Agribusiness and Applied Economics

Students may declare a major in agribusiness and applied economics any time after admission to Ohio State. In addition to an academic advisor, each student enrolled in the major is assigned a faculty advisor to assist with career aspirations and goals.

Students in agribusiness and applied economics take 36 to 43 semester credit hours of required and elective courses. 

Required classes

• Managerial Economics
• Managerial Records and Analysis
• Econometrics
• Quantitative Methods
• Principles of Food and Supply Chain
• Principles of Agribusiness Finance
• Principles of Agribusiness Management
• Principles of Agribusiness Marketing
• Economics of Public Policy Analysis
• Strategic Management

Elective classes

• Agricultural Cooperatives
• Agribusiness Law
• International Commerce and the World Economy
• Commodity Futures and Options Markets
• Salesmanship in Agribusiness and Agriculture
• International Economic Development
• Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
• Farm Business Management
• Grain Merchandising
• Human Resource Management in Small Businesses

A minor study area outside of the major is required. The minor consists of an additional 12 to 15 credit hours selected from more than 180 available university-wide.

Elective courses comprise the remaining hours needed to complete the 121 credit hours needed for graduation.

Students can participate in a study abroad program through the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences in Brazil to earn credit that can count toward major electives. 

Students are required to complete an internship worth two credit hours in order to graduate with a degree in agribusiness and applied economics. The internship aims to challenge students to apply the skills they have learned in the classroom and to acquaint students with a real-world work environment in this field.

The Agribusiness Club meets bi-monthly and has guest speakers from various agribusinesses who tell students about internships and job opportunities.

The Agribusiness Marketing Team participates in a national competition every year. They develop a complete marketing strategy for a product and present it to a panel of judges.

More than 95% of all graduates find employment within six months of graduating. The college operates a career development office to assist students in finding internships and full-time employment.

The agribusiness and applied economics program prepares students for careers in the following areas:

Management

• Corporate/cooperative executive
• Farm manager/operator
• Regional sales manager
• Retail or wholesale manager
• Small business owner

Finance

• Financial analyst
• Futures broker
• Loan officer

Marketing and sales

• Commodity merchandiser
• International trade specialist
• Sales representative

Resource economics and management

• Natural resource economist
• Natural resource manager

Public service and policy

• County 4-H or extension agent
• Local government
• Public policy analyst
• Political lobbyist

Beginning salaries for recent agribusiness and applied economics graduates average $46,368. Salaries depend on a candidate’s skills, previous work experience and other factors determined by various employers.