Here's what you can get...

Careers
The undergraduate program in agricultural and extension education is for students interested in teaching youth and adults. In addition to core courses, electives and field experiences, certification students complete a semester of full-time student teaching before graduation. Graduates are certified to teach either agricultural science, general science, and/or environmental science. Most states accept a Pennsylvania teaching certificate.

Placements
Career Services in the MBNA Career Services Center, which has a specialized Education Career Services division, is the main university job placement office. Career Services has career counselors, as well as computer-assisted guidance programs. Students may schedule appointments to meet with a counselor. For more information, contact 814-865-5131.

Penn State has one of the country's largest on-campus career development and placement programs, bringing nearly 1,000 different employers to the University Park Campus every year. The College of Agricultural Sciences has its career day in the fall, which is jointly sponsored by Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity, the College of Agricultural Sciences Alumni Society, and the Office for Undergraduate Education. Over 50 exhibitors from the private sector and government attended this year's fair. There are other large career fairs organized by the university each semester.

Current Public School Job Openings In Pennsylvania:

Agriculture/Horticulture Instructor
Schuylkill Technology Center
Contact: Kurt Lynch, Assistant Director of Vocational Education, lynck@stcenters.org
Send Information to:
Executive Director's Secretary
Schuylkill Intermediate Unit 29
PO Box 130 - 17 Maple Avenue
Mar-Lin, PA 17951
Application Packet: http://www.iu29.org

Agriculture/Horticulture Instructor – Full-time, contracted, grades 10-12 at the Schuylkill Technology Center available immediately. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Application packet available at www.iu29.org EOE.

Outside of Pennsylvania:

Please go to the following Web sites for information on teaching postions.

Jobs On-Line
The PA Dept of Education Web site
Education Week On Line
The Phi Delta Kappa Web site

Extension Jobs
Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences and Extension
National Job Bank

Opportunities

Students from all College departments may try out for ten judging teams, which compete with other colleges and universities in the Northeast and elsewhere in the nation. These include the:

To acquire practical experience before graduation, some students work on campus part-time during the semester while others work during the summer months. All departments give undergraduates the opportunity to work on departmental projects in basic or applied research.

The Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Institute runs a research program for women in their first year of undergraduate studies at Penn State called the Women in Science and Engineering Research (WISER) Program. WISER was created in 1993 as a means to retain women in the traditionally male-dominated fields of science and engineering, where studies have proven, the highest percentages of dropouts occur among women. During the past 6 years, over 280 women have participated in WISER as part of various research teams. The WISE Institute also sponsors WISE House, an entire residence hall floor reserved for women in science and math majors. This supportive environment helps women find a network for their undergraduate studies.

Salaries

Many baccalaureate degree graduates will find jobs in public schools with average starting salaries of $28,000 to $34,000. Master's degree graduates will find positions with Cooperative Extension and in private industry with average starting salaries of about $30,000, while graduates at the doctoral degree level may accept positions in teacher education with universities at average starting salaries of $52,000 to $58,000.

Make a Difference

Our graduates are important influences in their communities. Teachers develop tomorrow's leaders through their FFA chapters. Our alumni have built exemplary programs in PA and beyond.

Several of our alumni are influential at the national level. A high school agricultural science teacher recently completed a three-year term on the National FFA Board. She was one of three agricultural science teachers on this board. Another alumnus, who received his doctorate from the AEE Department at Penn State, is the under secretary of agriculture for research, education, and economics at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He provides oversight of the research, education and economics programs at USDA.