Agribusiness Management

Agribusiness Management is the branch of business management focusing on food and agriculture. It includes all the people and businesses that are part of value chains for food and agricultural products, and all the public and private institutions that influence the global food system.

You Might Like this Program If...

• You want to learn how to apply business principles to real-world issues, in which you have an opportunity to work closely with faculty and your fellow students
• You are interested in how the global food system works, and how to manage interactions among stakeholders in the food system
• You are a "people person" and you have a passion for food and agriculture
• You want to pursue a career in finance, management, sales/marketing, or commodity trading

Graduates can be found working in the food production, processing, financial services, wholesaling and retailing industries, both in the United States and abroad. A substantial number are employed by agricultural supply firms. Typically, B.S. degree holders begin their careers in sales or as management trainees, and then progress to management as they develop higher levels of expertise and experience. Penn State Agribusiness Management graduates chose careers in many other places. They also are employed in banking and the investment and mutual funds industries, and others have gone to law school, graduate school, or into rural development. The quality and diversity of the program enables Agribusiness majors to undertake a variety of jobs.

This major, which is offered jointly with The Mary Jean and Frank P. Smeal College of Business, includes a core of courses required of all business students. Combining the required specialization area with a minor or electives also allows a student to focus on a particular area of interest.Students complete course work in marketing, management, finance, and accounting at the Penn State Smeal College of Business and then roll up their sleeves and apply those concepts to the multibillion-dollar world food system. This is learning by doing. While focused on agriculture, this degree is an excellent preparation for business of every kind. More specifically they will exit the program with the following skills and attributes:

• Marketing and Finance: Students will have the capacity to apply agricultural and business marketing and finance principles to both domestic and international issues.
• Interactions: Students will have the capacity to describe key concepts in agricultural and business management, and explain how business management concepts can be applied to manage interactions with other parts of the food system and achieve a competitive advantage in the agricultural business world.
• Communication: Students will be able to explain solutions to challenges in agribusiness through both oral and written communication.
• Teamwork: Students will be able to wok effectively to solve agricultural business problems as individuals and as members of teams.

• Communication: Students will be able to explain solutions to agribusiness management problems through persuasive oral and written communication.
• Critical and Integrative Thinking: Students will be able to think critically and utilize an integrated approach to analyze and solve agribusiness management problems.
• Data Analysis: Students will be able to analyze and solve agribusiness management problems using quantitative and qualitative measures.
• Dealing with Ambiguity: Students will be able to solve agribusiness management problems involving risk, uncertainty, and ambiguity.
• Foundational and Functional Knowledge: Students will be able to apply foundational and functional knowledge to recognize, analyze, and solve agribusiness management problems.
• Teamwork: Students will be able to work effectively to solve agribusiness management problems as individuals and as members of teams.

If you are a first year student applying to Penn State:

Click Apply to start your Penn State application. Before starting, you can also review the Applying Online Worksheet for more details and helpful hints about the application.

Your application work can be saved at each step of the process by clicking the Save and Continue button at the bottom of the page. This feature will allow you to move back and forth within the application or log off and return to complete your application at a later time.

After completing your Academic History, you will need to provide your Self-Reported Academic Record (SRAR). As you begin the SRAR process, a new window will open allowing you to complete your SRAR. SRAR will focus on your high school coursework. It is important that this step is a complete and accurate representation of your school record. Therefore, have a copy of your secondary school records available as you complete your SRAR. You will need to enter every class and every grade earned for the last three years, as well as those classes in progress.

After completing your SRAR, you will be directed back to the Penn State application in order to complete the Program of Study portion of the application. Here, you will indicate your desired starting semester, your intended program of study, and your starting and ending campus. For further details on how to complete this portion based on your applicant type, please see the steps to apply for first-year students.

After completing this section of the application, you will provide some additional information, an activities resume, and a personal statement. You will be able to paste in this information from other sources, but note that the formatting may not always paste in as intended.

If you are a transfer student applying to Penn State:

All international transfer students will be required to submit official high school transcripts in order to complete the application. International transfer students will not complete the Self-Reported Academic Record (SRAR) for either their high school or college coursework.

If you have accepted your offer of admission to Penn State:

If you completed SRAR and are accepted to Penn State, please provide the following for grade verification:

• Official transcript from years 9, 10, 11, and 12. If the transcript is issued in a language other than English, it must be accompanied by a separate line-by-line English translation.
• Official copy of the Tawjihi, accompanied by a separate line-by-line English translation.

Agribusiness Management graduates have the skills and knowledge necessary to choose from a variety of fulfilling career paths in applied business management. Your career depends on the experience you make for yourself as a student. Faculty and professional academic advisers in the Agribusiness Management program support and serve students in career development and preparation, including career decision-making; tailoring the Agribusiness Management major to fit career goals; internship and job search strategies; interview preparation; and preparing for employment or graduate school.

With an Agribusiness Management degree, you can be prepared for a career in applied business management, including finance, management, sales/marketing, and commodity trading. Many graduates choose careers in the food and agricultural industries. Many others are employed outside of food and agriculture, in fields such as banking, investment, human resources, and marketing, while others have gone on to graduate or law school.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT POTENTIAL CAREER OPTIONS FOR GRADUATES OF THE AGRIBUSINESS MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

Opportunities for Graduate Study

A baccalaureate degree in Agribusiness Management can lead to advanced degrees in business, agribusiness, agricultural and applied economics, and agricultural sciences.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT OPPORTUNITIES FOR GRADUATE STUDY

Professional Resources

• National Agri-Marketing Association
• International Food and Agribusiness Management Association
• Agricultural & Applied Economics Association