The Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Economics offers students four options: Finance and Real Estate, Food Marketing Systems, Policy and Economic Analysis, and Rural Entrepreneurship. The course requirements for the freshman and sophomore years are the same for the above Agricultural Economics options.

Using “real world” application, students in the Rural Entrepreneurship option engage in firm-level problem identification, analysis, decision making, and management control. Integrating ideas, numbers, and mentor interactions are central to the courses’ paradigms.

The option focuses on providing students ‘hands-on’ opportunities to develop economic and financial numerical evaluations of their business ideas. Numerous extracurricular ‘outside-the-classroom’ activities are used to supplement the course curriculum, providing transformational learning experiences for the students. The capstone characteristics of the classes afford the students connectivity opportunities to relate their other coursework to pragmatic applications in entrepreneurial pursuits of their individual interests.

Courses include frequent dialogues on contemporary rural and metropolitan entrepreneurial decision situations, applied computer analyses, and development of each student’s management information system to accommodate their continued learning. Students are encouraged to ‘think outside the box,’ with exploration of non-traditional production, marketing, financing, and management opportunities being requisite components of students’ individualized business plan development.

The program’s pedagogy incorporates case studies, proprietary business enterprise spreadsheets, and direct mentorship in the lectures and labs, as students identify their unique business enterprises to research and develop as business plans. ‘Real-world’ visiting “Professors-for-a-Day” (Profs-for-a-Day) are an integral feature of these classes, with entrepreneurs, financial lenders, industry insurance representatives, marketing professionals, and others presenting in the classes.

Students pursuing this option are afforded opportunities to participate in numerous extracurricular activities made possible through donors to the Rister ’74 Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program. Included in such activities are the Edwards ’73 Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Mentoring Forum, the Alpha Painting Business Pitch, and the Texas Farm Credit Entrepreneurial Dreams Symposium. Objectives of the Rister ’74 Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program include the following:

• Launch new entrepreneurs.
• Enhance agribusiness entrepreneurship acumen for College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ and other Texas A&M University students; and
• Facilitate networking among current and former students and other professionals.

¹

Must make a grade of C or better.

²

Students under ROTC contract, see Requirement 7 of the Requirements for a Baccalaureate Degree.

³

Any course offered by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, except 285s, 484s, 485s and agricultural economics courses.

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The Graduation requirements include a requirement for 3 hours of international and cultural diversity courses and 3 hours of cultural discourse courses. A course satisfying a Core category, a college/department requirement, or a free elective can be used to satisfy this requirement. See academic advisor.

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All undergraduate students must take at least two (2) specific courses in their major designated as writing intensive (W). This course is an approved W course.

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Six hours to be selected in one or more departments outside of the Department of Agricultural Economics. A minimum of 3 of these hours must be at the 300- or 400-level. To be selected in consultation with an advisor.

⁷

To be selected in consultation with an advisor.

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Any Texas A&M or transfer course (except ASCC 001-ASCC 003 and KINE 199) not used to meet other requirements.