Three CAES Programs Rank in Top 10 Nationwide for Black Graduates

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (Dec. 10, 2024) – The College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences (CAES) at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University remains No. 1 in graduating African Americans with bachelor’s degrees in agriculture, agriculture operations and related sciences, tied with Tuskegee University.

It also tied with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for fourth in graduating African Americans with master’s degrees in this category, and ranked sixth in the nation for African Americans graduating with a bachelor’s degree in family and consumer sciences/human sciences.

“These rankings confirm what we have always known — that the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences succeeds in preparing our students for careers in their chosen fields, and especially those of African American descent,” said Shirley Hymon-Parker, interim CAES dean.

The rankings were recently released by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education.

A&T’s No. 1 ranking in graduating African Americans with an agriculture-related bachelor’s degree has held fast for the past seven years, except for during the COVID pandemic in 2020-21 when it was ranked as No. 2, according to the magazine’s archives.

The university ranked eighth in the agriculture-related master’s degree category in 2021-22. The latest numbers show a 50% increase in both African American graduates and total minority graduates over the previous year in this category, and a 23% increase among all races combined.

"I am incredibly proud of our sustained excellence in cultivating the next generation of agricultural leaders,” said Antoine Alston, Ph.D., associate CAES dean of academics. “Maintaining the top ranking for graduating African Americans with bachelor’s degrees in the agricultural sciences demonstrates our unwavering commitment to academic excellence, diversity, and innovation.

“The remarkable growth in our master’s degree rankings and the significant increases in graduates across all demographics highlight the transformative impact of our programs and the dedication of our faculty and staff,” he said. “This achievement reflects our role as a leader in addressing the evolving needs of the agricultural industry while empowering underrepresented communities to thrive in this critical sector.”

The university’s No. 6 ranking in the family and consumer sciences/human sciences bachelor’s degree category has remained steadfast for the past two years.

“The global conditions related to our programs impacting individuals and families today are at an all-time high, which heightens the need of Family and Consumer Sciences professionals,” said Muditha Senanayake, Ph.D., chairman of the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences.

“These rankings are a testament to the dedication of the staff and students in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences and across the university as a whole.”

Launched in 1984, Diverse: Issues in Higher Education focuses on the role of and issues pertaining to African Americans in higher education. The data used for the rankings comes from institutional filings with the U.S. Department of Education.