Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness
At Tarleton, our Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness program combines core technical agriculture classes and contemporary agricultural economics classes with business courses that provide a solid foundation for successful careers in agriculture and business management.
With a focus on the business of food and agricultural production, marketing and sales, the undergraduate agribusiness program coursework is relevant and responsive to changing needs in the agricultural industry. You’ll learn real-world job skills, such as how to enhance profitability of an agribusiness and techniques for success in personal and corporate sales.
Choose from concentrations in:
- Agribusiness Management
- Agricultural Economics
- Personal/Small Business Financial Planning
- Dairy Business Management
Agribusiness majors can also choose from a wide variety of disciplines for their minor, such as business, computer science, animal science or economics. Students majoring in other disciplines can minor in agribusiness or agricultural economics. Our agribusiness bachelor’s degree has a variety of options to help you reach specific career goals and interests.
What is Agribusiness?
A combination of agriculture and business, agribusiness involves economic and commercial activities of farming-related products and services, such as machinery, seed supply, crops, breeding, ranching, processing, distribution, marketing and retail sales. The agricultural business field includes management of key resources — land, labor, capital, farming, ranching, conservation and sales — and all the required logistics, often using advanced technology.
In the United States, the economic impact of the food and fiber sector totals over $100 billion annually. Texas leads the nation in cattle, cotton, hay, sheep, goats, and mohair, as well as the number of farms and ranches, with nearly 250,000 farms and ranches covering about 130 million acres. One out of seven working Texans is in an agriculture-related job. With a rapidly changing population, the region continues to rely on agricultural production and marketing, while related recreational land use and industrial development increasingly contribute to the economy.
What Can You Do With Agribusiness?
As the agricultural business field experiences an aging demographic, a lot of agricultural jobs are opening up for recent graduates to fill in agriculture marketing, business operations and economic and financial analysis, as well as government institutions, nonprofit management and education. With an agricultural business degree, you will also be prepared for entry-level jobs in the retail and wholesale sectors focused on supporting the agricultural industry. These are just a few examples:
Estimated Completion
120 Credit Hours (4 years)
Application Process
Cost
Locations Available
* – Online courses only available to Stephenville campus students.
College
- Crop Producer or Farm Manager
- Grain and Livestock Buyer or Commodity Broker
- Equipment Sales and Service Representative
- Agricultural Economics Analyst
- AgriLife Extension Agent or Specialist
- Farm or Real Estate Appraiser
- Commercial Investment Analyst
- Commercial Bank Loan Officer
- Agricultural Sales and Market Development Manager
Agribusiness majors, particularly in the agricultural economics concentration, are also well prepared for graduate school programs, such as Tarleton’s MS in Agricultural and Consumer Resources or law school.
Careers in Agribusiness
Virtually all agribusiness majors find a job in agribusiness within one year of graduation.
How Much Do Agribusiness Graduates Make?
According to a recent study by Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce, titled “What’s It Worth? The Economic Value of College Majors,” Agribusiness is consistently among the highest-earning career fields in all of agriculture. The median earnings of agricultural economics graduates was $60,000 recently, while the average for all agricultural disciplines was $50,000.
Our students get individualized attention with high levels of supervision that enhance the learning experience in and outside the classroom. For example, faculty members observe every student at their internship and are periodically in contact with them to make sure they’re getting what they need and are doing the right thing.
With over 500 companies that have hired our undergraduate students, we have a strong network for internship experiences in an area you’re interested in. From campus facilities to jobs on The Hill in Washington, D.C., to Norway, the opportunities are seemingly endless. For example, agribusiness majors have worked with the State Fair of Texas, Dairy Fountain, Diversified Crop Insurance Services, Gillespie County Fair and Festivals Association, Waco Machinery and Parts, JRM Land and Cattle, Melody Mountain Ranch, Interbank, First Financial Bank and more.
With extensive research facilities and projects, undergraduate students have many opportunities to work with faculty on their research. You could present your work at the Tarleton Annual Student Symposium or TAMU System Student Symposium. Many faculty also take agribusiness majors to conferences such as the Southwestern Economics Association Annual Conference to present papers before international audiences.
Tarleton’s agribusiness program offers a variety of courses online to meet the needs of students who want to major in agribusiness but are located in Waco, Midlothian, the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex or other locations in Texas and beyond. Students can take prerequisite courses at a university or college convenient to them, then complete their bachelor’s degree online through Tarleton’s agribusiness program without having to move to Stephenville.
We are a medium-sized program, and our teaching and specialty areas cover every concentration in the greater agribusiness industry. You will be learning from faculty with a broad range of expertise.
Financial aid and scholarships for agribusiness majors include opportunities from the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Science. You may also qualify for undergraduate research funding, student travel grants and federal financial aid.
What Classes Will You Take as an Agribusiness Major?
The agribusiness bachelor’s degree program builds your foundation in a variety of areas, from production agriculture to marketing operations. You will study accounting, principles of economics and science in the context of the agricultural industry. Explore additional topics in production economics, agriculture prices, public agricultural food programs, recreation and tourism economics, farm appraisal, agricultural policy in Texas and more.
View all required classes for the agribusiness bachelor’s degree.
Accreditations
How Do You Get Started on Your Bachelor’s Degree in Agribusiness?
Take the next step toward earning your bachelor’s degree in Agribusiness. We have the resources to help you get started.
Explore Agribusiness in other cultures
Study abroad in a variety of countries, such as Peru or China.
The Center for Agribusiness Excellence provides research, training and resources on data warehousing, mining and analytics. The 700-acre College Farm features the New Dairy Center, Greenhouse, Livestock Center, Meats Lab, Poultry Center, Sheep/Goat Barn and Swine Center. Tarleton’s Southwest Regional Dairy Center offers teaching, research and service/outreach programs in dairy-related fields.
Get involved on campus for professional development, social activities and special events. Join the Agribusiness Club, Alpha Zeta honorary society, Collegiate FFA, Collegiate 4-H, Horticulture Club, Food Fanatics, judging teams for soil and livestock or meat, Dairy Club, Tarleton Economics Society, Texas Agribusiness Tour, academic quiz bowl and more.
Tarleton hosts Texas high school students at the annual Future Farmers of America (FFA) Invitational Career Development Event (CDE) Judging Contests. These events, highlighted by the Farm Business Management contest, provide students the opportunity to develop their skills and learn more about future educational and career options in agriculture.
What Bachelor’s Degrees are Related to Agribusiness?
- BS in Animal Science
- BS in Agricultural Communication
- BS in Agricultural Services and Development
- BS in Economics