Agricultural Economics - 5-Year Bachelor of Science and Master of Public Service Administration

The combined program between the Department of Agricultural Economics and the Bush School of Government and Public Service allows undergraduate Agricultural Economics students to enter the Master of Public Service and Administration Program at the beginning of their senior year (typically year four) at Texas A&M University.  This enables students to receive both their Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Economics (BS AGEC) and a Master of Public Service and Administration (MPSA) graduate degree, with a track emphasis in public policy analysis (PPA), in five years. 

To be considered for the 5-year combined degree program, Agricultural Economics students must have a minimum 3.25 GPA and have completed 103 of the 120 hours of course work required to receive a bachelor’s degree.  These courses must include all of the specific prerequisites for a BS in Agricultural Economics, as well as the courses required by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and by Texas A&M University for an undergraduate degree.

Students in the 3+2 combined program will submit the same materials as other MPSA applicants; the one exception to this is the submission of a 2-page application found on the Bush School website rather than the application at the Texas A&M UniCAS application portal, hence no application fee.  Students whose records are judged to be competitive by the mid-January deadline will be invited to attend the GBS Interview Conference Weekend in late February/early March.  The admissions criteria for the five-year program will be the same as for other MPSA students.

Students who choose not to finish the MPSA degree after being admitted to the five-year program may exit the program at any time.  Completed MPSA courses will be applied to their bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics, and students will select the Agricultural Economics option area that is most appropriate for their interest.  Failure to complete the MPSA program will in no way impede their ability to attain a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics when the requirements for that degree are completed.  

Advising for the five-year program will involve a coordinated effort by academic advisors in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Advising Center 2 and the Director of the MPSA program in the Bush School.  Advising by academic advisors in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Advising Center 2 will help ensure that interested students have satisfied the prerequisite course requirements for their bachelor’s degree by the beginning of their senior year.  The MPSA director and GBS director of recruiting will also be available for Agricultural Economics students who wish to set up appointments to talk individually about the MPSA program’s curriculum and career opportunities available to its graduates.

Students in the five-year program will be required to complete the same curriculum as other students admitted to the Bush School’s MPSA program.