Graduate Minors and Badges

In addition to our six graduate specializations, we also offer two graduate minors and two badges for those looking to enhance their education.

Graduate Minors

For those seeking a graduate minor, the Department of Animal Science offers programs in Animal Science and Beef Cattle Nutrition. A graduate minor for the master’s degree must consist of at least nine credit hours, while the minor for the doctoral degree must include at least 15 credit hours with six hours in courses open exclusively to graduate students (900 level or 800 level without an undergraduate level counterpart). For further details, please visit the Graduate & Professional Academic Catalog here.

Badges

For those looking to enhance and promote their professional development, the Department of Animal Science offers badges in Extension Education Experience and Teaching Engagement Experience..

Extension Education Experience Badge

The Extension Education Experience badge helps students develop an understanding of both excellence in and scholarship of extension. Students will be introduced to the mission and scope of the U.S. Cooperative Extension System including Scholarship of Extension, as well as to extension methodologies, including needs assessment, program development and delivery, and impact measurement. They will also engage in experiential/service learning opportunities to develop behavioral competencies by delivering or assisting in the delivery of Extension workshops, whiel alo developing an Extension education philosophy.

Participation in this program is voluntary and needs to be planned with input from the faculty advisor, examining committee (MS) or supervisory committee (PhD), and the badge program coordinator. Participation can be documented through completion of the digital badge, Engagement in Extension Education. All students are encouraged to participate in as many of these activities as interest, time, and resources allow, even if not pursuing the digital badge.

Students may choose which tier they want to complete. They may complete just Tier 1 or all three to earn digital badges.

Badge Structure and deliverables:

Tier 1:

      1. Job shadow an extension specialist or county based educator with an animal science, 4-H, or adult education focus for a total of 10 days (not consecutively) including attending a conference or extension event (symposium, professional meeting) where the focus relates to Learning Objectives 1 and/or 2.
      2. Write a reflection piece on how the experience changed/reinforced impressions of the U.S. Cooperative Extension system including a description of the tools/experiences used to complete the badge requirements.

Tier 2:

To complete tier 2, students should practice repackaging research results for a target audience, using multiple platforms to engage with the target audience and learn to measure impact. Students should complete the three items below to complete this tier.

      1. Students will assist with a minimum of two conferences, events, or field days. Many options are available and students should check with faculty with extension appointments to select a project within youth (4-H or FFA) or adult education within the following areas either on campus or at the research and extension centers (ENREEC, WCREEC, or PREEC) or through a county-based educator with the assistance of a specialist:
        1. Beef
        2. Dairy
        3. Horse
        4. Small Ruminants
        5. Swine
        6. Poultry
        7. Meats
        8. Companion Animal
      2. Actively assist extension specialists or educators in preparing and delivering content on a selected topic at an in person presentation or webinar. Follow through with a social media campaign to spark discussion, interact with producers or youth, write an article for an extension publication, and receive peer review of teaching feedback from the faculty involved with the program
      3. Write a reflection piece on the experience specifically describing the behavioral competencies that were gained/reinforced by engaging in the experience(s).

Tier 3:

To complete tier 3, students should complete item a (extension philosophy) and at least one item listed under item b:

      1. In concert with the students advisory committee, the student will draft an Extension philosophy.
      2. Documentation of at least one of the following experiences:
        1. Participate in an extension workshop or symposium on extension education. Write a reflection piece on what you learned. For example, discipline specific professional organizations regularly host extension workshops
          1. American Society of Animal Science
          2. American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists
          3. North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture
          4. Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning
          5. Other related organizations may have similar opportunities
        2. Complete 3 credits discussing the principles of adult education
          1. Recommended: ALEC 809 Diffusion of Innovations through an Extension Context, ALEC 811 Principles of Adult Education, ALEC 816 – Management Strategies in Distance Education Environments, ALEC 818 – Community Engagement
        3. Work with a county or campus-based specialist or educator to develop and deliver a program (can be STEM/4H or adults) including program planning, advertising, delivery and evaluation of impact.

Note: Comparable experiences may be substituted with examining/supervisory committee approval.

For more information about the Extension Education Experience Badge, please contact Karla Wilke or Mary Drewnoski.

Teaching Engagement Experience Badge

The Teaching Engagement Experience badge provides fundamental teaching and education experiences for Animal Science graduate students and postdoctoral scholars to enhance and promote professional development. The experience provides a quality teaching experience that encompasses several different areas including discussion of educational theory, hands-on experience in teaching, and development of a teaching philosophy.

Multiple levels of the badge (bronze, silver, and gold) are available. A full description of requirements is available as a Canvas module. A brief overview:

Bronze Level

  1. Serve as a TA for at least 2 faculty while at UNL.
  2. Complete a teaching philosophy statement.

Silver and Gold Level (in addition to bronze level requirements pick 1 out of the following for silver or 2 for gold)

  1. Participate in a minimum of 3 teaching focused workshops.
  2. Complete 3 credits of classes focused on education and teaching.
  3. Provide 30 hours of tutoring.
  4. Serve as a mentor for an undergraduate researcher.
  5. Develop and deliver STEM programming through a UNL event.
  6. Lead research focused on education.
  7. Lead submission of a grant focused on teaching.
  8. Serving as a lecturer at NCTA results in the gold level, without additional requirements.

For more information about the Teaching Engagement Experience Badge, please contact Andrea Watson.