MASTER OF SCIENCE
The Agribusiness faculty in the School of Agribusiness and Resource Management offer a program leading to the M.S. degree in Agribusiness. Courses are offered at the ASU East site. Concentrations are available in agribusiness management and marketing and food quality assurance. An area of study may be in resource management. This program is designed to prepare students for managerial and administrative positions in agribusiness and government. Students receive broad training in agribusiness functional areas and analytical methods. To apply the knowledge and skills gained in course work, each student conducts a research project and writes a thesis.
Admission. Applicants to the program are expected to meet the minimum requirements for admission to the Graduate College. In addition, scores from the Graduate Record Examination, Miller Analogies Test, or Graduate Management Admission Test are recommended. Applicants are expected to have completed 18 hours of agribusiness or other closely related course work, with at least nine hours specifically in agribusiness. Applicants not meeting this last requirement may be considered for admission with deficiencies.
Program of Study. Candidates must complete a minimum of 30 semester hours of approved graduate-level course work, excluding courses taken to remove deficiencies. A minimum of 12 semester hours should consist of regularly scheduled course work within the agribusiness core, not including hours taken in research, thesis, reading and conference, special topics, or courses of a similar nature. Students must complete the following courses:
| AGB 508 | Advanced Agribusiness Marketing |
| or AGB 511 Advanced Agribusiness Management II (3) | |
| AGB 510 | Advanced Agribusiness Management I (3) |
| AGB 525 | Advanced Agribusiness Management Systems (3) |
| AGB 527 | Agribusiness Research Methods (3) |
| AGB 532 | Advanced Agribusiness Finance (3) |
| Research and Thesis (6) | |
| Total: 21 | |
Other course work will be selected in order to develop an effective graduate program for each individual.
Cooperative Degree Program. The School of Agribusiness and Resource Management and the American Graduate School of International Management (Thunderbird) have a cooperative agreement for students interested in both agribusiness and international management. Thunderbird is an internationally recognized private graduate school, located in the Phoenix metropolitan area, offering course work in international studies, modern languages, and world business. This agreement enables students of ASU to take up to nine semester hours of course work at Thunderbird. To participate, the ASU student must be enrolled full-time (nine semester hours) and may only take three semester hours per semester at Thunderbird. The goal of this agreement is to enhance the educational opportunities available to qualified students of both institutions while making optimal use of the resources and facilities of both institutions.
Foreign Language Requirements. None.
Comprehensive Examinations. Each student must pass a written comprehensive examination covering materials presented in the Agribusiness program of study.
Thesis Requirements. All students are required to write a thesis.
Final Examinations. An oral examination in defense of the thesis is required.
RESEARCH ACTIVITY
The research projects in agribusiness reflect the varied interests of the faculty. Marketing studies involving agricultural products are conducted to determine consumer desires or the attitudes of institutional personnel toward foods. Management studies designed to improve the efficiency of agribusiness or to identify the job stress factors of the employees represent another sector. Finance studies examine the capacity of financial institutions to provide capital for agribusiness firms or the ability of managers to optimize the returns to financial resources under their control. In addition, the research conducted by the food industry faculty is directed toward the safety and wholesomeness of food, both at the institutional and consumer levels.
Omnibus Graduate Courses: See omnibus graduate courses that may be offered.
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