Master of Science in Agricultural and Applied Economics - Thesis

Students who earn a Master of Science (M.S.) in agricultural and applied economic learn to apply economic theory, design experiments or surveys, estimate econometric models, and test hypotheses with inferential statistics to analyze human behavior, business practice or government policy.

The behavior, practice or policy typically relates to agricultural competitiveness or policy, insurance and credit markets, health care, wildlife management, natural resource allocation, property rights and environmental quality, sports, regulation, and sustainable economic development.

An applicant's transcript(s), GRE score, statement of purpose, two letters of recommendation, and relevant work or personal experience are the criteria for an admission decision.

The minimum GPA requirement is 3.0. For GRE the admitted students have usually a combined score of 300 or higher for verbal and quantitative and 3.0 or higher for analytical writing. The respective median scores of recently enrolled students on the verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing parts of the GRE are approximately 154, 152, and 4.0. We do not provide any GRE waiver. Admitted students usually have earned at least a B average, or equivalent grade, for their courses in economics, statistics, and mathematics.

For M.S. thesis degree program, applicants are required to identify an Agribusiness faculty member who is willing to serve as major advisor prior to admission. Applications from students who have not been in communication with their prospective advisor before applying are rarely admitted.

Normally, admitted international students have a cumulative TOEFL iBT score in the range of 90 to 100 with a minimum of 20 for listening and 20 for speaking.

Reading and writing scores of admitted appli­cants are usually higher than 20. Otherwise, the successful applicant has earned at least 7.0 on the IELTS, if she did not take the TOEFL. An applicant with a low TOEFL or IELTS score can be admitted conditional on completing Level 112 of an ELS course and, if necessary, retaking the GRE.

International applicants who have studied abroad for at least two years in the U.S. or other English-speaking countries and completed their undergraduate education in an English-speaking country are not required to retake the TOEFL or IELTS. However, they should report their most recent scores in the online application.

Successful applicants have normally passed undergraduate courses in univariate and multivariate calculus, introductory probability and statistics, and intermediate microeconomics. An undergraduate course in intermediate macroeconomics is highly recommended. Students who majored in economics or agricultural economics and took econometrics or who majored in statistics and took intermediate microeconomics typically have an adequate background. Exceptional students with inadequate backgrounds may be admitted but required to take extra, co-requisite courses during their first semester. Domestic students with inadequate backgrounds may also apply as non-degree seekers, take co-requisite courses, and then apply to the program.

The number of applicants who are accepted each year varies. The acceptance rate varies from 1/3 to 2/3 of all applications. Over the last six years, the number of accepted students who enrolled in the program has averaged seven students per year.