Agricultural and Resource Economics (AREC)

Abstract

The Department offers both M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from one of the nation's premier graduate programs in agricultural and resource economics. Both programs focus on the application of advanced microeconomic theory and econometrics to issues in agricultural economics, environmental and resource economics, and development economics. Courses are taught by leading researchers in those fields, who combine rigorous scholarship with extensive policy experience. The Department's faculty includes internationally prominent scholars in agricultural, environmental and resource, and development economics. In recognition of their research, Department faculty members have received such international awards as Germany's Alexander von Humboldt Prize, the American Economic Association's John Bates Clark Medal, and the American Agricultural Economics Association's Quality of Research Discovery and Publication of Enduring Quality Awards, among others. Several have been elected fellows of such professional associations as the American Agricultural Economics Association, the Econometric Society, and the American Statistical Association. Department faculty members have served as presidents of the American Agricultural Economics Association and Association of Environmental and Resource Economists and as editors/associate editors of the American Journal of Agricultural Economics, the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, and Environment and Development Economics, among others. The policy experience of the Department's faculty equals its scholarship in both quality and extent. One faculty member served as an Assistant Secretary of Agriculture. Five have served on the staff of the President's Council of Economic Advisers. Other policy experience includes service as consultants to agencies and organizations like the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency, the World Bank, and the Inter-American Development Bank. The University's location in the Washington, D.C., area provides numerous opportunities for interaction with policy at the international, federal, and state levels due to convenient access to the World Bank, International Food Policy Research Institute, Resources for the Future, International Monetary Fund, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Agency for International Development, Food and Drug Administration, Inter-American Development Bank, Census Bureau, and a host of other such institutions and organizations. Questions about the Department's graduate programs should be directed to Barbara Burdick at bburdick@arec.umd.edu or 301-405-1291.

Admissions Information

At a minimum, students entering either our M.S. or Ph.D. program are expected to have the following preparation:

Knowledge of macroeconomic theory at the intermediate level and microeconomic theory at the advanced level.

Basic knowledge of differential and integral calculus.

Knowledge of elementary statistical methods. It is also desirable to have completed coursework in multivariate calculus, analysis and linear algebra before entering the graduate program. The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores, transcripts for all higher education, and three letters of recommendation are required with the application for admission. Part-time graduate study is not encouraged because no courses are taught in the evenings. Transfer from M.S. to Ph.D. Program Students enrolled in the Department's M.S. program may apply for admission to the Department's Ph.D. program by submitting a new Graduate School application, supplemental transcripts, and three letters of recommendation. The Graduate School application fee is waived if the student applies for the Ph.D. program in or before the semester in which the M.S. degree will be completed. Students within the Department's M.S. program need not submit GRE's when applying for the Ph.D. program.

Application Deadlines

Fall

Spring

Domestic Applicants:
U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents

Domestic Applicant Deadlines

Applications must be received by May 15 (February 1 preferred) .

This program does not accept applications for this semester.

International Applicants:
Applicants from Outside the U.S. or U.S. Citizens / Permanent Residents with Non-U.S. Credentials

IMPORTANT: International Applicants and U.S. Applicants with Non-U.S. Credentials must follow the domestic deadlines above if they are earlier than the deadlines listed below.

Applicants seeking admission under F (Student) or J (Exchange Visitor) visas

February 1
If Domestic Deadline is after Feb. 1

June 1
If Domestic Deadline is after Jun. 1

Applicants seeking admission under A, E, G, H, I, and L visas and immigrants

May 1
If Domestic Deadline is after May 1

October 1
If Domestic Deadline is after Jun. 1

U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents with foreign credentials

May 15
If Domestic Deadline is after May 15

October 31
If Domestic Deadline is after Oct.31

Application Requirements

We normally admit M.S. and Ph.D. students for the fall semester only, since the first year program consists of course sequences that begin only in the fall. Application for admission to both the Department's M.S. and Ph.D. programs is made through the Graduate School. In addition to the completed application form, the Graduate School requires and admission decisions depend on:
Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores;
One copy of the transcript of record from all institutions attended since high school
Three letters of recommendation; and Students from non-English-speaking countries are required to demonstrate English proficiency by providing scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and Test of Written English (TWE).

	Fall	Spring
Domestic Applicants: U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents
Domestic Applicant Deadlines	Applications must be received by May 15 (February 1 preferred) .	This program does not accept applications for this semester.

