Agribusiness & Economics
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
By SAT median
Majors in this category
| Major | Colleges | Degrees ▼ | Male/Female | Intl | 5yr Earn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agribusiness & Economics | 117 | 5,049 | 59% / 41% | 2% | $67,731 |
| Agribusiness | 35 | 1,167 | 55% / 45% | 1% | $66,835 |
| Agricultural Business and Management | 36 | 881 | 61% / 39% | 6% | $66,552 |
| Agricultural Economics | 21 | 703 | 67% / 33% | 1% | $71,258 |
| Agribusiness/Agricultural Business Operations | 15 | 521 | 59% / 41% | 1% | $60,071 |
| Agricultural and Consumer Economics | 1 | 264 | 72% / 28% | 4% | $88,991 |
| Agricultural Education | 17 | 235 | 20% / 80% | 1% | $59,151 |
| Agricultural Business | 10 | 221 | 53% / 47% | 0% | $67,520 |
| Agribusiness Management | 3 | 196 | 70% / 30% | 3% | $69,752 |
| Agricultural and Extension Education Services | 6 | 116 | 29% / 71% | 1% | $57,081 |
| Farm and Ranch Management | 1 | 103 | 75% / 25% | 2% | $77,176 |
| Agricultural and Applied Economics | 3 | 87 | 70% / 30% | 1% | $78,661 |
| Food and Resource Economics | 1 | 83 | 73% / 27% | 2% | $61,110 |
| Agricultural Public Services | 2 | 58 | 55% / 45% | 0% | $55,499 |
| Agricultural Systems Technology | 3 | 50 | 92% / 8% | 2% | $77,243 |
| Agricultural Business and Economics | 1 | 50 | 72% / 28% | 0% | $69,466 |
| International Agriculture | 4 | 35 | 20% / 80% | 0% | $57,979 |
| Agricultural Leadership and Development | 1 | 35 | 74% / 26% | 0% | $72,691 |
| Agricultural Systems Management | 2 | 34 | 79% / 21% | 0% | $82,370 |
| Agribusiness and Applied Economics | 1 | 34 | 56% / 44% | 0% | $61,788 |
| Agriculture and Natural Resources | 1 | 32 | 69% / 31% | 3% | $59,784 |
| Sustainable Agribusiness | 1 | 32 | 62% / 38% | 0% | |
| Agricultural Communication, Education, and Leadership | 1 | 18 | 22% / 78% | 0% | $53,593 |
| Agricultural Business Management | 1 | 15 | 53% / 47% | 7% | $80,378 |
| Agricultural Education, Leadership, and Communications | 1 | 11 | 36% / 64% | 0% | $56,407 |
| Agricultural and Extension Education | 2 | 10 | 30% / 70% | 0% | |
| Agricultural Production | 1 | 10 | 50% / 50% | 0% | |
| Farm Management | 1 | 10 | 90% / 10% | 0% | $77,268 |
| International Agricultural Development | 1 | 10 | 20% / 80% | 20% | $60,339 |
| Farm/Farm and Ranch Management | 3 | 8 | 50% / 50% | 0% | $59,279 |
| Sustainability Management | 1 | 7 | 71% / 29% | 0% | |
| Rural Development | 1 | 6 | 33% / 67% | 0% | |
| Agricultural Retailing | 2 | 4 | 25% / 75% | 0% | |
| Agricultural Business Technology | 1 | 3 | 100% / 0% | 0% | $74,935 |