Overview
Consider the Twinkie. Its primary ingredient is flour, which typically comes from wheat. The wheat is grown in, say, Iowa, then shipped to factories in places like San Francisco, where it's mixed with mysterious things like dextrin, sleekly packaged, and - eventually - shipped to your favorite convenience store. The crazy thing is, after all that work, everybody involved makes a profit and you can enjoy a tasty Twinkie for not much more than the cost of a postage stamp.
Your enjoyment of that Twinkie is possible thanks in large part to the brilliance of people in the agribusiness industry, which accounts for almost one-fifth of the United States gross national product. To be a part of this huge national and international food industry (which has more jobs than applicants), you need a strong background in agriculture and business.
Agricultural Economics - also called Agribusiness - prepares you for just such a future. Agricultural Economics majors put economic theory into practice. They develop management and financial strategies for the food and farming industries. They focus on understanding and correcting problems in the manufacture, selling, financing, and distribution of food products. They also work to preserve natural resources and the environment.
If you major in Agricultural Economics, you'll forecast market prices, develop marketing strategies for new products and participate in case studies of the successes and failures of real products and real farms. You'll also participate in internships with agribusiness companies and government agencies.
- $30,240 Tuition
- 1260 Avg SAT
- 24,931 Enrolled
- $36,430 Tuition
- 1320 Avg SAT
- 21,653 Enrolled
- 1220 Avg SAT
- 3,302 Enrolled
- $34,740 Tuition
- 1200 Avg SAT
- 8,769 Enrolled
- $25,770 Tuition
- 1210 Avg SAT
- 19,338 Enrolled
- $25,320 Tuition
- 1140 Avg SAT
- 21,155 Enrolled
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SAMPLE CURRICULUM
Agricultural Commodities Marketing
Agricultural Markets and Prices
Calculus
Economic Development in Developing Countries
Environmental Economics
Farm Business Management
Finance
International Business
Managerial Economics
Money and Banking
Nutrition Science
Principles of Farm and Ranch Management
Principles of Macroeconomics
Principles of Microeconomics
Statistics
Wage and Price Theory
HIGH SCHOOl PREPARATION
Agricultural Economics involves lots of critical thinking and heavy doses of math and science. If you think you might major in Agricultural Economics, try to get as many advanced math courses under your belt as possible while you are still in high school. Experience with computers is good, too, as is any introduction you can get to formal logic. Obviously, if your high school offers economics or agriculture courses as electives, you should take them. Biology and chemistry are pretty vital as well.
GRADUATE PROGRAMS & CAREERS