Curriculum and Programming

Curriculum Foundations

The curriculum for the Virginia Governor’s School for Agriculture is informed by the United States Department of Agriculture - National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) initiatives which include:

• childhood obesity prevention, 
• food safety, 
• resilient agroecosystems in a changing climate, 
• sustainable bioenergy, and 
• water for food production systems.

In addition to the USDA-NIFA initiative areas, Governor’s School for Agriculture integrates these initiatives with the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This is done to build an understanding of global issues related to food, fiber, fuel, and shelter, how those issues impact people and communities, and the role agriculture plays in providing solutions to complex problems.

Instructors

Students are taught by internationally known faculty, scientists, researchers, and graduate students from Virginia Tech who are experts in their field of study. Students will potentially interact with approximately 30-40 different faculty, scientists, researchers, and graduate students throughout their time at the Virginia Governor’s School for Agriculture while engaging in a variety of classroom discussions, field experiences, and research projects.

Curriculum Format

All students will have the opportunity to participate in Exploration Courses during the first two weeks of the program. The purpose of these courses is to provide all students with a base understanding of the complexity and the interdisciplinary nature of agriculture and begin to build the connections to science, technology, engineering, mathematics, economics, and natural resources. 

During the third and fourth weeks of the program, students will enroll in Immersion Courses. The purpose of these courses is to guide students deeper into more specific topics, issues, and ideas within agriculture. These courses will be taught in groups of no more than 20 students and generally have lab work, field experiences, or other applied learning opportunities associated with them. Enrollment of these courses will open at the conclusion of the first week of the program.

Global Seminar

On the first day of the program students will be divided into research teams of 4-5 students to undertake a research-based project situated around the five USDA-NIFA initiative areas. Topics will be assigned to groups based on the initiative areas. The research-based project will include a literature review, research poster, and a research conference-style presentation. Other project components in the past have included 3-D printing, brochure design, and infographic creation; additional components may be added. The project serves as the conceptual centerpiece for the school curriculum and provides the basis for a formal symposium and poster session that serves as the academic culmination of the month-long program. Students will participate in a variety of classes and workshops led by Virginia Tech research librarians and other graduate students to help them actively engage with the project and prepare for the Global Seminar Symposium.

Course Guide

The courses, field excursions, and other applied or experiential learning opportunities for the 2024 Virginia Governor’s School for Agriculture are not currently confirmed. Additionally, the program formatting will change for 2024. However, courses that have been offered in the past can be viewed by downloading the 2023 Governor’s School for Agriculture Course Guide.