South Dakota State University (SDSU) has announced two new developments in the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences (CAFES).

Recent program accreditation and development have been at the forefront of agriculture at SDSU.

Dr. Rosie Nold, assistant dean of CAFES and director of the Global Agriculture Program, says that SDSU is the first four-year animal science program in the country to receive accreditation from the American Society of Animal Science (ASAS).

“Having the accreditation makes a statement that says we do have a program that fills what animal science students are looking for…” Nold said. “So it really says  people that are already out there, yes, we did accomplish what we aimed to do… to hopefully put you on the right track to success in your career and to those that are out there now looking and trying to decide what their career path might be that has an interest in animals that there’s a lot of opportunity here…”

The ASAS utilized a review board in the process to assess faculty, programming, current animal science students and even industry wide perceptions to award the accreditation.

Additionally, SDSU has received approval from the Board of Regents to pioneer a Global Agriculture Leadership program. Dr. Nold, who will serve as the director for the new program, says that it’s the first of its kind in the nation.

“There may be some others across the country that have components of it,” Nold said. “But this is the one that we’re aware of that really combines that enhanced internship with the travel, internationally and domestically, along with the leadership and classroom experiences so SDSU will be a leader in this.”

The Master of Science program will begin recruiting the first class in the near future with a start date of May 2026. Students are anticipated to graduate from the program in 13-14 months.

For more information visit Global Agricultural Leadership (M.S.) | South Dakota State University