Agriculture Communications and Journalism

Introduce yourself to the discipline of agricultural communications and equip yourself with fundamental journalistic and marketing communications skills in the context of the rural sector and natural economy.

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With a combination of lecture and theory-based practical activities, this course will introduce you to the discipline of agricultural communications and offer you the fundamental skills and knowledge that are the foundation of both the journalistic and marketing communications aspects of the profession.

Who the course is for:
This course is for those working in the communications sector throughout the UK and to those who have a general knowledge on agriculture but would like to combine that knowledge with public communication skills. The industry needs people in mainstream media who have a knowledge in the agriculture industry and this programme aims to fill that gap.

Learners may be professionals working for a variety of agriculture companies or non-agriculture companies and this programme aims to support those using a wide range of communication tools within their professional settings.

Entry requirements:
There are no formal entry requirements, but applicants are advised that this course will be delivered at SCQF Level 11, which is equivalent to a postgraduate MSc degree. If you do not have a Bachelors degree or equivalent level qualification, you may find the postgraduate level assessment challenging.

You will require access to a computer or laptop, internet connectivity and a webcam. Access to Adobe Suite and Microsoft Suite is suggested, but not required.

Course dates:
This course is self-paced and will be launched in February 2025. It can be started at any point in the year excepting July and August. It normally takes 12 weeks to complete.

Delivery:
Online distance learning

Qualification:
This is a stand-alone micro-credential (accredited short course) at postgraduate level 11. Upon completion of this course, you will gain 20 SCQF credits (equivalent to one-third of a Postgraduate Certificate) and a certificate to prove you have passed the course.

Cost:
£1,200.00

Learn more about this course:

This course is a survey of the discipline and profession of agricultural communications, with an emphasis on both theory and practice.

The course’s focus will be on both journalistic news reporting and marketing communication in the broad profession, and you will learn to write for a variety of journalistic and marketing media, including print publications and online news sources as well as electronic media including websites and social media platforms.

Throughout the course, you will be exposed to topics and issues related to the rural sector and natural economy, which you will learn to communicate about to multiple types of audiences.

This course is designed for both to work employees in their working environments, and those who are not.

It will be delivered online, and you will work at their own pace, asynchronously. Recorded lectures will be utilised in tandem with conducting practical coursework.

This course will use SRUC's Virtual Learning Environment where lectures, quizzes, and coursework drop boxes will be available.

You will be required to do two assessments to complete this course:

A written essay on the discipline of Agriculture Communications; and
A portfolio of writing evidence such as news stories, feature stories, blogs, social media posts.

Internalise the discipline and profession of agricultural communications and the importance of communicating clearly about issues related to the rural sector and natural economy to a variety of audiences.
Differentiate between journalistic and marketing communications in the agricultural communications profession and internalize the ethics governing the two types of communication.
Create journalistic news and marketing copy for omni-channel media uses while increasing awareness of public issues related to the natural economy.

Course duration:

The course is self-paced, allowing you to progress at your own speed.
You have 52 weeks from the time of enrolment to complete the course.

Typical completion time: The course is generally designed to be completed in 12 weeks.

Weekly time commitment: To complete a course in 12 weeks, expect to spend 2-3 hours per week on directed online learning activities and at least one day per week dedicated to independent learning and assessment work.

SRUC is the only institution in the UK to offer a dedicated pathway to Agriculture Communications.
This course offers you the opportunity to work at your own pace in your own environment while still having access to experts in this subject area.
The curriculum has been designed collaboratively with leaders spread throughout the agriculture industry and communications sector.

Dr Jefferson Miller
Course Lecturer

Dr Miller is a tenured professor of agricultural communications at the University of Arkansas and has been working in collaboration with SRUC for almost twenty years.

Dr. Miller’s research foci have been on mass communications content analysis, development of agricultural communications curriculum, and international development. He has published numerous research articles and has presented his agricultural communications research nationally and internationally. His USDA-funded research examines the interaction between media and science communication efforts in agriculture, food, and life sciences. He has also conducted research on how best to establish an agricultural communications academic discipline in the United Kingdom and leads a multi-state Experiment Station project in the USA that promotes collaborative research on improving science communication in agriculture.

Dr Miller is a two-time winner of the Journal of Applied Communications article of the year and has served as the Executive editor of the journal.

Craig Davidson
Senior Lecturer

Craig has been a lecturer with SRUC for 5 years, an agriculture teacher in California for 14 years prior, and has been recognized over the years as an outstanding educator through various awarding bodies. He is also the agriculture Programme Leader in the SRUC Edinburgh campus where the majority of his work involves the undergrad provisions.

Craig is involved with various boards within the agriculture industry throughout the UK and uses every opportunity to discuss agriculture communications and seek further networks which could be available for learners on this suite of agriculture communications courses.

International collaboration is one of Craig’s priorities and ensuring SRUC’s delivery is internationally competitive and meets not only the needs of the UK industry but also our partners throughout the world.

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Digital Media in Agriculture

Learn how to help organisations within the rural sector improve their marketing communications efforts.

Integrated Marketing Communications in Agriculture

Gain an understanding of theory plus the practical skills related needed to develop targeted and omni-channel marketing communication plans in the context of the rural sector and natural economy .

Issues Management and Crisis Communication in Agriculture

Learn the strategies and skills you need to communicate effectively about risk and crisis on behalf of your organisation in the context of the rural sector and natural economy.

Science Communication in Agriculture

Hone your communication skills by focusing analysis and message appropriateness in communicating about scientific information related to the rural sector and natural economy.

Training courses

SRUC's training service offers a wide range of training and skills development courses to meet the needs of the land-based workforce across Scotland and the rest of the UK.

Apprenticeships

Skills Development Scotland Modern Apprenticeship (MA) and Technical Apprenticeship (TA) programmes offer individuals and employers a package of Vocational Training designed to meet the demands of today’s land-based industries as well as nationally recognised qualifications, equivalent to NC up to HND/Degree level.

Part time study

Whether you have family commitments, a day job or just prefer to take things slow, education and training at SRUC is as flexible and diverse as our students.

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Agriculture Communications and Journalism

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