Agriculture’s upturn and promising job prospects are drawing young people’s interest. They are flocking to prairie ag colleges this fall.
While overall University of Manitoba enrolment dropped about 3.5 percent, it is significant that agriculture is holding its own or even climbing, said communications officer Crystal Jorgenson.
Last year the four-year degree program at the U of M had 553 students. While enrolment is up to 554 overall this year, the real jump is in first year students – 172 this year versus 165 last year. And in the shorter ag diploma course there is projected to be 169 overall (108 in first year) versus 140 (75) in 1996.
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Jorgenson quoted the head of the ag diploma program as crediting agriculture’s buoyancy and optimism for the student increase.
Despite having a quota on admissions, the University of Saskatchewan’s agriculture college is also showing an increase in its four-year degree program. An official with the dean’s office said there will be 3.8 percent more agriculture degree students this year – 732 versus 705 in 1996. The ag diploma course expects 170 students, the same as last year.
The U of S official also said of the 230 new students allowed (either first years or transfers from other colleges), 58 percent are female. He expects by next year the agriculture college will start graduating equal numbers of women and men.
The U of S estimates the cost of one year in a degree course to be $10,000, which includes $3,000 for tuition fees and $500 for books.
At the University of Alberta there are 1,365 registered in the combined faculty of agriculture, forestry and food science, said university official Robert Hudson. Those aiming for a bachelor degree in agriculture total 271 this year. Those wanting a degree in agricultural/food business management total 34, while those heading for a degree in nutrition and food science total 210.
