If you are interested in animals and their roles in our world and how animal health and science go together, the Animal Veterinary Science program at CWI is for you! This program offers students a...
Agricultural Business, Leadership, and Education
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Overview
Agriculture is a major industry in Idaho and throughout the United States. If you are looking to broaden your horizon within the field and bring a unique skill set to the job market, this program will provide you with the foundation to be successful advancing agriculture through a variety of avenues. Various coursework allows students to broaden their knowledge in Agricultural Business Management, Plant and Soil Science, and Business Communication.
Mission
Agriculture Business, Leadership, and Education (ABLE) at CWI will foster a comprehensive understanding of, and lifelong appreciation for, the contributions of agriculture in the local, statewide, national, and global community. Our Agriculture program will empower students to meet the challenges of their individual career goals as well as enable them to be responsive to future changes in the agricultural industries.
Why This Program
An Agricultural Business, Leadership, and Education degree from the College of Western Idaho (CWI) can put you on the path to a professional position in public service or private industry as you transition to a career or a university setting.
Courses will prepare students to think critically, navigate new technology, network with peers, communicate in an effective way, and gain fundamental business skills. The curriculum emphasizes a broad study of food, animal, and plant production in addition to communication and business courses. Many of the courses within this degree are available for students to take online. The curriculum emphasizes a broad study of:
- Fermentation Science
- Why food choices matter
- Animal Science
- Plant Production
- Soil Science
- Farm Management
- Business Communications
What You Will Learn to Do
- Gain a robust foundation to support increasingly comprehensive knowledge in the agricultural sciences
- Become a critical thinker who utilizes scientific approaches when addressing questions regarding the production of food, feed, and fiber
- Recognize and effectively communicate the importance of the agricultural sciences as a resource for human society
Additional Opportunities
- CWI has an agreement with the University of Idaho which allows students to complete a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Science Communications and Leadership. Students who complete an Agricultural Business, Leadership, and Education degree from CWI can enroll at the University of Idaho, and stay in the Treasure Valley to earn a Bachelor’s degree.
- Students can engage in CWI's campus garden and help with the annual Farm to Fork event.
- Students enroll in a capstone course (AGRI 290) where they gain a valuable real world experience in their chosen profession.
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Requirements and Costs
Degrees and Certificates
Agriculture Business, Leadership, and Education - Associate of Arts Degree
2
YEARSAA
Explore the resources below for information, dates, and deadlines related to admissions, financial aid, registration, and next steps.
Dates & Deadlines for Credit Programs | Summer 2023 | Fall 2023 | Spring 2024 |
---|---|---|---|
Priority Registration Begins 1 | N/A | Apr 10 | Nov 13 (2023) |
Open Registration Begins | Feb 27 | Apr 17 | Nov 20 (2023) |
Financial Aid Priority Deadline | May 13 | Jul 29 | Dec 16 (2023) |
Admission Deadline 2 | May 27 | Aug 12 | Jan 6 |
Last Day to Register for Classes | Jun 2 | Aug 18 | Jan 12 |
Tuition and Fees Due | Jun 2 | Aug 18 | Jan 12 |
Classes Begin 3 | Jun 5 | Aug 21 | Jan 16 |
1 Priority registration is limited to continuing students. Students are assigned a registration time based on their cumulative credits earned. Students should check myCWI and their CWI email to learn their assigned registration time. Students may register online anytime on or after their assigned registration time.
2 The Admission Deadline for international students is earlier than the deadline for non-international students and is only available during the fall and spring semesters. Please consult the Academic Calendar for the international student admission deadlines.
3 Classes in shorter sessions (including 4-, 5-, and 8-week sessions) may begin before or after this date. Please refer to the specific class session sections beneath the full Academic Calendar for more information.
Advising
Navigating your way through college can be confusing, especially if you try to go it alone. CWI offers advising assistance to help in deciding which courses you need to take to reach your education and career goals. Visit Advising or contact One Stop Student Services for more information.
Connecting With Ideas
Connecting With Ideas (CWI 101) is the first semester student success course designed to help CWI students become engaged members of the academic community and cultivate habits for lifelong achievement and success. Each semester, students can select from a variety of themes. More information about next semesters CWI 101 themes
Transfer
Look beyond your degree at CWI and plan for continuing your education by working closely with CWI advising and representatives of your intended transfer school. Planning before you transfer can save you time and money. Visit Transfer Information for more information or contact One Stop Student Services.
Transfer is made easy with CWI’s articulation agreements for selected Bachelors programs offered at University of Idaho, within their college of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Financial Aid Available
Did you know that as a student in this program you may be eligible for financial aid? Through grants, scholarships, and loans, more than 60 percent of first-time, full-time CWI students receive some form of financial assistance. To learn more about financial aid options and whether you may be eligible, visit Financial Aid.
Tuition and Fees
Tuition for a full-time CWI student averages half the cost of a state university and a third of the cost of a private college. Tuition and fees vary based on program and residence. Visit Tuition and Fees for more information.
Career Info
Professions
- Public Relations Specialist
- Farm or Ranch Management
- Agriculture Lobbyist
- Journalist
- 4-H Youth Development Coordinator
- Field Representative
- Adult Educator
Agriculture, agriculture support services, and agribusinesses operate in every state throughout the US, as well as in almost every country around the world. Consider a rewarding career in one of the many industries that produce, process, transform, and market agricultural products.
Locations
Instructors
Program Department Chair
Instructor(s)
Respectful Community
College of Western Idaho is committed to maintaining a Respectful Community by providing equal opportunity for all individuals and does not discriminate in services, benefits, or activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability status, veteran status, age, or any other legally protected status. More on Title IX
News and Blogs

College of Western Idaho took over Memorial Stadium in a BOLD way Thursday night during CWI Night at the Hawks raising more than $1,000 for scholarships.

Congratulations to Andrea Schumaker, College of Western Idaho’s Faculty of Distinction for November 2020.

Experience a true farm to fork meal from the comfort of your own home featuring produce grown in CWI's campus garden.

Farm to Fork Dinner was a tremendous success raising more than $4,000 for the campus garden.

Farm to Fork, a five-course dinner hosted by CWI agriculture faculty and students, is only a week away!

College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics programs are excited to share new episodes of the video blog series, Science is a Verb. CWI faculty share some of their favorite experiments, as well as tips and tricks for bringing science to life. In this...
Academic Transfer
- Agriculture Business, Leadership, and Education
- Animal Veterinary Science
- Anthropology
- Biology
- Biotechnology Laboratory Assistant
- Business
- Chemistry
- Communication
- Computer Science
- Criminal Justice
- Education, Elementary
- Education, Secondary
- Engineering
- English
- Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management
- Exercise Science
- General Education
- Geographic Information Systems
- Geography
- Geosciences
- Health Science and Public Health
- History
- Liberal Arts
- Mathematics
- Media Arts
- Military Science (Army ROTC)
- Nursing, Registered
- Philosophy
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM)
- Sign Language Studies
- Social Work
- Sociology
- Spanish
- Studio Art