Howdy!

I'm looking to see if anyone here has any experience with the agribusiness degree.

I'm one class short from applying to Mays for finance I think. I don't have time to wait until '09 to apply so I thought about majoring in economics. However, I looked up the curriculum for the agribusiness degree and it has the same core business classes as the finance major. I already have an interest in agriculture so I'm quite interested in majoring in it.

If I go into this program, I am going to take as many finance electives as I can to supplement the core business classes which are already included. I'm planning on going to grad school at A&M but if I don't, I'll probably stay a semester longer just to take even more business electives.

My fear is the name of the degree itself, a BS in Agribusiness. I'm afraid that some employers won't realize that I look a lot of business classes with it. So to overcome that, I'm thinking about listing the relevant business coursework I took on my resume including the electives I took. I'll probably even emphasize real estate by taking the real estate finance classes.

I'd like to be able to use it as a dual degree for the ag industry as well as the non-ag related business world. I feel like I should be able to for the latter because I'm taking the exact same classes that I would if I went for the finance degree.

I've also heard that the AGEC advisors are some of the nicest on campus.

So does anyone have any insight for this program? Any experiences with it? I appreciate it!

Zig,

I just graduated with an AGBU degree and so far, I haven't experienced too many problems with it when applying for jobs. Some employers will not even look at you because of it, but if they won't even consider me because of my degree, then I definitely don't want to work for them.

Almost every job I have applied for has been non-ag and each interviewer has not mentioned anything about an ag major applying for an ag degree. In some ways, I wish I had gotten an all-out business degree, but what many employers forget about is the fact that AGBU covers all aspects of business whereas a finance degree, like you're interested in, limits you to mostly finance-related classes.

In all honesty, I know very little about agriculture still and have no interest in learning more, but I am happy with my degree and have recently been offered a job at a company right here in town that fits what I'm looking for in a company.

Good luck and let me know what you decide.

That's the kind of response I was hoping for, thank you! I'm actually on a commercial brokerage's web site right now and one of the associates has an ag econ degree. Some of the other guys have communications degrees from UT-Austin.

From reading that, at this point I'm not even worried about the 'Agribusiness' name on my degree as long as I'm able to take the finance and real estate courses that I want to take and later on put on my resume that I emphasized finance and real estate.

I'll also have that attitude as well when it comes to employers. If I took the classes they wanted me to take in order to perform the job, it shouldn't matter at all what my degree says on it. I'd rather someone see me as a person overall than what particular degree name I carry because it was a rough road for me to even get this far.

I'm kind of in a bad situation right now as far as what major to pick but I'm just going to make the best out of it. Agribusiness seems like a very good degree that I will get exactly what I want out of it.

So when I apply to transfer, do I apply to the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences? It says on the web site that I can also apply directly to Mays for it but I'm assuming I should only do that if I have every single prerequisite class in order to take the upper level agribusiness and business courses, which I don't have yet.

Also, is the requirements to get in 2.75 on over 24 hours and at least 6 hours of the specific courses? Am I reading that right? Am I missing anything, like are there any particular classes you have to have before you can apply?

It's actually comforting to know that you have no interest in agriculture and yet you still like the degree. It's probably just what I'm looking for if I don't have to use it for just the ag sector.

[This message has been edited by ZigZag00 (edited 12/25/2007 12:54a).]

Im not knocking Agribusiness, because i thought about doing it if i couldn't transfer into Mays Finance, but Mays Business > Ag College (to non-agri-employers).

UNLESS you have a specific interest in Agriculture related business, then by all means do AgriBus.

Walton has a point. If you have a more specific interest in a certain aspect of business i.e. finance, accounting, etc. you should try your hardest to get into Mays. But Agribusiness is a good runner-up (which is what I did ). It BTHO Ag Econ, in my opinion.

I'll have to get back to you on your questions. Maybe after all this Christmas stuff today!

I agree that you should go for the finance degree and not an agribusiness degree. A degree from Mays requires you to take business classes from all disciplines, not just your major. Saying that you don't want to work for someone who cares that your degree says agribusiness might sound fine now, but good luck getting the big 4 or a large corporation to initially hire you into a finance position.

Will you be able to get a job with an agribusiness degree, sure. It will be a job that requires any degree or be for a small company that probably won't pay very well. Later on in your career as you get experience on your resume, you can overcome the agribusiness on your degree but it could still limit you later on.

If you plan on getting a finance degree but calling it agribusiness, why not just get the finance degree?

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I've also heard that the AGEC advisors are some of the nicest on campus

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They certainly are.

I received my BS in AGBU in '05 and just graduated with my Masters in AGBU.

I would strongly recommend against you getting your AGBU degree if you want to be in finance. In the AGBU program, you are severely limited to the number of electives you can take when compared to the AGEC program. I believe you will be able to take, at most, four electives, and I can assure you that there will be some rule about taking all finance for your electives.

