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Agribusiness & Economics

Colleges offering this major Rankings Trends

What you'll do in college

These majors bring economics, business, and policy to the food and farming system. Coursework mixes agricultural economics, finance, marketing, and management with classes on rural sociology, policy, and international development. Expect to analyze commodity markets, study land-use decisions, and grapple with how subsidies, trade, and climate policy shape what ends up on the dinner table.

Land-grant universities are the natural home for these programs, and many students pair them with internships at cooperatives, agribusinesses, commodity traders, or USDA offices. Senior capstones often involve real farm business plans or policy analyses.

What you'll do after college

Graduates work as commodity analysts, farm managers, agricultural lenders, policy staffers, and extension agents. Roles span agribusinesses like Cargill and John Deere, cooperatives, government (USDA, state departments of agriculture), and nonprofits focused on food security and rural development.

Demand is steady because the food system is huge and every decision from seed to shelf has an economic dimension. Pay is moderate but cost of living in agricultural regions is often lower, and many grads eventually run family operations or start their own ventures.

Famous graduates

  • Earl Butz — Former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture; B.S.A. in Agriculture from Purdue University

Selectivity vs. earnings

By acceptance rate

$67,688
781
100–88%
$70,986
1,739
88–65%
$76,588
1,685
65–39%
$80,949
898
39–0%
Acceptance rate · bar = degree-weighted earnings

By SAT median

$63,937
704
400–1090
$72,839
1,562
1090–1260
$81,091
1,587
1280–1360
$79,511
664
1370–1600
Combined SAT composite median (submitters + non-submitters) · bar = degree-weighted earnings

Earnings by acceptance rate and institution category

$56,024p10 $80,723p90 STEM, Business & Military Liberal Arts Public University Religious University Private University 20–30% 10–20% 0–10% SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry · $63,520 Cal Poly - Pomona · $55,089 Florida Southern College · $62,053 Tabor College · $63,401 Dordt University · $78,388 Chatham University · $68,702 Buena Vista University · $65,387 Missouri Valley College · $67,103 Graceland University - Lamoni · $64,785 Illinois College · $61,503 Doane University · $68,260 Huntington University · $59,800 Greenville University · $52,864 Wilmington College · $58,269 Culver-Stockton College · $60,046 University of Montana Western · $53,865 University of Georgia · $86,913 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign · $91,726 Alcorn State University · $76,471 North Carolina State University · $70,289 University of Wisconsin - Madison · $87,991 University of Tennessee, Knoxville · $59,940 Clemson University · $73,600 Purdue University · $78,875 University of Maryland, College Park · $79,457 University of California, Davis · $64,108 Auburn University · $83,581 Ohio State University · $67,260 Texas A&M University - College Station · $83,589 Fort Valley State University · $54,667 Tarleton State University · $57,163 University of Connecticut · $86,356 Virginia Tech · $80,366 Pennsylvania State University · $76,450 New Mexico State University · $54,248 West Texas A&M University · $56,024 Northwestern Oklahoma State University · $63,268 Minnesota State University, Mankato · $66,332 Southern Arkansas University · $85,392 University of Central Missouri · $54,172 Fresno State · $68,963 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities · $74,250 University of Alaska - Fairbanks · $59,718 Texas Tech University · $79,186 University of Louisiana at Monroe · $67,559 Louisiana State University · $58,527 University of Delaware · $80,723 Louisiana Tech University · $71,718 Oklahoma State University · $80,208 University of Arkansas · $73,860 University of Idaho · $76,560 University of Tennessee, Martin · $57,934 University of Missouri · $76,692 Middle Tennessee State University · $62,352 Arkansas State University · $74,593 Oregon State University · $78,374 Southeast Missouri State University · $68,397 Angelo State University · $62,047 Cal State Bakersfield · $85,316 University of Nebraska, Lincoln · $80,635 California State University, Monterey Bay · $57,565 University of Maryland Eastern Shore · $59,554 Michigan State University · $73,372 University of Arizona · $71,338 Mississippi State University · $70,506 Fort Hays State University · $67,499 South Dakota State University · $68,650 Southern Utah University · $63,195 West Virginia University · $67,880 Northwest Missouri State University · $65,336 University of Wisconsin - River Falls · $64,722 Washington State University · $68,958 University of Minnesota - Crookston · $63,706 Iowa State University · $75,066 South Carolina State University · $43,387 University of Wisconsin - Platteville · $72,566 University of Nebraska at Kearney · $73,260 Colorado State University - Fort Collins · $58,437 Texas A&M University - Kingsville · $60,857 Southwest Minnesota State University · $56,041 Chico State · $66,746 Texas State University · $58,350 North Dakota State University · $80,985 Missouri State University - Springfield · $52,591 University of Kentucky · $58,307 Sam Houston State University · $68,167 Southern Illinois University - Carbondale · $73,235 Kansas State University · $78,302 University of Wyoming · $60,410 Arkansas Tech University · $63,353 Eastern Oregon University · $56,922 Montana State University · $80,925 Langston University · $62,377 Mayville State University · $64,363 Montana State University - Northern · $63,368 University of Arkansas at Monticello · $55,124 Texas Christian University · $66,720 Midland University · $64,856 Abilene Christian University · $65,848 Midway University · $56,429 University of Mount Olive · $59,560 Corban University · $56,265 Lubbock Christian University · $59,105 Southwest Baptist University · $65,171 Brigham Young University - Idaho · $58,380 Tuskegee University · $57,932 Lake Erie College · $61,824 Delaware Valley University · $79,475 University of Florida · $70,949 Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo · $81,059 Florida A&M University · $51,781 Cornell University · $66,297 College of the Ozarks · $53,494 STEM, Business & Military: mean $59,305 Liberal Arts: mean $63,889 Public University: mean $68,829 Religious University: mean $61,370 Private University: mean $66,410 20–30%: mean $76,004 10–20%: mean $51,781 0–10%: mean $59,896 All colleges: p10 $56,024 All colleges: p90 $80,723
Each dot = a college · y = degree-weighted earnings

