Welcome to the virtual home of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Department at the University of Georgia .

Founded in 1928 as the Department of Agricultural Economics and Marketing, the Department is a viable part of the oldest state-chartered university in the country. Throughout its 78-year history, the Department has strived to meet the needs of its students and clientele. One way the Department has maintained this endeavor is by adapting and changing its academic, research and extension programs.

Academic Programs

When the Department first began, it had a strong emphasis on agricultural marketing and farm management, and offered one undergraduate major – Agricultural Economics. During the early 1990s, the Department added two new undergraduate majors to meet the changing needs of employers and students – Agribusiness and Environmental Economics and Management. The Department recently added four new minors to its existing minors in Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness – Environmental Economics and Management and Environmental Law, both in 2002, Food and Fiber Marketing in 2004, and Resource Economics in 2005. In addition, the Agribusiness minor was changed to Agribusiness and Management in 2004.

While the bulk of the Department's instructional program is offered in Athens , Agricultural and Applied Economics courses are being offered in interdisciplinary majors by our faculty at Tifton and Griffin . The Tifton campus instructional program began in 2003, and the Griffin campus instructional program is scheduled to begin in 2005. Although graduate courses were taught from the beginning of the Department, the first two master's degrees were awarded in 1935. From that time, the need for agricultural economists with graduate degrees continued to grow. The first Ph.D. degree in Agricultural Economics was awarded in 1974. The Department awards doctoral degrees, producing researchers and teachers for government agencies, businesses and universities. In 1997, the Department added a master's degree in Environmental Economics, which emphasizes environmental management from an economic and social perspective, with an interdisciplinary focus on natural resource and environmental issues.

The Department's undergraduate and graduate programs are highly competitive in their admissions. More than 95 percent of our freshmen receive the merit-based HOPE Scholarship, paying full tuition and fees. Admission requirements for the graduate programs include 1000 Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores and 3.0 academic averages. Quality standards of admission have increased over time, elevating the prestige of the Department's programs.

Research and Extension

The Georgia agricultural sector is highly diverse with poultry, beef, dairy, field crops, fruits, vegetables and nuts all being important. The complexity of the agricultural production and marketing systems creates many challenges for the producers and agribusinesses in the state, requiring a broad array of economic intelligence. Agricultural and Applied Economics research and extension programs began with emphasis on farm management and marketing. The Department's research and extension programs have expanded to cover such important areas as marketing, management, policy, economic development, and natural resource and environmental economics.

Faculty with research appointments are located in Athens , Griffin and Tifton. Research thrusts include water use efficiency and conservation; sustainable agricultural systems; policy, trade and market analysis; animal waste and water management; and land use planning. These and other targeted areas will be important to the advancement of agriculture and natural resource priorities in the future.

Extension faculty members are located in Athens , Tifton and Statesboro. Most of the extension faculty are organized along commodity lines and cover production, marketing and policy. Extension conferences, meetings with producers and agribusinesses, as well as other activities, facilities connectivity with our constituents.

The Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development is an agricultural economics unit of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, located in Athens . The Center combines research and extension to analyze economic problems that are important to the state and improve operating efficiency and profitability of Georgia 's agricultural and agribusiness sectors. The Center conducts short-term, applied projects for agricultural groups; analyzes the economic impact of Georgia agriculture; and conducts economic feasibility studies of value-added agribusiness opportunities.

After exploring this virtual site, you will be better prepared to visit our Department at the University of Georgia and explore our great facilities and our beautiful campus where we are soundly building on a rich heritage for a bright future.

Related Links: E1 - Orgamizational Structures for Department and College