Areas of study within the majors include agricultural finance, agricultural policy, marketing, farm and ranch management, rural community development, international trade and development, economic use of natural resources, and management of agribusiness firms. The agribusiness major prepares students in the management functions of farms, ranches, and businesses involved with the production and marketing of farm commodities and farm production inputs. The agricultural economics major prepares students to become professional economists for commercial agricultural firms and governmental agencies or to pursue advanced degrees in this field before entering the profession. Students completing the natural resources and rural development major are prepared to enter private industry and public agencies that deal with economic analysis of natural resource use and rural development problems. Graduate training in agricultural economics encompasses commercial agriculture, natural resources, and rural development economics.
Emphasis also is put on training in agricultural development and international trade.
The commercial agriculture area includes the economics of production and distribution, agribusiness management, and agricultural policy. Rural development encompasses the economics of off-farm migration, rural education and services, community development, rural taxation, and low income and employment problems. Agricultural development and trade involves preparation for using economic tools in farm management, farming systems analysis, production, and marketing in an international framework. Students initiating graduate work in agricultural economics should have a background in economics and quantitative methods. Individual graduate programs are tailored to allow students to take courses and develop thesis proposals in line with their professional interests.