International Applicants: Applicants from Outside the U.S. or U.S. Citizens / Permanent Residents with Non-U.S. Credentials IMPORTANT: International Applicants and U.S. Applicants with Non-U.S. Credentials must follow the domestic deadlines above if they are earlier than the deadlines listed below.
Applicants seeking admission under F (Student) or J (Exchange Visitor) visas	February 1 If Domestic Deadline is after Feb. 1	June 1 If Domestic Deadline is after Jun. 1
Applicants seeking admission under A, E, G, H, I, and L visas and immigrants	May 1 If Domestic Deadline is after May 1	October 1 If Domestic Deadline is after Jun. 1
U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents with foreign credentials	May 15 If Domestic Deadline is after May 15	October 31 If Domestic Deadline is after Oct.31

Degree Requirements

Master of Science (M.S.)
The M.S. program trains students to conduct economic research in the fields of agricultural economics, environmental and resource economics, and development economics. It provides rigorous training in microeconomic theory and econometrics and in the application of microeconomics and econometrics to policy issues. Students completing their MS degrees go on to work in U.S. government agencies, international organizations, and consulting firms. There are two options for completing the M.S. degree: thesis and non-thesis. Both options require the same basic coursework in microeconomic theory and econometrics:

The first semester of the sequence in microeconomic theory (ECON 603).

A two-semester sequence in applied econometrics (AREC 623 and 624).

A one-semester course on mathematical methods (AREC 620).

A one-semester course on applications of microeconomic theory to agricultural and resource economics (AREC 610). The first-year coursework normally includes these 17 credits (3 credits each for ECON 603, AREC 620, AREC 610 plus 4 credits each for AREC 623 and AREC 624). M.S. students fulfill additional coursework requirement as described below by taking electives to suit their own interests during their second year. Elective courses are normally selected from M.S. level courses (600 level or above) in AREC or ECON but may be taken in other disciplines with adviser approval. The thesis option requires a minimum of 24 credits of coursework (i.e., 7 credits of electives in addition to the 17 credits of required courses), 6 credits of M.S. thesis research (AREC 799), and completion and defense of an M.S. thesis. The non-thesis option requires a minimum of 33 credits of coursework (i.e., 16 credits of electives in addition to the 17 credits of required coursework), passage of a comprehensive examination, and defense of a scholarly paper.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
The Ph.D. program trains students to design, lead, and implement economic research projects in the fields of environmental and resource economics, agricultural economics, and development economics. It provides rigorous training in microeconomic theory and econometrics and in the application of microeconomics and econometrics to policy issues. Students completing their Ph.D. degrees find employment in academia, U.S. government agencies, international organizations, and consulting firms. Requirements for the Ph.D. degree include a minimum of 43 credits of coursework, completion of a two-course field in agricultural and resource economics, 12 credits of Ph.D. dissertation research (AREC 899), successful completion of qualifying examinations in microeconomic theory and econometrics, development and defense of a dissertation prospectus, and successful defense of a Ph.D. dissertation. The first year of the program consists of 20 credits of basic coursework in microeconomic theory, econometrics, and mathematical methods. It consists of the following courses: AREC 610, AREC 620, AREC 623, AREC 624, ECON 603, and ECON 604. The second year of the program consists mainly of elective field coursework. The normal second-year course load is 20 credits (6 courses of 3 credits each plus two 1-credit dissertation proposal preparation classes). All Ph.D. students are required to complete one of the three following two-course fields in the Agricultural and Resource Economics Department: Agricultural Policy (AREC 825, AREC 832), Development Economics (AREC 845, AREC 846), Environmental and Resource Economics (AREC 785, ECON 781). Additionally, each PhD student is required to take four additional 3-credit PhD-level field courses. Two of these must be selected from those offered by the Department while the other two can be chosen from those offered either by the Department, the Economics Department, or supporting departments on campus with adviser approval. During each semester of their second-year, students are also required to take a 1-credit course intended to help students develop a written dissertation proposal (AREC 869J and AREC 869K). The final course requirement is AREC 869P, Advanced Topics in Agricultural Economics (3 credits), which consists of more intensive preparation for writing a dissertation prospectus. It is normally taken during the fall semester of the third year. This requirement is waived for any student who has completed a dissertation prospectus and passed a prospectus examination before the fall semester of the third year. The Department administers two written examinations at the end of the first year of coursework to determine whether the student has acquired the skills necessary to continue Ph.D. work. One examination tests students' ability to analyze economic problems applying microeconomic theory such as taught in the first year program (AREC 610, AREC 620, ECON 603, and ECON 604). The second tests students' ability to apply econometric techniques such as taught in the first year program (AREC 623 and AREC 624). Both examinations must be taken at the end of the student's first academic year in the program. A student who is unable to pass one or both exams at the Ph.D. level or better in two attempts will not be permitted to continue in the Ph.D. program. Admission to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree requires:

