Agricultural and Applied Economics: Academic Programs

Programs
	Back to Main Page
	Mission
	Strategic Plan
	History
	Faculty
	Staff
	Facilities
	Research
	Extension
	Publications
	Impact Statements
	Achievements
	What's New
	Appendices

	What's on this CD?

Academic Programs

The Agricultural and Applied Economics undergraduate and graduate programs provide a solid foundation in economics, as well as the quantitative tools needed to address economic problems. Students study economic principles and how they apply to various areas of interest such as agribusiness management, finance, resource and environmental economics, development, marketing, or international trade. Students develop skills to analyze economic situations, provide solutions, and communicate with a wide array of audiences. To make wise business decisions and solve economic problems, students learn about innovative tools, as well as the operation of individual firms and the overall economy. Agricultural and Applied Economics majors prepare students for careers in marketing, management, finance, sales, natural resource economics, environmental economics and international business. These majors also develop decision-making, communication and interpersonal skills, as well as entrepreneurial skills needed to start a business. With the Agricultural and Applied Economics majors, students find the most personal atmosphere anywhere on the University of Georgia campus with small classes and faculty advisors who care. Our faculty and staff are dedicated and accessible.

The Agricultural and Applied Economics Department has enhanced its academic programs in several areas:

• increased the number and diversity of majors,

• increased the quality and diversity of the department's faculty involved in teaching,

• revised the undergraduate and graduate curricula,

• increased the web capabilities of the department whereby all pertinent information can be accessed through the web,

• reconfigured and renovated classrooms to enhance and expand the learning experience, and

• secured additional funding to develop enrichment programs.

Student Recruitment, Enrollment and Credit Hours

The Department has developed new recruitment materials. Attractive and unique illustrations for our majors have been developed for use in recruitment materials. The Department sponsors exhibits and representatives (faculty, staff, and students) at numerous recruitment opportunities. Departmental majors are advertised in student newspapers, on campus buses and in other outlets. The Department is using internships to help recruit high school minority students. Personal letters have been sent to new students who have gone through UGA orientation and expressed an interest related to the Department's instructional program. The Department communicates with advisors in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Business School and College of Arts and Sciences to present our majors and to describe changes in curriculum.

In the last five years, the number of undergraduate majors in the department has increased from 140 in fall 1999 to 219 in fall 2004, which is a 56% increase. The number of graduate students remained stable at 42 over the same period. The number of student credit hours produced by the Department increased from 3467 in FY 2000 to 4928 in FY 2005, which is a 42% increase in the last five years. The department generates over 15% of the college's student credit hours, compared to 12 % five years ago.

Quality Instruction and Educational Opportunities

The Agricultural and Applied Economics Department has a long history of outstanding teachers. The Department's faculty have won numerous teaching awards. New faculty with a strong commitment to teaching have been hired and placed in the classroom. Experienced faculty members have been re-assigned to different courses to provide the best possible offering of courses. Outstanding teachers have been assigned to the introductory course in order to provide a strong foundation in microeconomics and to recruit students to our majors. In addition, faculty members serve effectively as advisors.

Students have great opportunities through study abroad and internship programs. Each summer several of our students have internships in Washington D.C. and Brussels . Seven students in 2004 and five students in 2005 from Agricultural and Applied Economics had paid internships in Washington D.C. Students travel in the department's study abroad courses in Mexico and New Zealand . Other students work towards international agriculture certificates by studying and/or interning in foreign countries. These are just some of the examples of outstanding educational opportunities that help attract students to the Agricultural and Applied Economics programs.

Curricular Changes

After several years of effort the Department's introductory course, Applied Microeconomic Principles, received approval by the Board of Regents for inclusion in the social science core curriculum. This is the only College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) course that can be counted in the core courses. This course is being promoted throughout the College to increase its enrollment. Outstanding teachers in the Department teach this course for recruitment purposes.

The Department has been able to change a College requirement in chemistry for two majors: Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness. After seeking a change in the chemistry requirement for years, the Department was finally able to convince others on campus that our calculus requirements were more relevant to this discipline than chemistry, and the calculus courses maintain rigor in our program. We continue to encourage students to take chemistry, but many prospective students have already taken other lab sciences, so this change in requirements has been valuable in recruitment.

