TIFTON — A unique bachelor’s degree program adds a new focus area this fall that should prove inviting to students at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.

The bachelor’s degree in rural studies at ABAC now offers a new focus area in writing and communication. The goal is to help prepare students for professional careers in fields where writing and communication are prevalent, such as grant writing, public relations and human relations.

“There’s an existing student population that was interested in writing and communication from those who participate in The Stallion newspaper, ‘Pegasus’ literary magazine, and the college’s radio station, WPLH,” said Niles Reddick, vice president of academic affairs. “Students wanted upper-level courses in these areas, and we had the credentialed faculty already in place to teach them.”  

Students in rural studies can choose to major in one of four different tracks — business and economic development, rural arts and culture, social and community affairs, or  writing and communication.

Bobbie Robinson, dean of the School of Liberal Arts, said students who focus on the new track should be able to turn the degree into a career in the always-changing communications industry.

“There was also a lot of interest stemming from the agricultural communication majors and those students who initially wanted to major in English,” Robinson said. “By talking with employers in the community, we discovered that there was a need in the social and community development marketplace for students with good writing and communication skills, primarily in the field of grant writing.”

The curriculum for the writing and communication track will include classes in public relations, fiction and poetry writing, writing for publication and writing for contemporary media.

“The most significant aspect of the writing and communication concentration is the curriculum,” said Reddick. “It allows students an opportunity to delve into a very specific area of study that is relevant and unique to the field of rural studies, giving those students a better chance of employment.”

Another recent development in the rural studies program is the addition of ABAC’s first writer-in-residence, best-selling author and Georgia native Janice Daugharty. Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in Fiction in 1997 for “Earl in the Yellow Shirt,” Daugharty will serve as a consultant and participant in conferences and guest lecturer in ABAC classes through the School of Liberal Arts. She will also present public readings and book signings in conjunction with the Department of Literature and Language.

The rural studies degree has grown by leaps and bounds in its short tenure at the college. The number of students majoring in rural studies has increased from 18 students in the fall of 2009 to 61 students now enrolled in the program. Reddick said there is no other program like it in the nation.

“There are some urban studies programs out there, but nothing like we have at ABAC with the rural studies program,” Reddick said.

For more information on the bachelor degree’s program in rural studies, interested persons may contact the School of Liberal Arts at (229) 391-4950 or visit the ABAC website at www.abac.edu/ruralstudies/.