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Graduate Studies

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MS Program

The Department offers a Master of Science in two concentrations: Agricultural Economics and Natural Resource Economics. Both concentrations require 31 hours of coursework.

The Agricultural Economics concentration is designed to prepare students for analytical and research careers in the public and private sectors.

The Natural Resource Economics concentration integrates coursework in agricultural and resource economics with courses from other disciplines, such as geography, political science, forestry, bio-systems engineering and sociology.

Dual MS/MBA Program

The Haslam College of Business and the Herbert College of Agriculture offer a dual program leading to the conferral of both the MBA and the MS in Agricultural and Resource Economics with an emphasis on agribusiness.

The program is directed toward management of agribusiness firms within the agricultural-consulting, bioenergy, food-processing, input-supply, marketing, and transportation industries, among others.

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PhD Concentration

The Department offers students the opportunity to pursue a PhD in Natural Resources with a concentration in Natural Resource Economics. The PhD program in Natural Resources is located administratively within the School of Natural Resources. Coursework for the degree draws heavily from both the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics and the Department of Economics.

MS in Agricultural Economics or Natural Resource Economics

Application Checklist

  • A completed online graduate application
  • Submission of payment
  • Official undergraduate transcripts from all universities attended
  • Official GRE/GMAT scores
    • Applicants who have earned a BS in Agricultural & Resource Economics from this department are not required to take the GRE.
  • Official TOEFL/IELTS Test Scores for applicants whose native language is not English
  • Three email addresses of recommenders who will submit Graduate School Rating Forms and letters of recommendation
  • Statement of Purpose

Prerequisites

Agricultural & Resource Economics (thesis & non-thesis) or Natural Resource Economics (thesis)

  • At least a B average (3.0 GPA) of undergraduate studies
  • Intermediate Microeconomics Theory (3 hours)
  • Statistics (6 hours)
  • Calculus (3 hours)

Dual MS/MBA Program

Application Checklist

  • A completed online graduate application
  • Submission of payment
  • Official undergraduate transcripts from all universities attended
  • Official GMAT scores
    • Applicants who have earned a BS in Agricultural & Resource Economics from this department are not required to take the GRE.
  • Official TOEFL/IELTS Test Scores for applicants whose native language is not English
  • Three email addresses of recommenders who will submit Graduate School Rating Forms and letters of recommendation
  • Statement of Purpose

Prerequisites

  • At least a B average (3.0 GPA) of undergraduate studies
  • Calculus (3 hours)
  • Recommended background – Intermediate Microeconomics Theory (3 hours)
  • Recommended background – Statistics (6 hours)

MBA applications are accepted for fall semester only. Dual applicants must comply with and be accepted by Graduate Admissions for the Master of Business Administration and the Master of Science in Agricultural & Resource Economics. Admitted Dual program students will be assigned an adviser from each college.

University of Tennessee Haslam College of Business Full-Time MBA Program

Natural Resources PhD with a concentration in Natural Resource Economics

Application Checklist

Prerequisites

  • At least a 3.0 GPA (3.3 GPA for international students) in previous graduate coursework
  • Recommended background: MS degree from accredited university or college

The Natural Resource Economics concentration is listed administratively on the application form in the School of Natural Resources. Please find Natural Resources PhD in School of Natural Resources and select Natural Resource Economics concentration.

Additional Information

There are no minimum scores for the GRE/GMAT set by the department or the Graduate School. However, assistantships and funding are very competitive and having higher scores can help during the decision-making process.

The Institutional code for submitting exam scores is 1843.

If you experience problems uploading information into the online application, please contact your admission specialist in the Office of Graduate Admissions.

If you have any questions regarding any of our graduate programs, please email the Administrative Assistant for the Graduate Program, Amy Cooley, at acooley@tennessee.edu or the Director of Graduate Studies, Dr. Edward Yu, at tyu1@utk.edu

or for Dual MS/MBA Program – Haslam Business College: Tom Bates at tbates6@utk.edu

or for PhD Program: Dr. Edward Yu at tyu1@utk.edu

or contact a member of our Graduate Committee or Recruiting Committee.

University of Tennessee Graduate School

Learn about our new Accelerated BS-MS program on our Undergraduate Studies page.

Assistantships are awarded on a competitive basis after admissions decisions have been made. Assistantships are always contingent upon funding and there are no guarantees.

MS Thesis Option

We typically offer 12-month half-time assistantship funding that requires 20 hours of work per week in the Department’s research and teaching programs. For the 2024-2025 academic year, our assistantship offers a stipend of $28,696 per year ($2,391.3 per month) and includes health insurance, a waiver of resident (called a maintenance fee at UT), and non-resident tuition for up to two years. Students must maintain a cumulative 3.00 GPA and successfully present their thesis proposal to their thesis committee before the beginning of the second year to maintain their assistantships for the second year.

Dual MBA-MS in Agricultural and Resource Economics

In limited instances, the Department is able to offer a 9-month assistantship in the MS portion of the program in the second year. The assistantship requires 10 hours of work per week in the Department’s research and teaching programs.

Natural Resource PhD with a Concentration in Natural Resource Economics

The PhD assistantship funding is available in limited instances.

The Graduate Program Requirements Booklet can be found in PDF format below. This booklet provides prospective students, current students, and faculty with information regarding application procedures and requirements, Departmental policies, a Graduate Faculty listing, and procedures governing programs, concentrations, and fields. Any questions in regards to the Department, the booklet, or applying can be sent to Amy Cooley at acooley@utk.edu.

Graduate Program Requirements Booklet

UT Agricultural and Resource Economics math primer

These primers are designed to give students entering the M.S. program in Agricultural Economics at the University of Tennessee a refresher on some basic mathematical tools that will be used during the program.

To learn more about our graduate program, assistantships and your career opportunities contact our Director of Graduate Studies or our main office.

Edward Yu
Director of Graduate Studies


302 Morgan Hall
865-974-7231 main office

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