 The Department offers a Bachelors of Science degree in Agricultural Business through the College of Agriculture. Agricultural businesses are those involved in producing, transporting, processing and distributing food and fiber products. Almost 20 percent of the U.S. economy’s output involves the food and fiber sector—90 percent of which occurs beyond the farm gate. Agribusiness is a dynamic industry with a high degree of global and technological sophistication. The agribusiness sector includes companies that are on the cutting edge in the use of biotechnology, strategy, information systems, risk management, logistics and international trade.
The USDA estimates that 24,000 annual job openings in food, agriculture and natural resources will occur in the next five years, while only 20,000 qualified graduates will be produced over this time period.
Surveys indicate that employers seek out graduates with expertise in communication, critical thinking, business management and quantitative analyses. Our program specifically develops each of these through the study of:
•  accounting
• agricultural finance
• agricultural policy
• agricultural product prices
• economics
• international trade
• natural and social sciences
• natural resources
• price and production risk management
• strategic business management
The program incorporates case studies, teamwork and international opportunities to broaden the skills of our graduates.
DEGREE OPTIONS
The Agricultural Business degree consists of two options:
(1) The Agribusiness Management option focuses on the management of firms that provide inputs to farmers and ranchers on one hand, and process, distribute and market products to consumers on the other hand.
(2) The Farm and Ranch Management option provides education specifically for those who expect to manage agricultural production. In addition to finance, marketing, and trade issues, the curriculum is supplemented with courses that emphasize technical agricultural science issues.
Agribusiness Management Option: The agribusiness sector of the economy, which produces and sells goods and services to farmers and ranchers on one hand, and processes and markets  agricultural commodities on the other, is growing rapidly. In the United States, for every job in agricultural production, there are approximately three jobs in agriculture-related businesses. The MSU agribusiness management curriculum has established an excellent reputation with employers and is specifically designed for management training with emphasis on finance, accounting, and managerial economics in agriculture-related businesses and industries.
Many of our graduates work for regional, national, and even international agribusiness firms that market, process, and transport agricultural products. Other graduates work for companies that service agriculture by supplying inputs to producers. Agricultural credit institutions employ many of our graduates. Some of our graduates continue their education by pursuing graduate degrees or attending law school.
Agribusiness Management Option Requirements
Agribusiness Managemet Minor Requirements
Farm and Ranch Management Option: For a student who expects to work in agricultural production and eventually own and operate a farm or ranch, the farm and ranch management  option provides a vital set of management skills for success in undertaking the investment and complicated business aspects of farming and ranching. The future farm or ranch manager needs to be familiar with marketing, finance, business management, and the global agribusiness system in which production agriculture operates. Farm and ranch management is a strong academic program designed to provide marketing, management, and finance skills. This curriculum is supplemented with courses that emphasize technical agricultural issues.
Farm and Ranch Management Option Requirements
JOB OPPORTUNITIES
The growing complexity of the global food system, coupled with advances in food production, processing, biotechnology, and changes in government policy will spur demand for agricultural business majors. Indeed, the growing need for well-trained students with knowledge of agricultural production, marketing, finance, and policy is expected to result in additional jobs in the future.
PLACEMENT OF RECENT MAJORS
Our agricultural business and economics graduates are employed by a wide variety of agribusinesses. Others successfully manage their own farm or ranch. Many have used their degree as a foundation for advanced study.
| Placements of recent graduates include: |
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 Archer Daniels Midland (market analysts)
Columbia Grain (market analysts)
USDA Farm Service Agency (loan officers)
Southern States cooperative (plant managers)
Montana Livestock Ag Credit (loan officers)
Farm Credit Services (loan officers)
Northwestern Mutual Life (finance service managers)
U.S. Bank (loan officers)
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Our graduates manage risk, make business and strategic decisions, and manage people for each of these companies.
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| Graduate school placements of our recent graduates include: |
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University of California Berkeley
North Carolina State University
Montana State University-Bozeman
University of California Davis
Purdue University
University of Maryland
University of Washington
Washington State University |
EARNINGS
The following table summarizes earnings of recent Montana State University graduates. Agricultural business majors are among the top-earning majors at MSU.
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Starting Salaries of MSU Graduates |
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| Average Starting Salary for class of 1999 BA/BS graduates at MSU: |
$31,964 |
|
| Major |
Starting Salary |
|
Major |
Starting Salary |
|
| Economics |
$37,000 |
|
Agribusiness |
$40,000 |
| Computer Science |
$45,356 |
|
Fisheries & Wildlife |
$19,292 |
| Biology |
$34,000 |
|
Education |
$24,231 |
| Architecture |
$36,818 |
|
English |
$20,333 |
| Accounting |
$32,500 |
|
Mathematics |
$32,500 |
| Finance |
$37,188 |
|
Engineering |
$39,136 |
| Management |
$25,000 |
|
Psychology |
$23,688 |
| Marketing |
$30,292 |
|
Soiology |
$24,900 |
|
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Source: Montana State University Career Services. |
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Our graduates say...
"Brought agricultural angles into business courses. Very good professors. Left class with something I can put to use."
– Class of 2003
"... a very wothwhile and challenging department."
– Class of 2003
"You never know how you are going to use your Economics background. Aside from our own business, I assist Blue Cross & Blue Shield and the Federal Reserve Bank as a board member. My Economics training has been invaluable in these roles and has made me an effective contributor in businesses far removed from agriculture."
– Dean Folkvord, CEO of Wheat
Montana, Class of 1982
"I was in an unrelated major in the College of Agriculture, but minored in Agribusiness Management because I was impressed by the hands-on, applied approach that the professors took to teaching business concepts. Now that I work in the 'real world', I find that I use what I learned in these classes literally every day. Studying the business side of agriculture at MSU put me in a postition to succeed in the agriculture industry."
– Alex Offerdahl, Project Manager,
Watts and Associates, Class of 2001
"Excellent topics, taught extremely well, and I enjoyed attending class."
– Class of 2004
"I believe that this is one of the best departments on campus. The faculty and staff were always avaialbe and concerned about students."
– Class of 2002 |
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OUR FACULTY
 Faculty members in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics have expertise in a wide variety of fields. We teach undergraduate courses in agricultural marketing, agricultural finance, agricultural management, agricultural law, economics and the environment, international economics and trade, as well as multidisciplinary courses on agriculture in a global science and marketing environment. We take an active interest in our students, and each student is assigned a faculty member who serves as the student's advisor. The one-on-one contact with faculty in our department has consistently received high praise from our students.
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