The AGBU degree has surprised me when talking to employers. On two different occasions at the Business Career Fair the recruiter immediately got turned off by hearing I had an AGBU degree, both times it was with energy companies. However, I recently interviewed with a natural gas parts manufacturer and the recruiter went on and on about how he knew so many people that had an AGBU degree.

It really would be a detriment to your career desires if you got an AGBU degree and tried to turn it in to a finance degree.

Take the advice of previous posters and get a finance degree.

EDIT: Falconace, I don't think the AGBU degree is something that needs to be "overcome".

[This message has been edited by Humorous Username (edited 12/25/2007 5:39p).]

I am AGEC from class of 93. Unless working in Agri business, then you should pursue other options. The AG part has made it more difficult to land jobs early on. Yet experience once acuired will trump the degree (mostly).

If I could do it all over again, I would just do economics or business. I am currently starting back to school (while working) to get an MBA. This is to help with any future jobs searches, looking to ad credibility to my resume.

Again, I agree with everybody above. If finance is what you want to do in your life, then get into Mays. I wish I had tried harder and gotten in, but I am still happy with my degree and new job.

There are some generalizations thrown out in some above posts, especially about large corporations or the Big 4. If you want to work for either type of company, then get your business degree. Personally, I have no interest in big companies and that's why my agribusiness degree helps a lot.

Also, being prepared for interviews, no matter what your degree is in, is a HUGE part of getting a job. I think it's more important than your actual degree, but that's my opinion of course. I have interviewed for a wide variety of positions being an AGBU major and it hasn't limited me yet.

I appreciate the responses, all!

The problem is that I can't reasonably get a finance degree; let me elaborate further. I'm done with the majority of my core classes and now I'm ready to take upper-level classes. However, I'm still missing one class that the recruiter at Mays told me that I needed in order to get in. He also told me that if I take the class this semester and get my prof. to sign a letter before the deadline saying that I'm doing well, I will still be under consideration. But I really don't want to risk it.

Mays only lets in people for the summer and fall and I can't wait until summer/fall 2009 because by that time, I'll be close to graduating with another degree and if I go to grad school, it's not really going to matter which degree I get.

So I'm pretty much trying to decide on either an economics with a minor in business or an agribusiness with a minor in economics. The agribusiness degree is in the running because I can take business classes, including real estate finance classes, with it. My goal is to go into the real estate grad program at Mays. My career goal is real estate development.

The economics degree can teach me how to think whereas the agribusiness degree can teach some skills for business. With the economics degree the business skills will come out of the business minor, however I do think a lot of the skills can come from the job.

I can finish out the economics degree in a semester shorter than an agribusiness degree, but I've heard that economics is a challenging major, more challenging than business. So I might back off to 12 or 13 hours a semester and just take a semester longer to graduate so I can focus on getting good grades. If I went into agribusiness it would take me a semester longer anyway.

I'll have to talk to an advisor over at the AGEC department, Humorous, about the point you brought up. That might sway me into majoring in economics. It seems like I can either go into a respected, well-known degree (economics) which will teach me how to think or I can get a not-as -well-known degree (agribusiness) that I can take finance classes with. I think I'm better off with either degree than I would be with a business degree from a lesser school in Texas.

Falconace, I think it's a bit of a generalization to say that I'm only limited to small, rural companies with the degree. I already found a guy who's in the field I'm aiming for with an ag economics degree. I'd imagine that as long has you have the degree and education that is somewhat related to the field you want to go into, networking and how you sell yourself will be more important.

I agree with AgDrumma07 about the generalizations. I have absolutely no interest in working for the big four; I have no desire to enter the accounting field. If I'm able to take the business classes that I want with the agribusiness degree, and a company gives me hell for having an agribusiness even though I took those classes, screw them.

I'm leaning back towards economics right now, though. AgDrumma07, what kind of companies were you interviewing for? Business type positions? The same careers that you would pursue had you been a finance major? I would like to be able to take more finance classes than I can as an economics major, so if I'm in the same boat with either degree, I might consider agribusiness.

MD1993, I do have five years of relevant work experience, but the fact that you said you would've rather have gotten an economics degree is a consideration.

[This message has been edited by ZigZag01 (edited 12/25/2007 8:01p).]

Have you looked at the AGEC degree?

I believe they still have three or four different "options" that you can graduate with, and I think one of them is "Finance and Real Estate".

Best of luck to you.

To clarify, I wasn't saying that you only want to work at the big 4 or that you are limited to small rural companies, but with an agribusiness degree you are limiting your options. Just because you found a company's website that listed someone with a similar degree doesn't mean they got that job straight out of school. It could have taken them several years of excellent performance for someone to give them a shot, or they may have known someone.

