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College of Agricultural and Life Sciences

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Agricultural Business Management

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Agricultural Business Management

Learn the essentials of business and economics and build a career based on essential goods and services.

Nothing is more essential than food, fiber and natural resources. Together these three represent a broad range of goods and services that are made, marketed and consumed in every corner of the world. Learning to apply business and economic skills in these areas opens the door to a wide range of fascinating career opportunities.

Here's What We Teach and Study

  • Management and marketing in agricultural, food and natural resource businesses
  • Global markets and trade
  • Agricultural production and technical change
  • Markets and prices in the food system
  • Environmental and natural resource economics
  • Growth and development in low-income economies
  • State and local economics
  • Natural resources and sustainable development

If You're Interested in Business

If you major in agricultural business management, you'll study business, economics, mathematics and statistics. You'll also complete a major field requirement – a program of courses designed by you and your advisor to fit your specific interests.

Specializing. While some of these courses will likely be in agricultural and applied economics and business, you can also delve into animal sciences, plant sciences, communications and other fields. For some students, the major field requirement meshes nicely with the requirements needed to complete a second major.

Business school classes. Candidates for Agricultural Business Management degree can receive permission to take business courses that are normally reserved for students in the School of Business.

If You're Interested in Economics

Agricultural economics. Students completing the agricultural and applied economics major under the Agricultural Sciences program earn the Bachelor of Science-Agricultural Sciences degree.

Natural resource economics. If you complete degree requirements for the agricultural and applied economics major under the Natural Resources program you'll receive the Bachelor of Science-Natural Resources degree.

International agriculture and natural resource economics. If you complete the major under the International Agriculture and Natural Resources program you'll earn the Bachelor of Science-International Agriculture and Natural Resources degree.

Tailor Coursework to Your Interests

Start with the basics. During your freshmen and sophomore years you'll focus mostly on completing basic requirements of the major. These include basic economics courses, an elementary statistics course and a semester of calculus.

Focus on your interests. Once you've taken care of the basic requirements, your advisor will help you choose from among our more advanced courses to find those suited to your career interests. You can also take courses in other departments that match your interests and fit with your growing knowledge of business and economics.

Build Your Network and Your Resume

Some of the best learning begins when classes are over. Our undergraduates get real-world job experience and make great professional contacts through professional student organizations, and by taking part-time jobs and internships in fields that interest them.

Agricultural Business Club. A great place to start networking – a fancy term for making friends you'll value for a lifetime. The club will help you learn about professional learning opportunities. You'll find out about internships and meet potential employers. You'll take road trips to the Chicago Board of Trade, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and the Federal Reserve. Monthly meetings feature speakers from a variety of firms and agencies.

National AgriMarketing Association. UW-NAMA is the College's student chapter of the National AgriMarketing Association. This group competes – very sucessfully – with other chapters from around the country in a national marketing competition. It's a great chance to learn the ins and outs of launching a product, and to showcase your talents in front of hundreds of potential employers.

Internships. Preview a career, get some on-the-job experience, make valuable contacts and earn a little extra money with an internship. Our undergraduates intern in a broad range of fields – marketing, commodity trading, agricultural production, natural resources, food processing and government agency service, to name a few.

We Train Leaders

Ours was the nation's first agricultural economics department. Our founder, Henry C. Taylor, wrote the first American text on agricultural economics, and was the first chief of the Bureau of Agricultural Economics in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This tradition continues. Our graduates are leaders in their fields – in industry, academics and government – throughout Wisconsin, the nation and the world.

Financial Assistance

The College of Agricultural and Life Sciences offers many scholarships that are granted based on academic performance, need or extracurricular activities. For more information on scholarships, loans and work-study programs contact the UW-Madison Office of Financial Services.

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The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an AA/EEO institution. University policies create additional protection that prohibits harassment on the basis of cultural background and ethnicity. Inquires concerning these policies may be directed to the appropriate campus admitting or employing unit or to the Equity and Diversity Resource Center, 179-A, Bascom Hall, (608) 263-2378, TTY (608) 263-2473.

open. It offers a balanced spectrum of upper level biology courses for those who remain in the major.