Agricultural Economics — MS, MAg; Applied Economics — PhD
Degree Programs
Graduate degrees in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology (DAERS) include the master of science (MS) in agricultural economics or rural sociology, the master of agriculture (MAg) in agricultural economics, as well as the PhD in applied economics. Admission to the masters program in agricultural economics requires a bachelors degree from an accredited institution with 15 semester hours in related courses including economics, sociology, statistics, or related subjects accepted by the Graduate Committee. Applicants are required to have a bachelors degree from an accredited institution and generally are required to have a minimum score of 290 (150 V and 140 Q) and a GPA of 3.0 on all completed coursework. Admission into the MS programs requires a minimum GRE score of 900 (450 V and 450 Q). Admission into the PhD program requires and minimum GRE score of 1000 (400 V and 600 Q). Admission into the Master of Agriculture program requires a minimum GRE score of 800 (400 V and 400 Q). International applicants from non-English speaking countries must have a minimum TOEFL score of 550 (213 computer). Applicants with GRE scores below 400 will be required to complete specified English courses. Applicants to all graduate programs are generally required to have a minimum GRA of 3.0 on the last 60 semester hours of completed coursework.
The master's program in rural sociology is part of an Interdepartmental Graduate Program in Sociology. Admission to the program is administered by co-directors representing the Department of Sociology, Anthropology & Social Work and the Department of Agricultural Economics & Rural Sociology. Applicants are required to have a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution and generally are required to have a minimum GRE score of 290 (150 V and 140 Q) and a GPA of 3.0 on all completed coursework. The applicant's resume and letters of recommendation also are considered in making a decision on admission. Further details on the master's degree in rural sociology can be found in the AU Bulletin and the Interdepartmental Graduate Program in Sociology guide.
The MS in agricultural economics (thesis option) requires a minimum of 30 semester hours of graduate credit with 6 hours of thesis research. Required of all MS students:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ECON 6020 | Advanced Microeconomics | 3 |
| ECON 7130 | Mathematical Economics | 3 |
| AGEC 7590 | Intro To Ag Econometrics | 3 |
| AGEC 7700 | Research Methods In Ag Econ | 3 |
| Total Hours | 12 | |
Course substitution for will be allowed for ECON 6020 upon approval of the Graduate Program Officer. A total of 12 hours of core course is required in a program of 24 course hours. The remaining 12 hours can be filled with any graduate-level courses approved by the major professor and thesis committee. At least one-half of all credit hours toward the minimum degree requirement must be earned in courses at the 7000-level or above. All MS candidates must pass a comprehensive examination covering the major field, as well as research and thesis. This usually is a two-hour oral examination upon completion of coursework and the thesis, but the student’s advisory committee also may require a written examination.
There is a non-thesis MS option that requires 30 hours of coursework. Twelve of these hours must be in core courses:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ECON 6020 | Advanced Microeconomics | 3 |
| ECON 7130 | Mathematical Economics | 3 |
| AGEC 7590 | Intro To Ag Econometrics | 3 |
| AGEC 7700 | Research Methods In Ag Econ | 3 |
| Total Hours | 12 | |
The remaining 18 hours can be filled with any graduate-level courses approved by the major professor and graduate committee. At least one-half of all credit hours toward the minimum degree requirement must be earned in courses at the 7000-level or above. The non-thesis option requires a “Plan B” paper that serves as the basis for the student’s final oral exam.
Graduate study in rural sociology (MS thesis or MS nonthesis) is available through the Interdepartmental Graduate Program in Sociology, which includes rural sociologists from DAERS as well as sociologists and anthropologists from the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work.
The master of agriculture (MAg) in agricultural economics requires 32 graduate credit hours, 18 in the major, as approved by the advisory committee. A final oral examination is given by the advisory committee.
A PhD in Economics is offered through the interdepartmental program in economics, which is administered jointly by the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology, the Department of Economics, and the College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment. For students enrolled in the College of Agriculture, the PhD in Applied Economics requires a minimum of 42 credit hours beyond a masters degree or 60 hours beyond a bachelors degree, plus at least 10 hours of dissertation research. All students must take:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PhD in Applied Economics Agriculture | ||
| Required Courses (34 credit hours): | ||
| ECON 7110 | Microeconomics I | 3 |
| ECON 7120 | Microeconomics II | 3 |
| ECON 7130 | Mathematical Economics | 3 |
| ECON 7210 | Macroeconomics I | 3 |
| or ECON 7220 | Macroeconomics II | |
| ECON 7310 | Econometrics I | 3 |
| or ECON 7320 | Econometrics II | |
| AGEC 7690 | Microeconometrics in Agricultural Economics I | 3 |
| AGEC 7700 | Research Methods in Agricultural Economics | 3 |
| AGEC 8690 | Microeconometrics in Agricultural Economics II | 3 |
| AGEC 8990 | Research and Dissertation | 10 |
| Select at least 15 credit hours from: | ||
| AGEC 7080 | Production Economics I | 3 |
| AGEC 7090 | Resource Economics II | 3 |
| AGEC 7110 | Agricultural Economic Development | 3 |
| AGEC 8060 | Theory of Agricultural Markets | 3 |
| AGEC 8080 | Production Economics II | 3 |
| AGEC 8090 | Food and Agricultural Policy | 3 |
| Select additional credit hours from 6000-8999 level courses to meet the minimum 60 credit-hour requirement. | 11 | |
| Minimum total credit hours: 60 | ||
| TOTAL HOURS | 60 | |
The PhD written preliminary examination requirement is satisfied by passing a qualifying exam for microeconomics managed by the Department of Economics, from which the first year PhD students take the required core economics courses listed above. There is an oral examination on the field and proposed dissertation research (referred to as the PhD prelim oral exam), and a final oral defense of the dissertation. For details on exam requirements, see the DAERS Graduate Handbook posted on the department’s web site. After satisfactory completion of the PhD prelim oral exam the student advances to candidacy. PhD students are encouraged to consider a graduate minor in statistics, which requires 12 hours of coursework in statistics (see Statistics Department web site for details).
A Graduate Minor in Agricultural Economics (GMAE) is offered for non-majors wishing to obtain training in the application of economic principles to problems affecting rural communities and households. The GMAE requires 12 credit hours of graduate-level coursework in agricultural economics (6 hours must be at the 7000 level or above). The student’s graduate committee must include a faculty member from the agricultural economics department, and the student must demonstrate competence in the application of economic principles to problems in research. The latter requirement is typically met via a chapter or section in the student’s thesis or dissertation.