College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences
Department of Applied Economics
About This Degree
The Agribusiness major provides a foundation for employment in the agricultural sector and in businesses and institutions serving agriculture and rural regions, such as banks and financial institutions, production, marketing and buying cooperatives, value-added food producers, real estate and land management, agricultural chemical production and sales, and farms and ranches. Graduates of this program are employed in a variety of agribusiness operations throughout the United States. Agribusiness graduates have achieved prominence in positions in wholesale and retail sales and service, stock and commodity brokerage, real estate appraisal, banking and farm credit, insurance, and in farm and ranch operations. Classwork provides training in basic business and economics, as well as the specific management tools required for agricultural enterprises.
There are four emphasis areas that a student can major in under the Agribusiness degree: 1) Farm and Ranch Management, 2) Agricultural Finance, 3) Agricultural Marketing, and 4) International Agribusiness. However, you can also obtain the major without an emphasis area. This makes for a very versatile major and, with careful selection of elective credits, students can be well trained for a wide variety of agribusiness careers. For example, students who graduate and plan to work in production agriculture on a farm or ranch can obtain a minor in either Animal and Dairy Science or in Agronomy to complement the Agribusiness-Farm and Ranch Management major. Students seeking a career path in the food manufacturing, processing or retailing industries should take elective coursework from the Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Science department, which will give them great training for careers in those sectors. Students who want to pursue a career in the banking industry, or in management, or a large agribusiness corporation could take the Agribusiness-Agricultural Finance major and get additional coursework from the Huntsman School of Business where they could obtain a Business minor. Great opportunities abound for students with Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness from USU.
