The proposed certificate responds to this transformation by combining agricultural knowledge with practical competencies in data acquisition, management, analysis, visualization, spatial analytics, and decision support.
The program is intentionally interdisciplinary and draws upon the academic strengths of Kentucky State University's agriculture and business programs. Its curriculum is designed to prepare students to apply data and analytical tools to agricultural production, agribusiness operations, supply chains, precision agriculture, digital farm management, and related organizational decision-making.
The certificate also responds to documented workforce demand, consistent with Gray-DI Decision framework). National projections cited in the program proposal identify approximately 104,766 annual job openings in food, agriculture, renewable natural resources, and environmental fields during 2025-2030, with approximately 90 percent requiring postsecondary education. The supporting workforce analysis also identifies substantial demand for science, engineering, business, management, agricultural, and analytical competencies. (Appendix C_Gray-DI_Decision Ready Program Economics Analysis of KSU ABDS Certificate Program.pdf).
Kentucky-specific analysis further demonstrates opportunities in occupations related to data science, operations research, market research, agricultural science, food science, and agricultural technology. The certificate is therefore structured as an applied data competency that complements a student's primary academic discipline rather than as a substitute for a bachelor's degree.
The proposed Agricultural & Business Data Science Certificate is a 15-credit-hour, five-course undergraduate credential.
Four of the five courses are existing courses. Only one new interdisciplinary course, AFE/MIS 200, is required and is designed as a cross-listed course shared by Agriculture and Management Information Systems. (Appendix D_Proposal to Establish Agriculture Business Data Science Certificate Program_CPE.pdf).
The curriculum therefore makes substantial use of existing faculty expertise, courses, classrooms, technology, learning systems, and other institutional resources, limiting the