Agribusiness Management
Department Head: Dr. Steven C. Turner
Graduate Coordinator: Dr. Barry J. Barnett
101 Lloyd Ricks Watson
Box 5187
Mississippi State, MS 39762
Telephone: (662) 325-2750
Website: www.agecon.msstate.edu
An Interdisciplinary Program
The Master of Agribusiness Management (M.A.B.M.) program is an interdisciplinary degree between the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the College of Business and is administered by the Department of Agricultural Economics. The program is designed to prepare students for employment in the management of agribusiness. Graduate coursework may begin in any semester. Additional information is found at the department’s website, www.agecon.msstate.edu .
Admission Criteria
An applicant for admission to graduate study must hold a bachelor’s degree from a fully recognized four-year educational institution that has unconditional accreditation with appropriate regional accrediting agencies. He/she must meet the admission requirements of the Graduate School and the Master of Agribusiness Management Program. Admission is based primarily on past performance, letters of recommendation, and the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) scores. Regular admission to graduate study in the M.A.B.M. program requires a minimum grade point average (last four semesters of undergraduate work) of 3.00/4.00. When a student is deficient in one of the criteria cited, the student’s application, nevertheless, may be considered for admission based on the strength of other materials contained in the student’s application. However, reasonable minimum levels of performance must be achieved in both the applicant’s GPA and GRE or GMAT scores. International applicants not holding degrees from U.S. institutions must submit a TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) report of 575 PBT (233 CBT or 84 iBT) or an IELTS (International English Language Testing Systems) score of 7.0 or higher to be considered for admission.
Provisional Admission
A student who has not fully met the requirements stipulated by the University and the department for admission to graduate study may be granted admission as a degree-seeking graduate student with provisional status. Such student must have as the initial objective advancement to regular status. A provisional student must receive a 3.00 GPA on the first 9 hours of graduate-level courses on the program of study taken at Mississippi State University in order to achieve regular status. Courses with an S grade, transfer credits, or credits earned while in Unclassified graduate status cannot be used to fulfill this requirement. If a 3.00 is not attained, the provisional student may be dismissed from graduate study. A student in provisional status is not eligible to hold a graduate assistantship.
Academic Performance
Unsatisfactory performance may be defined as the failure to maintain a B average in graduate courses attempted after admission to the program, a grade of U, D, or F in any course, more than two grades below a B, or any other failure of a required component of one’s program of study. Any one of these, or any combination of these, may constitute the basis for the termination of a student’s graduate study in the program.
Master of Agribusiness Management
| Foundation Requirements | ||
| ACC 2203 | Survey of Accounting | 3 |
| or ACC 2013 | Principles of Financial Accounting | |
| BQA 8443 | Statistical Analysis for Business Decision-making | 3 |
| or BQA 2113 & BQA 3123 | Business Statistical Methods I and Business Statistical Methods II | |
| EC 4043 | Survey of Economics | 3 |
| or EC 2123 | Principles of Microeconomics | |
| FIN 3123 | Financial Management | 3 |
| MGT 8063 | Survey of Management | 3 |
| or MGT 3114 | Principles of Management and Production | |
| MKT 8153 | Strategic Marketing Management | 3 |
| Total Hours | 18 | |
The foundation portion of the program consists of 18 hours that may be satisfied in part or total by prior undergraduate or graduate preparation.
| Core Requirements | ||
| ACC 8112 | Financial Statement and Management Accounting Report Analysis for Decision Making | 2 |
| AEC 6530 | Agribusiness Management Internship | 3 |
| AIS 8203 | Advanced Communication in Agricultural Information Science and Education | 3 |
| FIN 8113 | Corporate Finance | 3 |
| MKT 8153 | Strategic Marketing Management | 3 |
| AEC Graduate Courses 1 | 12 | |
| Approved Electives 2 | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 35 | |
| 1 | The student must receive credit for AEC 6113 and AEC 6223 in Agriculture if credit was not earned for these or equivalent courses at the undergraduate level. |
| 2 | The student must receive credit for EC 8103 if credit was not earned for EC 3123 or an equivalent course at the undergraduate level. |
Program of Study/Completion Requirements
The Master of Agribusiness Management degree program requires a minimum of 35 hours of coursework which includes an internship and a comprehensive examination. At least 15 of the total course credit hours must be at the 8000 level.