Business Administration with Agri-Business Emphasis

Agriculture today is so much more than farming! Jobs available for graduates with a master’s degree in agri-business vary widely, and include farm management or marketing, agricultural policy or market analyst, logistics, international agricultural policy or marketing, quality control, and so much more!

The M.B.A. with Agri-Business Emphasis is offered by the Rankin College of Business at SAU and is fully accredited by AACSB International, the premier accrediting body for colleges and schools of business. Fewer than 5% of all business programs worldwide are accredited by AACSB, which indicates the quality of our program. The agri-business emphasis curriculum includes graduate level courses in accounting, agriculture markets and prices, finance, marketing, organizational theory, business analytics, strategic management, supply chain management, international trade of agriculture products, agricultural policies and management of agricultural production.

Additionally, critical perspectives will be emphasized within the program. These include ethical, global, political, social, legal and regulatory, and environmental issues; technology; demographic diversity; and written and oral communication skills.

Learning Goals

1. MBA students will be effective communicators, using information technology to enhance decision making through better communication.
2. MBA students are prepared to be socially responsible, effective business leaders with an awareness of cultural and diversity issues and the ability to make ethical decisions.
3. MBA students will be critical thinkers who are able to use concepts from strategic management to integrate relevant information, decision-making techniques, and concepts from multiple business disciplines to make decisions in new or unfamiliar circumstances.
4. MBA students can effectively and legally access and use information to prepare an effective written report that supports decision making.
5. MBA students will be competent in the business discipline.

The M.B.A. curriculum is designed primarily for graduates of a Bachelor of Business Administration program, but graduates of other programs can enter the program by completing a 24-hour prerequisite program.

The M.B.A. Agri-Business program consists of 33 hours of course requirements. The program is available fully online. A student can complete courses fully online or through a combination of online and night classes. Qualified students may enter the program any semester during the 2-year rotation.

MBA with Agri-Business Emphasis Requirements (33 hours)

• Accounting for Decision Making
• Agriculture Markets and Prices
• International Trade of Agriculture Products
• Agricultural Policies
• Management of Agricultural Production
• Managerial Finance
• Strategic Planning and Analysis
• Human Behavior in Organizations
• Business Analytics
• Strategic Marketing
• Enterprise Resource Planning

A student may be admitted into the MBA program if he/she holds a bachelor’s degree or equivalent from an accredited college or university regardless of the undergraduate field of study. Should a student have an undergraduate degree other than business, prerequisites would include:

• Six hours of principles of accounting (sophomore level or above),
• Three hours of business finance or financial management (junior level or above),
• Three hours of statistics (at the junior level or above),
• Three hours of principles of marketing (at the junior level or above),
• Three hours of micro- economics (sophomore level or above), and
• Three hours of organization theory and behavior or principles of management (junior level or above).