Agricultural Education students in a teaching lab.

Agricultural Education is for you if you enjoy working with people and helping them learn about food and natural resources. Our students learn about animals, plants, technology, economics, natural resources, and food. Purdue Agricultural Education majors understand the different ways people learn and develop the skills to teach all students to succeed.

Teachers are in high demand. In Agricultural Education, you have the opportunity to teach middle and high school students a wide variety of agricultural subjects. Additionally, Agricultural Education graduates are highly sought after for positions in business, government, and other professions that require professionals who can communicate effectively and work collaboratively with people.

According to the most recent data, Agricultural Education graduates enjoyed 100 percent placement, and graduates from our department earned a starting salary of $53,678 -   Purdue Agriculture Employment Summary.

The Purdue Agricultural Education program is a learning community in which students know each other and our faculty and staff. The faculty and staff who teach our courses have experience in school-based agricultural education. Our students have opportunities to learn about international agriculture and education through multiple study abroad opportunities offered by the College of Agriculture and the College of Education.

LOCATION & MAILING ADDRESS

Agricultural Education
915 Mitch Daniels Blvd
West Lafayette, IN 47907
765-494-8423
E-mail


Program Information

Openings/Placements

Student Organization IAAE Purdue

EXPLORE THE POSSIBILITIES OF AGRICULTURAL COMMUNICATION AND AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION

About Our Program

The Purdue Agricultural Education program averages 20-25 undergraduates for an incoming class of about 80-100 total students.

Teacher candidates may choose to student teach in the fall or spring semester. Typically, five to seven students teach in the fall and 18 to 22 in the spring.

Purdue Agricultural Education has two faculty and one program specialist who teach the Agricultural Education courses. Faculty, staff, and graduate students are engaged with undergraduate Agricultural Education students through the student organization IAAE-Purdue and other learning experiences.

 

Allen Talbert

Allen Talbert

Professor in Agricultural Education
Sarah LaRose

Sarah LaRose

Associate Professor of Agricultural Education
Amy Conrad

Amy Conrad

Ag Education Specialist
Amanda Delio

Amanda Delio

Senior Undergraduate Programs Assistant

Ag Education model

Purdue Agricultural Education operates within the global agriculture, food, and natural resources system. Specifically, it is situated in the Indiana progressive agricultural systems. The three land-grant missions of teaching and learning, discovery, and engagement inform and improve the program. The curriculum foundation is general education coursework necessary for all bachelor of science graduates. The Agricultural Education major consists of coursework and experiences in Professional Education, Agricultural Education, and Technical Agriculture. Courses may reside in one or more of these areas.

Purdue Agricultural Education Teacher Education Graduates will be able to:

  • Become contributing members of the professional community of Agricultural Educators.
  • Use and advocate for the complete School-Based Agricultural Education model.
  • Use and build upon a foundation of technical agriculture content knowledge.
  • Use and reflect on the theory and practice of pedagogy and pedagogical content knowledge.
Agricultural Education Current Student Scholarships

Use this award application to apply for ALL Agricultural Education Program Scholarships for current students. All current Agricultural Education students (freshmen-seniors) who will be attending Purdue through May 2026 are encouraged to apply. The number of scholarships varies each year. Last year 30 were awarded. Applications are due February 1, 2025.

Application: WORD MS Word Icon

Agricultural Education Entering Freshman Scholarships Application

To apply for Agricultural Education freshman scholarships, you must complete the College of Agriculture scholarship application. High school seniors applying for enrollment in Agricultural Education for the fall of 2025 are encouraged to apply. Applications are due February 15, 2025.

College of Agriculture scholarship information and application

Approved List of Student Teaching Sites

To become eligible to host a Purdue Agricultural Education teacher candidate, an Indiana Agricultural Education Teacher must complete and return the following information no later than September 30 of the current school year to:
Dr. Allen Talbert
Purdue University
915 W State Street
West Lafayette, IN 47907

1. Complete and return a copy of the Excel summary sheet.
2. Complete Self-Study of Standards and Quality Indicators.
3. Read the Cooperating Teacher Handbook, then complete and return pages 26-29.

These documents will be reviewed by the Purdue Agricultural Education faculty/staff and the Indiana Team AgEd. If approved, your school will appear on the approved list of student teaching sites for the following school year (Example: September 30, 2025 apply for Spring 2027). It will remain on the list until a change in agriculture teacher occurs or the teacher/school requests it be removed.

The process for Purdue Agricultural Education students to select a student teaching site is explained in the Steps in Placement at a Student Teaching Center document.

Student Teaching Forms

Openings/Placements

Agricultural Education Placement Report
Report #45
August 13, 2025

This publication will be updated as job openings occur.