When I stated that you could overcome the degree later on, I meant overcome obstacles that will likely be in your chosen career path with that degree. While I agree that working for the big 4 or a large company isn't for everyone, it is nice to have options. Also, the majority of people with finance degrees end up working for a large company (big 4 or other) for the first few years to gain experience prior to moving to a smaller industry or starting a business.

Can you experience immediate success with an agribusiness degree? Sure, but initially it is likely going to be harder for you to get the opportunites you desire (and probably deserve) because of what your degree says.

Sorry to offend anyone with an agribusiness degree, that was not the intent. The people I know that got an agribusiness degree that were not star athletes or taking over the family business ended up with generic entry level jobs. There are people from all majors end up in crappy jobs, but alot of companies won't give someone with a nonstandard degree a shot when they have qualified canidates that "meet the requirements." Unless you have some things on your resume that make you stand out (multiple internships, high responsibility job in school, relevant work experience, etc.) you are truly putting yourself at a disadvantage during recruiting. Think about it.

P.S. Back when I transferred to Mays it was in the Spring, so unless they changed it, you should be able to transfer in. Also, most of the people at Mays are pretty reasonable so I find it hard to believe that if you are ready for upper level except being short one prereq they won't make an exception. This is assuming a good GPR, etc. Go talk to some people over there up to the dean if you have to and bargain your way in.

i just graduated with an AGBU degree and had multiple job offers from very diverse companies.

like you, i wanted to take more finance classes. i did that. being an agribusiness major allows you access to all of may's classes. you can take finc 371, a real estate class, whereas an AGEC major has to take a r/e course within the ag college.

i went into commercial r/e appraisals. it associates finance and mathematics and i'm intrigued by the entire process.

go for agbu. if you are intelligent, confident, and easy to speak to you'll land a great job.

Zig,

You can petition to get into May's since you are one class short. I was AGBU and petitioned in the summer before my junior year. They have to evaluate grades, classes, etc. It's worth a shot if you want finance and they still allow the petition process.

[This message has been edited by tamuag06 (edited 12/26/2007 10:45a).]

tamuag06, can I petition to Mays to get in once I'm at A&M for another major? Is there anything up on-line about it? I can't find anything.

For actually applying to A&M, my options are between an agribusiness degree with a minor in economics or an economics degree with a minor in business.

txglovedropper, did you have any problems with them allowing you to take whatever business electives you could? Was there a cap on how many you could take? I think the only thing about the degree that would (supposedly) hold me back is the name of it, but if I can take the real estate courses that I want to take with it, I might not let that bother me. It shouldn't bother the real estate companies I'd want to work for either, not if I can do the same thing with an economics degree. Did you have any problems with the degree like some of the other posters above?

Humorous, the AGEC receives a lot of flack and I'd prefer a regular economics degree over it.

falconace, I appreciate it but I'm really looking for some responses from people who actually have the degree or at least considered it in a situation like you. No offense, but the generalizations you make can be applied to just about any other degree, including my other option, economics. I'm interested in real estate development, not working for any of the companies you mentioned. Besides, I have relevant work experience so I'm not going to be a traditional college student in that sense.

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Just because you found a company's website that listed someone with a similar degree doesn't mean they got that job straight out of school. It could have taken them several years of excellent performance for someone to give them a shot, or they may have known someone.

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This is true for any decent career with any major. What's your point?

no. i had no problems taking whichever classes i wanted. obviously you have to stay true to the agbu cirriculum, but once completed, you're free to take whatever you'd like.

remember, agribusiness is a major within Mays business school. i took no more classes than i needed due to the tuition reimbursement stuff, but i could've stayed for an extra year and taken any class in the business school i wanted given i met the prerequisites.

the advisers might advise you not to take a lot of extra classes, but if you want to, take them. however, the advisers for agbu are great and will be tons of help.

and no, i had no problem with the ag part of my degree with employers. i interviewed along side of mktg, mgmt, and finc majors. when asked about my degree i just explained that the agribusiness degree is a broad business degree and instead of widget and gizmo examples we were given bushel and yield examples. as i posted earlier, you can prove your intelligence and work ethic in your interview. regardless of your major, if you have the personality of a door, what does it matter unless you're an engineer.


[This message has been edited by txglovedropper (edited 12/26/2007 9:55p).]

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Humorous, the AGEC receives a lot of flack and I'd prefer a regular economics degree over it.

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You shouldn't limit yourself. A business degree is great and all, but AGEC/ AGBU are slowly becoming the second business school. Economics gives you all theory, but very little applied learning. If you ever want to open a business, AGEC has a two part entrepreneurship class that is hard, yet absolutely genius and will not only get you experience, but real world contacts as well.

