Students pursuing the new Extension Education degree show the diversity of professions in the field.
Outreach coordinator Meg Smolinski said the program will provide her a better foundation in formal education and help her create new partnerships.
A career in Extension means something different to just about everyone. It could mean training farmers in pest management and crop rotation methods, developing and leading 4-H programs for school children, conducting community-based nutrition education events, or a dozen other endeavors that focus on imparting research-based knowledge throughout a community.
In a field with so many potential paths, it makes sense that a master’s degree should be adaptable enough to prepare young professionals for whichever trajectory they are on. That was exactly the intention behind the new Master of Extension Education (AEED) program at the University of Maryland’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (AGNR), and the first crop of master’s students reflects the wisdom of this idea.
Not one of them has the same career goal in mind, but all are gaining the skills and knowledge they need to launch the next steps in their chosen fields through the new program.
“The flexibility of the program is very different from many other programs around the country,” said Melissa Leiden Welsh, assistant clinical professor in the Department of Plant Science & Landscape Architecture, and director of the Agricultural & Extension Education program. “In addition to learning about Extension education, our master’s students have the opportunity to deepen their knowledge in whatever subject area they are working in or want to work in.”
The program launched this spring semester with students selecting a wide range of subjects..
“What really appealed to me about this program is that there are so many different areas to study,” said Meg Smolinski, who began taking courses last fall before the official launch. Smolinski is the outreach coordinator for the UMD Arboretum and Botanical Garden, and she said the program would provide her a better foundation in formal education and help her create partnerships between the arboretum and academic departments across campus.
“I looked at getting a masters in landscape architecture, or a masters in horticulture and plant science, but what really appealed to me about this program is that there are so many different areas to study,” she explained. “There’s nutrition science, plant science, entomology. I took a sustainability course about New Zealand and a course on woody plants of the mid-Atlantic. I feel like I don’t have to be pigeonholed into one thing, and I can really do a lot with this degree.”
For Samaila Mamman, the program will help him translate his previous work in agriculture extension and management into a career here in the U.S. while also building a platform to continue helping farmers in Nigeria.
Prior to immigrating to Maryland from Nigeria in 2019, Mamman earned his bachelor’s degree in agriculture extension and worked as an extension agent and an instructor at the Shehu Shagari College of Education in Sokoto, Nigeria. He also volunteered with an international NGO providing agricultural extension services to vulnerable communities in northeastern Nigeria.
“I would like to be formally trained in research methodologies and then become an educator with good leadership skills to teach at the secondary or post-secondary level,” Mamman said. “I am also passionate about providing critical agricultural extension support services for rural producers. I am interested in boosting agricultural productivity, increasing food security, improving rural livelihoods, and promoting agriculture as an engine for economic growth. This program is providing me with a solid foundation to pursue these interests and goals.”
Another of the program’s participants, Jenny Lee Freebery, is an agricultural resource conservation specialist for the Maryland Department of Agriculture in Kent County. She helps farmers implement best management practices to reduce erosion, improve water quality, enhance wildlife habitat, and maintain productive, sustainable farms. Freebery is in the program because she wants to deepen her knowledge base in these areas to better serve her audience.
“I'm taking a mix of crop production, soil science, agricultural education, environmental science and other courses over a wide variety of departments, because my job requires me to know about a multitude of topics,” Freebery said.
To ensure maximum flexibility for students like Freebery, Mamman and Smolinski, the program is composed of four core classes plus 18 credits of customized supplemental coursework including a thesis or non-thesis option. The core classes provide the foundations of extension education including working with youth and adults, adult education, statistical methods, and Maryland agriculture.
Students can select their supplemental classes from the existing offerings of various departments at UMD or the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area. These courses could include such things as food science, conservation, agronomy, and environmental science, advanced crop science and many other options.
“I love that I have so much ability to tailor my course of study to really meet the needs of my job!” Freebery said.
More information about the program and applications for Fall 2022 are available: https://psla.umd.edu/master-extension-education
