Undergraduate Majors

If you’re here to build a meaningful career in an industry with great job prospects and a wide range of opportunities, the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics offers two majors to help you pursue your aspirations. Whether you choose Agribusiness Economics and Management (ABEM) or Environmental and Water Resource Economics (EWRE), you will roll up your sleeves and apply economic and data analysis to understand and find solutions to critical issues related to the management of resources including land, people, food, and water.

Launch Your Business Career with an Agricultural Economics Major

In 2019, USA Today ranked agricultural economics as the #2 career for employability, with an unemployment rate of less than 1 percent. That is the lowest unemployment rate among 162 majors! It’s also one of the highest paying career paths in the agricultural industry with a median salary of $105,020 per year. If you're interested in business majors, you can't beat agricultural economics for job prospects! 

To declare a major or minor from this department, please schedule an advising appointment with the AREC academic advisor in order to review the requirements and formally declare.  We are using CatCloud, log in with netid and password.

Build Business Skills

Both of our undergraduate majors will help you develop a strong foundation of business and economics knowledge and skills that employers are looking for in their new hires. You will graduate with an understanding of business administration including marketing, finance and trade, and natural resource use and management with a focus on the agricultural and natural resource industries. But, that doesn’t mean you have to work in the agricultural industry when you graduate! Our graduates go on to all types of business careers including health care, finance, entertainment, sports, real estate, agriculture and more.

We’re here to help you make the most of your undergraduate degree program. Contact us to learn more about our majors, your classes, internship opportunities, clubs, and other opportunities that will prepare you to launch your career.

See and hear from graduate Danielle Jess about her experience as an agribusiness major. 

Alternative Programs

Interested in a minor in agribusiness economics and management or environmental and water resources economics? Adding one of our minors to a major outside of our department can broaden your knowledge and increase the value of your education. We also offer an accelerated master's program that allows you to complete your bachelor's and master's degrees in five years.