Doctor of Philosophy in Agricultural Economics

The PhD in Agricultural Economics is designed to provide the student with an excellent foundation in the theory and methods of economic analysis as well as experience in applied analysis of agricultural, agribusiness, and/or resource economics problems. Career opportunities for agricultural economists also include academia, government, and the private sector. Many academic positions (especially at land grant universities) include salary support for a combination of teaching, research, and/or outreach related to the food and fiber sectors and the natural resource base that supports them.
The PhD requires core courses in economic theory and econometrics, advanced topics courses in applied fields, and the completion of a dissertation. In the first year, study in the doctoral program is tightly structured. During the first year, full-time students take four core theory courses, one core course in statistics for economists and one core econometrics course. Because the fall core courses offered in the first year are prerequisites for subsequent courses, students generally must begin the program in the fall semester. Additional core courses are taken in the second year. Field courses are taken in the second and (possibly) third years. Total requirements for the PhD degree include a minimum of 72 credits beyond the baccalaureate, including at least 39 credits of coursework from the core and field courses and 20 credits of doctoral research.

A Master degree is not required for acceptance. However, many of our recently accepted applicants had a Master degree in Economics, Agricultural Economics, Finance, Engineering, or related fields. Other students start the Ph.D. program right after finishing their undergraduate education, but in those cases students have a strong GPA and took several Math courses in undergrad. Besides the overall GPA, we also look for a good performance in specific courses, such as Master’s Microeconomics, Master’s Macroeconomics, and Master’s Statistics/Econometrics. We also expect applicants to have taken at least two semesters of calculus, and Intermediate-level linear algebra or Mathematics for economists during their undergraduate or MS degrees.

The average GPA score into our Ph.D. program is around 3.4, but it varies depending on the coursework the applicant did in undergrad (for instance, we understand that your GPA can be lower than 3.4 if you took several math or Master-level courses).

Tests required:

The minimum TOEFL score is 213 in the computer version (which corresponds to 550 points in paper version and 80 points in the internet version). In case you took the IELTS exam, the minimum IELTS score is 7 points.

Priority deadline:

Fall: January 10