A B (3.0) average or better in graduate coursework,

Passing both qualifying examinations at the Ph.D. level or better, and

Having an approved Ph.D. dissertation prospectus. The prospectus presents the student's dissertation proposal, including a topic, background, literature review, and proposed methodology. It is prepared under the guidance of and must be approved by a three-person core committee headed by the thesis advisor and appointed by the Director of Graduate Studies.

Facilities and Special Resources

The Department provides a 24-hour a day, 365-day a year computer lab for our graduate students. The lab has 18 Dell Optiplex 270 PCs (P4 3.0 GHz, 2GB RAM) with the Windows XP operating system. The machines have the entire AREC suite of software installed on them including Microsoft Office, ArcInfo, SAS, Limdep, Gauss, Mathematica, Maple, MatLab, Stata, Acrobat Reader, Symantec Anti-Virus, Scientific Word, and many other programs. The Lab is supported by a series of file servers which provide storage space of 200 MB to 1 gigabyte per student, Exchange email service, FTP file transfer service, and web services. Printing is provided by an HP 4250 workgroup printer. Graduate students can access the AREC network and Internet from home via the WAM dialup supported by OIT. Graduate students also have access to various Unix workstations and minicomputers on campus. Wireless access is available to the campus network. The Department offers close proximity to an incomparable array of government agencies, international institutions, and non-governmental organizations devoted to environmental issues, agricultural policy, natural resource management, and international development. Opportunities for attending stimulating seminars abound. Many students find useful work experience, access to data, and cutting-edge thesis topics as well as future employment through these organizations. These include (all within approximately 10 miles) the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and U.S. Economic Research Service, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Resources for the Future, the Joint Institute for Food Science and Nutrition, and Joint Global Change Research Institute, the National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, the International Food Policy Research Institute, the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center with its National Agricultural Library, as well as the U.S. Capitol, Senate, and House of Representatives.

Financial Assistance

Graduate assistantships are offered to qualified applicants on the basis of past academic performance, research potential, and availability of funds. Many full-time students in the Department hold assistantships or some other form of financial aid. Part- time and summer work are sometimes available for students who do not have assistantships. graduate fellowships are also available on a competitive basis. The Department offers financial assistance in the form of graduate assistantships and fellowships. To apply, use the form for requesting financial assistance included in the Graduate School application packet. Graduate Assistantships Many of our students are supported by graduate assistantships with responsibilities for either research or teaching. Graduate assistants are expected to work an average of 20 hours a week on their research or teaching duties. They must maintain at least a B average. They are considered employees of the University and are thus covered by health insurance. In addition to a competitive salary, graduate assistants receive tuition remission for up to 10 credits in the fall and spring semesters and up to 4 credits each summer semester. Fellowships The Department awards a limited number of fellowships each year to highly qualified applicants. Annual fellowship stipends are highly competitive. Fellowship awards also include tuition remission of up to twelve credits per semester. Fellowships are awarded to Ph.D. students for two (2) years and M.S. students for one (1) year. After the expiration of the fellowship, the Department expects to provide Ph.D. fellowship recipients with an additional two years of support (and M.S. fellowship recipients with an additional year of support) as a graduate assistant subject to satisfactory academic progress. All applicants for financial aid are automatically considered for fellowships as well as assistantships. Financial assistance in the form of loans and work study may also be available. Interested students should contact the University's Office of Student Financial Aid.

Contact Information

The AREC Graduate Program website at http://www.arec.umd.edu/academic/gradprog/ provides course requirements, examination procedures, and descriptive material for the M.S. and Ph.D. programs.

Graduate Program
2200A Symons Hall
College Park, MD 20742
Telephone: (301) 405-1291
barbb@arec.umd.edu

http://www.arec.umd.edu/