To obtain information about education in Indiana, go to the  Indiana Department of Education Home Page . The most helpful options are K-12 School Data and K-12 School Websites.  Go to the  Purdue Office of Teacher Education and Licensure  for licensure information  and click the "Licensure" tab.

The NAAE has a list of job openings in the United States. Go to U.S. Agriculture Teacher Opportunities.

The Indiana Department of Education maintains the School Personnel Job Bank.  This voluntary system also lists teacher job openings in the state of Indiana.  To access it, go to https://app.hirenimble.com/jobs/state/in

 

Openings

 

Terre Haute North Vigo High School
Agriculture Teacher
Apply ASAP
Apply online
Contact:
Jani Cundiff, Human Resources
501 W. Olive St.
West Terre Haute, IN 47885
Phone: 812-462-4205
Email: jani.cundiff@vigoschools.org

 

Alexandria-Monroe Junior-Senior High School
Agriculture Teacher – part-time
New Program
Apply ASAP
Apply on Nimble
Contact:
Greg Kyle, Principal
1 Burden Court
Alexandria, Indiana 46001
Phone: (765) 724-4413
Email: gkyle@alex.k12.in.us

 

Geo Next Generation Academy (Indianapolis)
Agriculture Teacher (full or part-time)
Apply online
Contact:
Mr. Josh Hallatt, Principal
4010 N. Sherman Drive
Indianapolis, IN 46226
Phone: 317-608-6220
Email: jhallatt@geoacademies.org

 

Tipton Middle/High School
Agriculture Teacher (maternity leave)
For the 2025-2026 school year (one in the fall and one in the spring)
Complete online application
Also, let both principals know of your interest.
Contact:
Craig Leach, THS Principal
John Ayars, TMS Principal
Tipton High School
619 South Main St.
Tipton, IN 46072
High School Phone: (765) 675-7431
Middle School Phone: (765) 675-7521
Mr. Leach email: cleach@tcsc.k12.in.us
Mr. Ayars email: jayars@tcsc.k12.in.us

 

Placement

Winchester Community High School – Olivia Timmons</p

Rensselaer Central High School - McKenna Wilson

McCutcheon High School - Abi Bymaster

Wawasee High School- Taylor (Stuckey) Warner

Western Boone Jr-Sr High School - (maternity leave) Filled locally

LaPorte High School - (maternity leave) Filled locally

Tri-County Jr-Sr High School - (Maternity leave for 2025-2026 school year) – Kylie Farris

IATS (Ft. Wayne location) – Heather Gottke

Arsenal Tech High School  (Indianapolis Public Schools) - Adedayo Oyedele

Lincoln Middle/High School  – Jonathon Feris

Greencastle High School  – Bruce Sillery

Greencastle Middle and High Schools  – Emily Weddle

Whitko Career Academy  - Alysia Hammel

Oak Hill High School - Jay Marks

Bellmont High School - Emma Brames

Tri-West Middle and Senior High Schools -  Whitley O’Neal

Dugger Jr-Sr High School -  Alexis Schulz

Blue River Valley Jr-Sr High School - 

Churubusco Jr.-Sr. High School - Ashby Grimes

Martinsville High School - Emma Suter

North Vermillion High School – Shelby Lee

Indian Creek High School - 

South Decatur Jr-Sr High School - Ashley Dillon

South Vermillion High School - Lacey Romig

Southwestern Jr-Sr High School (Shelby County) – Emily Spaeth

Rossville Middle/Senior High School – 

Northwestern High School - Ally Webster

Hamilton Jr./Sr. High School  (Hamilton, IN) - Mindy McConnell

McKenzie Center for Innovation & Technology – Moriah Long

Sullivan High School – 

Lebanon High School – Hannah Roe

Clinton Central Junior Senior High School - Austin Orem

Clinton Central Junior Senior High School Reanna Stover

Attica High School – Margo Galloway

Clay City Jr.-Sr. High School - Courtney Townsend

Tippecanoe Valley High School – Jenna Burton

Knox Community Middle and High Schools - Abbiegaile Souers

Lincoln Middle/High School – (Maternity Leave) Fayth Koontz

Rensselaer Central High School – (Maternity Leave) Filled locally

McCutcheon High School – (Maternity Leave) Filled locally

Sullivan Middle School and Sullivan High School - Ella Goeppner

Jac-Cen-Del Jr. Sr. High School -

Indiana FFA Association  - Cassie Perrin

Freemont High School – Neasa Kalme

White River Valley Jr-Sr High School -  Brooklyn Williams

Hauser Jr-Sr High School  - Julia Hamblen

Indiana Digital Jr-Sr High School - Krista Hellwig

Purdue Polytechnic High School - Maureen Myer

Jay County Jr-Sr High School - Ava Stockton

Western High School (Russiaville) - Katie Anderson

Benjamin Rush Middle School   (Rush County) – Jessica Roberts

New Prairie High School – Madison Coates

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