Diversified Agriculture Certificate Opportunity at Cozad High School

Are you interested in an Ag related career after high school?  Do you want to earn college credit while still in high school?  Better yet, would you like to earn college credits in high school for FREE?  If this is you, then you will be interested to learn about a new exciting opportunity for Cozad High School students.

Over the past few months, Cozad High School has partnered with the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture (NCTA) in Curtis to increase our offerings in our Career and Technical Education area.  The latest partnership to emerge is the offering of a career academy which will lead to earning a certificate in diversified agriculture.  Students who complete this academy will not only be exposed to career relevant experiences, but have a skill set which prepares them for a high demand career field.  After graduation, it would take a student roughly a year finish the coursework for an associates degree of applied science in Diversified Agriculture.

The Diversified Agriculture Career Academy will be offered to students through a variety of methods.  Some of the courses will be traditionally taught courses by Cozad High School teachers who have articulated their courses with NCTA and are serving as adjunct instructors.  Other courses in the program will taught through distance learning by professors at NCTA.  The courses taught by NCTA staff will be college level courses that may very well include other college students.  A third delivery method of coursework may be through online independent study.  The specific details of each of the course delivery methods is still being finalized.

It is important that both the students and their parents understand that by enrolling into the Career Academy, they are in essence, becoming a college student who is working towards earning an associates degree.  If a student completes the program, the student, upon graduation from Cozad High School, will also be awarded an associates degree in Diversified Agriculture from NCTA.  Since this is a college level experience, it will require that students are of the ability to do and benefit from college coursework before they will be allowed to enroll.

One of the greatest benefits to Cozad High School and the students who enroll in this program is the cost savings.  Through the generosity and forward thinking initiatives of Dr. Scott Mickelson, the associate dean at NCTA, the students at Cozad High School will be able to earn this degree with little to no out of pocket expense.  Students who enroll in the Diversified Agriculture Career Academy will apply for the ACE scholarship.  Those students are not awarded an ACE scholarship will then be granted scholarship aid from NCTA.  This will allow the students to enroll in the these courses without paying tuition.

In order to be eligible to apply to this academy, a student must be at least a sophomore at the start of the 2015-2016 school year.  The application process will be determined once the initial interest is measured.  Interest in the academy does not guarantee admission.  Academic records, attendance, maturity, career interests, and ability to benefit will all be part of the selection process.

The coursework will total 30 college credits.  Below is the initial course framework that NCTA has outlined for this academy.

Students completing 30 credits, as outlined below, will be awarded an NCTA Certificate in Diversified Agriculture.

Plan of Study
Course #	Course Name	Credits	Semester
AIT 1092	Intro to Spreadsheets	2	Soph – Fall (1st)
SPC 1103	Sales Communication	3	Soph - Spring (2nd)
ASI 1302	Animal Management	3	Soph - Spring (2nd)
HSL 1053	Landscape Appreciation	3	Jr - Fall (3rd)
AGR 1103	Crop Science	3	Jr - Fall (3rd)
AGR 1213	Natural Resource Management	3	Jr - Spring (4th)
HSL 1073	Landscape Plants 1	3	Jr - Spring (4th)
ASI 1253	Nutrition, Livestock	3	Sr – Fall (5th)
MTH 1503	College Algebra	3	Sr – Fall (5th)
ECN 1203	Microeconomics	3	Sr – Spring (6th)
AEQ 2301 AGR 2201	Pesticide Certification OR OR Commercial Ag Carrier (CDL)	1 1	Sr – Spring (6th)
	TOTAL	30 credits

The actual memorandum of understanding between NCTA and Cozad Community Schools can be found by clicking here

This program is ideal for students who are interested in continuing their education after high school at the post-secondary level in an ag related field.  Because of the affiliation of NCTA with the University of Nebraska system, the transferability of these course is very high to both UNL and to Chadron State College.  The specifics of transferability are determined on a program by program basis. 

Specific questions about the program can directed to Dustin Favinger, high school counselor, via email dustin.favinger@cozadschools.net or via phone 308.784.2744

Cozad Community Schools would like to thank the efforts of NCTA for their continued commitment to helping the students of Cozad High School reach their career goals and enriching academic experiences.