American FFA Degree
This degree of active membership is awarded by the National FFA Organization and is the highest level of active membership which can be achieved within the FFA. This final step in the FFA Degree system encourages members to grow and achieve personally toward establishing yourself in an agricultural career. Members may apply for their American degree only if they have received the State FFA Degree, have graduated from high school at least twelve months prior to the national convention and meet the very high standards for the degree.
These requirements include an excellent record of involvement within the FFA, operation and maintenance of records to substantiate an outstanding supervised agricultural experience program through which a member has exhibited comprehensive planning, managerial and financial expertise, have earned and productively invested a specific amount of both time and money.
The American FFA Degree is a sign of great accomplishment among FFA members. Only a small percentage of FFA members ever earn the degree (the greatest percentage of members ever to receive the degree in one year was less than one half of one percent).
FFA members who qualify for the American FFA Degree:
Have received a Greenhand FFA Degree, Chapter FFA Degree and State FFA Degree.
Have been FFA members for at least three years.
Have completed at least three years (540 hours) of high school agriculture classes, or 2 years of high school agriculture classes and one year of college agriculture classes (360 hours.)
Have graduated from high school one year prior to the
National FFA Convention at which their degree will be awarded.
Have maintained detailed SAE records, which demonstrate outstanding planning, managerial and financial skills.
Have earned and productively invested at least $7,500, or have earned and productively invested at least $1,500 and worked 2,250 hours beyond scheduled school hours through their SAEs.
Effective Jan. 1, 2015: A student after entering agricultural education must have: (a.) Earn at least $10,000 and productively invested $7,500 or (b.) Have earned and productively invested at least $2,000 and worked 2,250 unpaid hours in excess of scheduled class time; Any combination of hours, times a factor of 3.56 plus actual dollars earned and productively invested must be equal to or greater than the number 10,000. Hours used for the purpose of producing earnings reported as productively invested income shall not be duplicated as hours of credit to meet the minimum requirements for the degree.
Have a record of outstanding leadership skills. Have completed at least 50 hours of community service within at least three different community service activities. These hours are in addition to the paid or unpaid supervised agricultural experience hours.
Have a record of outstanding leadership skills.
Have a record of participating in community service activities. Updated Community Service Requirements: Have completed at least 50 hours of community service within at least three different community service activities. These hours are in addition to the paid or unpaid supervised agricultural experience hours.
Have maintained a “C” grade average or better.
American Degrees will be worked on in Ag classes as well as after school every other Thursday beginning September 9th, 2021.