The Environmental Economics and Management degree has been changed to a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Sciences (BSES). This change, which enhances student perception of the major, is being advertised to increase student enrollment. The Master of Science in Environmental Economics degree was approved in 1997. The Department has been a leader in the profession by creating the Environmental Economics undergraduate and graduate degrees for a new academic market.

Over time, student needs change and majors need to be revised to meet new objectives. Revisions to the Agribusiness and Environmental Economics and Management majors in 2003 and 2004 have been important in reducing the regimentation of the majors, in making them less complicated, and adding course options that provide exceptional learning opportunities. By slightly changing a few requirements, many transfer students can now complete the degree requirements in a shorter period of time. Simultaneously, the changes did not weaken the substantive material components of the majors. The revisions have proved very positive as evidenced by recent gains in enrollment.

Several new minors have been developed in the department to supplement minors in “Agricultural Economics” and “Agribusiness and Management.” New minors include:

• Environmental Economics and Management

• Environmental Law

• Food and Fiber Marketing

• Natural Resource Economics

These minors are attracting new students to the program and increasing student credit hour production.

The Department is developing a new Food Industry Certificate, along with Poultry Science and Food Science and Technology. The training students will receive in this multi-disciplinary program will allow them to be recognized as having qualities and qualifications germane to the specific professional requirements to successfully compete for pre-management positions in the food industry. Multi-disciplinary training in the production, safety, product development, and resource management areas of the food industry will enable students to advance quickly.

Participation in new University of Georgia interdisciplinary majors, some of which are at Tifton and Griffin , offer this department an opportunity to increase the number of student credit hours. The purpose of the off-campus majors are to use the unique College resources at Tifton and Griffin to attract additional students to the College. Several Agricultural and Applied Economics courses have been taught at Tifton and others will be taught in the new program in Griffin . These interdisciplinary programs provide an opportunity to involve extension and research faculty in the instructional program.

Enhanced Web Presence

In the summer of 2005, the Department's website is being overhauled and redesigned to bring the information up-to-date and easy for users to navigate. The graduate program's website had been redesigned in 2004. All relevant information on majors and minors are readily accessible on the web.

Several new databases have been developed for the web. Extensive databases on alumni careers are available. This information is used in recruiting to show the wide variety of career paths available for graduates of our educational programs. Available internships and jobs are posted on the web. The departmental web page features current students and alumni to help recruit students.

Renovation of Facilities

Renovations of classrooms and laboratories help improve the instructional environment. The main classrooms in the department have been renovated. The large classroom 104 Conner was renovated in 2005. Classrooms 210 and 212 were renovated in 2000. Fixed stadium style seating for 65 students is available in 210 Conner. Flexible seating for 55 students is available in 212 Conner for case studies and student discussions. The classrooms are fully equipped allowing video, audio, and web-based teaching.

The undergraduate and graduate computer laboratories were renovated. Accessibility and security of the labs have been enhanced. The electrical system and the heating/cooling system were redone to improve the lab environments.

Funding of Enrichment Programs

Alumni of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Department are involved with recruiting undergraduates and enhancing our educational program. New and expanded endowments from alumni and others are used to strengthen the Agricultural and Applied Economics Department programs. Development opportunities relate to scholarships, leadership awards, student travel for competition and paper presentations and endowed professorship(s).

Alumni are sent quarterly newsletters to be informed about the activities of the Department. They are also sent development brochures, highlighting the accomplishments of the Department's faculty, students and alumni and given an opportunity to contribute to these activities. The Department is developing a culture of giving among its alumni to provide enrichment for its programs. As listed in the Department's summer 2005 newsletter, over 120 of our alumni and friends contributed to various departmental activities and/or endowments over the last two years. Prior to this time, alumni were not being asked to support our programs. We are proud of our alumni, their accomplishments and their continued support of the Department's educational programs.

Related Links:

B1 - Course & Section Counts

B2 - Grade Analysis

B3 - Major Assessment Plan

B4 - Major Assessment Reports

B5 - Graduate Assessment Plan

B6 - Graduate Program Assessment Report 2003

B7 - Graduate Applications, Degrees and Program of Study

B8 - Current Graduate Student Information

B9 - Undergraduate Student Awards

B10 - Graduate Student Awards

B11 - Current Positions of Former Graduate Students