INDUSTRY EDUCATION turf side of things . It is different from a resident Master of Science degree , because with the online MPS there is no research involved and it is a terminal degree that isn ’ t used to go on and get a Ph . D .”
According to Petrunak , Penn State ’ s online undergraduate programs are designed to build upon one another . For example , students who complete the advanced certificate can go on to get a degree because the credits from the certificate program can be rolled into the degree program .
“ People who have never been to college or for which it has been a long time since they ’ ve been in college will often start off in one of the certificate programs ,” said Petrunak . “ For some , that is enough , but other people will decide to go on and get either the associate or bachelor ’ s degree .”
Penn State ’ s online undergraduate programs – apart from the basic certificate – requires an internship for credit .
“ We allow the students to do the internship for credit at their place of employment if they are employed in the turf industry ,” said Petrunak . “ We know it is unrealistic for people who are working and have a family commitment to be able to leave their job , family and home for three months to go do an internship .”
Also , the online courses are taught by the same professors who teach the resident courses . Some professors record their in-person lectures , while others do separate recordings for the online classes . The online courses also feature reading materials , videos and some online / simulated labs . Students can interact with other World Campus students via online bulletin boards . According to Petrunak , Penn State has 70 to 80 resident students in its bachelor ’ s degree program , but another 350 to 400 students in its online World Campus ( across all five online programs ).
Another advantage of offering an online degree program is that resident students have the flexibility to complete their degree online .
“ If students get a job offer , and it is a job they don ’ t want to turn down , they can take that job and finish the rest of their courses online ,” said Petrunak . “ So they can still get their degree , but also take advantage of a job opportunity . It ’ s nice because they don ’ t need to stay here for another semester or another year , which is really advantageous to our resident students .”
Penn State also has a turf club that meets once per week during the semester . The club often hosts guest speakers from the golf and sports turf markets , allowing students to interact with industry experts .
When it comes to attracting students to its four-year resident program , Penn State brings in high school groups , is involved with FFA ’ s turf program , interacts with vocational agriculture teachers to encourage involvement and also hosts rising high school seniors through the Pennsylvania School for Excellence in Agricultural Sciences program . Petrunak also meets with high school students who attend the “ spend a day at Penn State ” program during the summer .
Said Petrunak , “ When I ask students what got them interested in turf , some will say ‘ I like to play golf .’ But a lot of times , one of the first things they say is ‘ I want to be outside . I don ’ t want to be in an office .’ If they have worked at a golf course they will often say , ‘ I like being able to do different things . It ’ s not the same thing every day .’
“ There are so many job opportunities right now ,” she added . “ Of the students we have graduating in May , they all have jobs already . A lot of them have had jobs for months now .”
According to Petrunak , the benefit Penn State offers its turfgrass students is the breadth of available programs . “ There is something that is suitable for anybody ,” she said . For more information about Penn State ’ s resident program and the Turfgrass Science major , visit https :// agsci . psu . edu / academics / undergraduate / majors / turfgrass-science .
For information about the online certificate and degree programs available through the Penn State World Campus , visit https :// www . worldcampus . psu . edu / degrees-and-certificates / topics / turfgrass . SFM
SportsField Management magazine will detail other college and university turfgrass programs in coming issues . If you would like your school profiled , please contact John Kmitta at jkmitta @ epgacceleration . com or 763-383-4405 . sportsfieldmanagementonline . com April 2023 | SportsField Management
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