Program Description

This program provides training for a wide variety of career opportunities for agribusiness graduates.  These include, food and fiber production, marketing, and finance to agricultural support organizations and government agencies. The Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Business degree program enables students to obtain a strong foundation in agriculture, finance, management, and economics to make business decisions and minimize risk. Also, uses applied mathematics and statistics to analyze prices and markets. Agricultural Business program emphasizes coursework in areas such as accounting, finance, marketing, international agricultural trade, economics, and agriculture related courses.

Program Objectives

Upon completion of the Bachelor of Science Degree in Agricultural Business students will be able to:

  1. Demonstrate an understanding of global issues relevant to agribusiness and agricultural development.
  2. Create and present an agribusiness plan that incorporates market analysis, risk analysis, and financial analysis.
  3. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the interconnections between production, marketing, and the consumption of food and fiber.
  4. Interpret and analyze a set of coordinated financial statements consisting of balance sheets, income statement, and cash flow statement.
  5. Evaluate the impact of trade policy, market instability, trade agreements and environmental regulations on imports and exports in international agricultural trade.
  6. Apply management theories and principles to the development of agribusiness issues.
  7. Apply economic principles to problems of farms, ranches, and other institutions in the food and fiber industries.
  8. Demonstrate an understanding of agricultural marketing structure in the United States, U.S.V.I., the Caribbean and globally.
  9. Understand and discuss the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the World Trade Organization (WTO).
  10. Demonstrate an understanding of profit maximization in production.

Graduation Requirements

Bachelor of Science Degree: Agricultural Business (120 Credits)

Students in the BS program in Agricultural Business will fulfill General Education requirements outlined for the BS degree by taking Freshman Studies courses (if required), taking a proscribed set of 3 humanities courses and 9 additional humanities credits to fulfill the 18-credit humanities requirement, taking 21 credits of proscribed science and math courses, and taking 9 credits of social sciences. Total credits earned must add to 120 credits. Other Requirements*.

A. General Education Requirements                                                                                                        57 credits

B. Agricultural Business Requirements                                                                                                  60 credits

C. Elective Courses                                                                                                                                              3- 13 credits

Total                                                                                                                                                                              120 credits

*Other Requirements (2 Credits): Students are required to take 0.5 credit hour in Physical Education for every semester they are full-time students up to the required two credits. PLS 200 may be used to meet this requirement.

English Proficiency Examination

Computer Literacy Examination

Paradigm (Degree Plan)

First Year (Semester 1)

Course Number Course Name Credit Hours
FDS § Freshman Development Seminar 1
ENG120 English Composition 3
MAT 140 or MAT 143 College Algebra with Applications or Pre-Calculus Algebra 4
BIO 141 General Biology 1 4
MGT 100 Concepts of Management 1
AGR101 Introduction to Agriculture 3
    Total: 16

First Year (Semester 2)

Course Number Course Name Credit Hours
SSC 100 § Introduction to the Social Sciences 3
SCI 100 § The Natural World: The Caribbean 3
BIO 142 Agricultural Economics 4
AGR 112 Careers in Agriculture 1
AGR 140 Introduction to Soil Science 4
    Total: 15

Second Year (Semester 3)

Course Number Course Name Credit Hours
AGR 210 Agricultural Cooperatives 2
COM 119 Interpersonal Communication & Leadership Skills 3
AGR 201 Agricultural Economics 4
SCI 220 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) 3
AGR 203 Farm Management Planning 4
    Total: 16

Second Year (Semester 4)

Course Number Course Name Credit Hours
  Humanities 3
AGR 335 International Agricultural Trade 3
AGR 223 Agricultural Policy and Reform 3
  Social Science 3
ENT 205 Innovation and Entrepreneurship 3
    Total: 15

Third Year (Semester 5)

Course Number Course Name Credit Hours
MAT 235 Introductory Statistics with Application 4
AGR 206 Animal Science 4
ENG 201 Research and Applies Writing 3
AGR 336 Principles of Agricultural Business 3
  Humanities 3
    Total: 17

Third Year (Semester 6)

Course Number Course Name Credit Hours
AGR 202 Agronomy 4
AGR 255 Agriculture Internship 3
  Social Science 3
ENT 308 Businesss Growth and Renewal Strategies 3
CHEM 111 Principles of Chemistry 4
    Total: 17

Fourth Year (Semester 7)

Course Number Course Number Credit Hours
  Humanities 3
AGR 302 Quality Assurance of Agricultural Products 3
AGR 414 Agricultural FInance 3
  Social Science 3
    Total: 12

Fourth Year (Semester 8)

Course Number Course Name Credit Hours
AGR 430 Production Economics 3
AGR 417 Project Planning and Appraisal 3
AGR 425 Agricultural Marketing 3
  Electives (Two Courses) 4
    Total: 13

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

§: Required for all freshman students matriculating into the university with less than 24 credits.