculty advisor and POS Committee, GPSA students may be
allowed to take 300-level courses to build background knowledge in a field complementary
to their Program of Study. For such courses to be used to meet graduate curriculum
standards, they must conform to the rules established by the academic program(s)
offering the course(s) and the Graduate College. For example, some 300-level courses
permit students to earn non-major graduate credit. Such courses may be included for
degree credit in a graduate POS.
- All GPSA students are expected to be familiar with research methods, such as problem
definition, hypothesis formulation, research design, and data collection methods. If, in
the judgment of the faculty advisor and POS Committee, a student lacks the appropriate
training in this area, the advisor and committee members should recommend course work
and/or directed study to remedy this shortcoming.
- In selecting courses to meet the thematic area (TA) curriculum standard, advisors,
committee members, and students are advised to consult the
TA course matrix and the
TA recommended course list to
review available options. Please remember, however, that both the matrix and list are
recommendations only. Advisors and committee members are encouraged to entertain other
course options proposed by the student. If questions arise about the suitability of a
proposed course, please consult the thematic area
learning outcomes. Questions may also be directed to the
GPSA program coordinator.
Definitions
Program of Study (POS) Committee -
A group of faculty invited by a graduate student to supervise
her/his MS and/or PhD study. The committee is chaired by the student's faculty advisor. The
remaining members are drawn from departments and/or programs relevant to the student's disciplinary
and research focus.
Specific rules govern the makeup of the committee.
- MS committees must consist of at least 3 members, two of which must be GPSA faculty
(including the student's faculty advisor), and must include a representative from a department or program
outside of the GPSA to ensure diversity of perspective.
- PhD committees must consist of at least 5 members, three of which must be GPSA faculty
(including the student's faculty advisor), and must include a representative from a department or program
outside of the GPSA to ensure diversity of perspective.
Program of Study (POS) -
The POS is a list of courses that constitutes the essential conditions for obtaining a graduate degree.
Each student, in consultation with her/his POS Committee, formulates a POS, based on the guidelines
established by the GPSA and the ISU Graduate College. All the courses listed on the POS must be
successfully completed to graduate and obtain the degree.
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