| Agenda Item | Approval to Establish the Agricultural & Business Data Science Undergraduate Certificate Program |
|---|---|
| Action Requested | Approval |
| Proposed Implementation | Following completion of all required institutional and Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education approvals |
| Initial External Funding | $298,895 USDA/NIFA 1890 Capacity Building Grant - Teaching Project |
| Project Team | Drs. James Obielodan, Mahateme Gebremedhin, Buddhi Gyawali, Chi Shen, and Jyotica Batra |
| Credential | Undergraduate Certificate |
| Credit Hours | 15 credit hours |
| CIP Code | 30.7102 |
The Administration requests approval from the Kentucky State University Board of Regents to establish the Agricultural & Business Data Science Undergraduate Certificate Program (KSU ABDS Certificate), an interdisciplinary, workforce-focused certificate integrating agriculture, business, data science, management information systems, and geospatial technologies. Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE) has approved establishing the Certificate Program. (Appendix A: Evidence of CPE Approval of KSU ABDS Certificate Program).
The proposed certificate is designed to prepare undergraduate students for emerging data-enabled careers in agriculture and agribusiness and to strengthen Kentucky State University's capacity to provide applied education in agricultural analytics, precision agriculture, business intelligence, geospatial technologies, database management, and data-driven decision-making.
The initiative is supported during its initial three-year implementation period by $298,895 in funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture/National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA/NIFA) 1890 Capacity Building Grants Program. (Appendix B_USDA-NIFA Approval of Grant Proposal_Data Competency for Agricultural Science.pdf)
Agriculture is increasingly dependent on data, digital technologies, analytics, automation, geographic information systems, artificial intelligence, and evidence-based management.