Majors in this category

Major Colleges Degrees ▼ Male/Female Intl Earnings Employment
Agribusiness & Economics 120 5,103 57% / 43% 2% $70,005 96%
Agribusiness 36 1,317 56% / 44% 1% $65,788 96%
Agricultural Business and Management 39 832 54% / 46% 3% $68,595 96%
Agricultural Economics 21 701 64% / 36% 2% $74,649 96%
Agribusiness/Agricultural Business Operations 15 486 56% / 44% 1% $64,213 94%
Agricultural Business 10 270 53% / 47% 1% $69,279 98%
Agribusiness Management 3 222 71% / 29% 3% $73,799 96%
Agricultural Education 17 213 18% / 82% 0% $58,539 95%
Agricultural and Consumer Economics 1 213 75% / 25% 4% $94,999 96%
Agricultural and Extension Education Services 5 103 37% / 63% 0% $64,619 96%
Agricultural and Applied Economics 3 99 58% / 42% 2% $86,760 96%
Farm and Ranch Management 1 94 60% / 40% 0% $77,052 98%
Food and Resource Economics 1 76 75% / 25% 7% $78,238 90%
Agricultural Public Services 2 61 49% / 51% 0% $56,395 96%
Agricultural Systems Technology 3 55 89% / 11% 0% $76,730 100%
Agricultural Business and Economics 1 47 70% / 30% 0% $83,581 100%
Agricultural Leadership and Development 1 44 75% / 25% 0% $83,589 97%
Agribusiness and Applied Economics 1 43 65% / 35% 2% $70,643 99%
Sustainable Agribusiness 1 43 60% / 40% 2% $57,565
Agricultural Systems Management 2 37 76% / 24% 0% $75,287 100%
Agricultural Business Management 1 18 50% / 50% 0% $87,991 96%
Agricultural Education, Leadership, and Communications 1 18 28% / 72% 0% $59,049 98%
Agriculture and Natural Resources 1 18 67% / 33% 0% $86,356 96%
International Agricultural Development 1 15 33% / 67% 13% $62,078 93%
Agricultural Communication, Education, and Leadership 1 13 38% / 62% 0% $56,072 98%
International Agriculture 4 12 33% / 67% 17% $63,910 91%
Farm/Farm and Ranch Management 3 10 40% / 60% 0% $65,538 94%
Farm Management 1 10 80% / 20% 0% $80,018 95%
Sustainability Management 1 9 33% / 67% 0% $63,520
Agricultural Production 1 7 29% / 71% 0% $63,816 100%
Agricultural and Extension Education 2 6 33% / 67% 0% $70,022
Agricultural Business Technology 1 5 80% / 20% 0% $58,380 94%
Rural Development 1 3 0% / 100% 0% $59,718
Ranch Management 1 2 100% / 0% 0% $66,720
Agricultural Retailing 2 1 0% / 100% 0% $69,394 100%
Agribusiness Operations 2 0 $64,920