Tennessee FFA State Degree
Guidelines
Updated December 2018 Page 1 of 3
To receive a State FFA Degree, members must meet the following requirements.
Have received the Chapter FFA Degree.
Have been an active FFA member for at least two years (24 months) at the time of receiving
the State FFA Degree
o This means that a student must be in their third year of FFA membership, at minimum,
to earn the degree.
Have completed at least two (2) years (360 hours) of systematic school instruction in
agricultural education at our above the ninth grade level, which includes an SAE.
o The above could potentially be confusing. If a student joined FFA and took an
agriculture class as a junior in high school, that would be 180 hours of instruction and
one year of FFA membership. If during the student’s senior year, they took two
agriculture classes and joined FFA, they would NOT meet the requirement. The key
words in the above statement are “have completed” – in this scenario, the student
would only have completed 180 hours.
o A student could potentially take an agriculture class and join FFA their junior year, then
take another agriculture class and join FFA during their senior year, and then pay their
FFA dues during the first year out of high school to meet the “have been an active
member for at least two years” requirement and still earn the State FFA Degree – the
year after they graduate. A word of caution – in this case, the student would not be
eligible to earn the American FFA Degree because that requires at least three years (540
hours) of systematic instruction.
Have earned and productively invested at least $1,000, or have worked at least 300 hours
outside of scheduled class time through an SAE.
o Financial information must be documented on the State FFA Degree application and
then say “MET” on the “Checklist of Minimum Qualifications.” If the word “ERROR” has
been marked out and the word “MET” has been written in, those judging should
scrutinize this and question the validity. The formulas in the Excel file are created to
instantly change to “MET” once the requirement is met. Decisions on this should be
made at the judging site only after careful consideration.
Demonstrated leadership ability by performing 10 parliamentary law procedures, giving a six-
minute speech on a topic relating to agriculture or FFA, and serving as an FFA officer,
committee chairperson, or committee member.
o Pay close attention to the final line “serving as an FFA officer, committee chairperson, or
committee member” – this piece of information MUST be documented on the
application. Make sure to mark the appropriate year that the student held their
respective chapter office or membership/leadership role in a chapter committee. If this
information is not found on the application, then those judging the applications can only
assume that the student has never held a leadership position in FFA and must disqualify
the application.
Tennessee FFA State Degree
Guidelines
Updated December 2018 Page 2 of 3
Have a satisfactory academic record, certified by the agriculture teacher and the school
principal or superintendent.
o Signature of a school official must be present in order to meet this requirement. If left
blank, the requirement is not met.
Participated in the planning and implementation of the chapter’s Program of Activities.
Participated in at least five different FFA activities above the chapter level.
o This requirement can be confusing. Let’s explain this with the following examples.
Livestock Judging is ONE activity. If a student competes in Livestock Judging at
the regional, state and national level, it is still ONE activity. Yes, the one activity
occurred numerous times at numerous locations, but it is ONE activity.
If the student participates in Livestock Judging for three years in a row at the
regional and state level, it is still ONE activity. The key phrase above is
“different FFA activities” and “above the chapter level.”
Clinics and invitational events are acceptable activities above the chapter level
and are considered separate activities from career/leadership development
events.
Again, the years of participation at each level must be indicated. Remember,
one CDE is ONE activity.
State Convention attended three times is ONE activity.
FFA Camp attended twice is ONE activity.
TLC attended three times is ONE activity.
Entering a vegetable crop at the State Fair FFA judging competition is ONE
activity.
A student that participated in livestock judging, attended state convention,
attended FFA camp, attended TLC, and entered a vegetable crop at the State
Fair FFA judging competition, would have FIVE separate activities.
There may be unusual circumstances/situations that arise on applications. Any
deviation from these guidelines should only be approved after careful
consideration.
Complete at least 25 hours of community service in a minimum of two different activities. All
community service hours are cumulative, i.e. the 10 community service hours used to obtain
the chapter degree can be used toward the state degree.
o Defining Community Service: Community service engages students in the educational
process, allowing them to use practices they learn in the classroom to make a difference
in real life. Students not only learn about democracy and citizenship, they become
actively contributing citizens and community members through the service they
perform.
o Use this definition as a guide to determine if a given activity meets the community
service requirements. An activity must meet all of the following criteria in order to be
approved as community service:
1. The activity has tangible community involvement.
Tennessee FFA State Degree
Guidelines
Updated December 2018 Page 3 of 3
2. Students have an opportunity to gain skills and competencies or apply skills and
competencies learned in the classroom setting.
3. The activity has a demonstrated positive impact on the community, or individuals
who live and work in the community.
4. The student gives of his/her time, energy or knowledge through activities focused
on helping others, improving community resources or improving community
infrastructure.
5. The community service activity can be organized by the FFA chapter; however, it
must be performed outside of classroom time.
6. Activities listed as community service cannot be duplicated in the FFA activities
section of the application. A student may only list the activity in one section of the
application.
o Participating in a school athletic team is a school-related activity, but it is not community
service. Volunteering as a Little League, Pop Warner Football or soccer team coach would
be acceptable.
o Community Service Requirements:
o Chapter Degree: 10 community service hours
o State Degree: 25 community service hours (a minimum of 2 different activities)
o American Degree: 50 community service hours (a minimum of 3 different activities)
o These hours can be cumulative. The State Degree needs 15 more community service
hours than the Chapter Degree. The American Degree needs 25 more community
service hours than the State Degree.
o Examples of Volunteer Activities Correctly Listed
o “Canned Food Drive” provides a description of the volunteer/community service
work performed
o “Worked Registration Desk At Clinic” provides a description of the
volunteer/community service work performed and was completed independent of
an athletic team
o “Weekly After School Campus Cleanup Project” was volunteer/community service
performed outside of class and provides a description of the work performed
o “Muck Stalls at Helping Hands Horse Stable” provides a description of the
volunteer/community service work performed
o The information provided above comes from the National FFA website regarding community
service hours for the American FFA Degree. Tennessee will adhere to these same standards
for the State FFA Degree so students will have alignment as they work to earn their American
FFA Degree.