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Just because you found a company's website that listed someone with a similar degree doesn't mean they got that job straight out of school. It could have taken them several years of excellent performance for someone to give them a shot, or they may have known someone.
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This is true for any decent career with any major. What's your point?

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My point is that you were reasoning that because you found an example of someone succeeding in the industry with the ag degree. I was stating that while you found an example, it doesn't mean they got the job they wanted out of school. If I wanted to be a mechanical engineer but got a degree in computer science (same core engineering classes) and took mechanical engineering electives, I doubt most companies would hire me to be a mechanical engineer upon graduation. Later on, after meeting the right people and being given a chance, I might go on to be a successful mechanical engineer, but initially my career would be off to a slower start than if I got the right degree. I am neither, but same concept.

You keep getting upset at generalizations, but your first few posts don't give enough information to generate specifics. You certainly provided more information after you said my generalizations were incorrect for your situation. Many of my generalizations are based on ways the name of the degree could limit you, which you indicated in your original post was a fear.

Others (including those with ag degrees) have indicated that you should go for the finance degree rather than a makeshift one (either via agribusiness, agecon, or econ). If you know exactly what you want to do upon graduation with your career and have researched it and know that you are set regardless of what the degree says, great. However, I doubt this is the case since you came here and asked...

Sorry for attempting to help a fellow Ag, I guess I didn't provide the answers you were looking for.

Zig,

you might have to contact the UPO in Wehner to see if they still allow it and they will tell you the process. Don't know about anything online.

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You shouldn't limit yourself. A business degree is great and all, but AGEC/ AGBU are slowly becoming the second business school. Economics gives you all theory, but very little applied learning. If you ever want to open a business, AGEC has a two part entrepreneurship class that is hard, yet absolutely genius and will not only get you experience, but real world contacts as well.

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I would have to agree. As you can tell I'm partial to AGEC. I thought about the Mays route but honestly didn't care for the people in the business school (as a whole), and the econ department is very unorganized since they still do not have a true department head. One of the reasons I stuck with the Ag school is how helpful everyone is and the networking possibilities. Students compete, but also work together to help each other out and the advisors are wonderful. They worked with me espcially because I had a goal of graduating in 3 years so that I could start my masters this past fall...which I did.

Like posted above, there are many degree paths to take in AGEC so there are options. If you know what you want to do is finances then you should go for it. I had a great experience in the ag department and thats why I'm back. The profs will bend over backwards to help you now and in the future (also, you can understand them! I thought that was a huge plus!). Looking at my undergrad experience one of the things I enjoyed the most are the handshakes and people looking you in the eye when you pass and when you talk to them. With my experience this is hard to come by in the business school and for me more importantly the econ department. Once again, this is all IMO.

Good luck with whatever you decided, its till a degree from Texas A&M University. It can't be all bad.

My husband is AGEC, and the various options you could pursue allowed him quite a bit of flexibility in determining how he could shape his degree to personally benefit him. There is a real estate and finance option, and while this is not the option he has chosen, I know there have been times he has wanted to take electives through Mays and has not had any trouble.

I haven't read all of these posts because quite a few of them got really long, but I do have $.02 to throw in...

I got my AGBU undergrad degree in 2000 and then got my MS in Marketing in 2002. This worked out PERFECTLY for a few reasons...

1. I simply couldn't get into the business school - I slaughtered my GPA my freshman year without realizing the impact that it would have later on in my college career. So I transferred into AGEC (not yet knowing about the AGBU option) and eventually transitioned over to AGBU when I realized that I could take the Upper CBK in the business school giving me a good foundation for what I really wanted to do in the future. Plus it allowed me to take extra marketing classes as my electives which is what I really enjoyed.

2. It's an applicable degree in my opinion - you go through the Upper CBK with all of the other business majors and then come back to the agriculture side to apply it. When asked about Agribusiness, since many don't realize what it is, this is how I spin it.

3. I knew I wanted to go to Grad school - so it wasn't going to be the end of the line when it came to my education. And in grad school NOT having my BBA in Marketing actually was beneficial in my opinion - ESPECIALLY if you're staying at TAMU. My grad school colleagues that got their BBA in Marketing at TAMU and then got their MS in Marketing at TAMU had a lot of overlap - they had the same classes they had taken as undergrads again as grad students most often taught by the same professors. So they didn't get a lot 'extra' out of it.

4. I didn't want to be a number - which as an undergrad in the business school you are. My advisors in the AGEC/AGBU department were phenomenal - they not only knew my name, but knew my goals and helped me to achieve them. I'm not surprised that you've heard they are outstanding, because they truly are.

I think that's about it. Essentially if you're planning on going into the LERE program, your undergrad isn't going to matter at all when you're applying for jobs afterwards. My path worked out perfectly for me - I ended up in marketing for a decent size firm, which is exactly what I wanted upon graduation.