Graduate Catalog
2022-2023
 
Policies, Procedures, Academic Programs
Agricultural and Applied Economics
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Academics and agricultural administration; completed February 1940. Cost $206,000; 39,280 sq. ft, Originally known as New Agricultural Hall. Named after Thomas Barksdale Hutcheson (1882-1950) was Head of the Department of Agronomy from 1914 to 1945 and Dean of the School of Agriculture from 1946 to 1950. He lived in the dairy barn at Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute (Virginia Tech), working his way through college by milking cows.
208, Mail Code:0401 Blacksburg VA 24061
Hutcheson Hall
Degree(s) Offered:
• MS
MS Degree in Agricultural and Applied Economics
Minimum GPA: 3.0
Offered In:
• PhD
PhD Degree in Agricultural and Applied Economics
Minimum GPA: 3.0
Offered In:
Email Contact(s):
Web Resource(s):
Phone Number(s):
540/231-0913
Application Deadlines:
Fall: Jan 05
Directions
To get Google Maps directions from:

The Graduate School
to
Hutcheson Hall

Get Directions

Department Head : Matthew Holt
Graduate Program Director : Susan Chen (Graduate Program Director)
Professors: Jeffrey Alwang; Darrell Bosch; Kevin Boyle; George Davis; Michael Ellerbrock; Jason Grant; Matthew Holt; Olga Isengildina Massa; Bradford Mills; Klaus Moeltner; Stephen Stephenson
Associate Professors: Susan Chen; Catherine Larochelle
Assistant Professors: Elinor Benami; John Bovay; Zhenshan Chen; Anubhab Gupta; Xi He; Chanita Holmes; Shamar Stewart; Chi Ta; Wei Zhang; Jonathan van Senten
John B. and Kristi L. Rowsell Professor: Olga Isengildina Massa
W.G. Wysor Professor of Agriculture: Jason Grant
Associate Professor of Practice: Dixie Dalton
Professor of Practice: Jennifer Friedel

Agricultural and Applied Economics Introduction

The Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics (AAEC) offers a strong and growing graduate program that provides exciting study and research opportunities for students and has an outstanding record of graduate student placement. AAEC offers a M.S. in Agricultural and Applied Economics and a Ph.D. in Economics jointly with the Department of Economics. 

The Master's degree focuses on applied economics. A student may select courses that build upon a broad-based undergraduate economics curriculum or may specialize in a specific field of interest. By their choices among core courses and use of various electives, students may develop specialties in diverse areas including, but not limited to General Economics, Econometrics and Quantitative Methods, Food and Health Economics, Natural Resource and Environmental Economics, Food System Economics and Management, Policy and International Trade, and Economic Growth and Development. The M.S. degree offers both thesis and non-thesis options. Students enrolled in the Ph.D. program may use their Ph.D. coursework to simultaneously earn a master's degree.

In the joint Ph.D. program with the Department of Economics, Ph.D. students take a common set of core courses in the first three semesters of the program and a common written qualifying examination. AAEC Ph.D. students then complete field courses in each of their two major fields, and elective courses that support their areas of research specialization. AAEC offers fields in:
- applied econometrics,
- environmental and resource economics,
- food and health economics,
- international development and trade, and
- rural and regional development.

Graduate students pursuing M.S. and Ph.D. degrees are eligible for graduate teaching assistantships and graduate research assistantships.
Offered In ()

Degree Requirements

Minimum GPA: 3.0
Institution code: 5859
Testing Requirements:
  • TOEFL
    • Paper
      • 620.0
    • Computer
      • 260.0
    • iBT
      • 105.0
  • GRE
    • General Test
      • Verbal : 153.0
      • Quantitative : 144.0
M.S. degree: The general requirements for the master's degree thesis option are: (1) a minimum of 30 semester hours, including 24 hours of coursework and 6 hours of research and thesis (AAEC/ECON 5994), (2) completion of a thesis acceptable to the student's advisory committee, and (3) satisfactory performance on a final oral examination.

The general requirement for a M.S. degree with applied economics focus non-thesis option is a minimum of 30 semester hours of coursework of which at least 24 hours must be at the 5000-level or above. For the M.S. degree, a student must also pass a final oral or written examination.
Offered In ()

Degree Requirements

Minimum GPA: 3.0
Institution code: 5859
Testing Requirements:
  • TOEFL
    • Paper
      • 620.0
    • Computer
      • 260.0
    • iBT
      • 105.0
  • GRE
    • General Test
      • Verbal : 500.0
      • Quantitative : 500.0

Ph.D. degree: The Graduate School requirements for a Ph.D. degree include a minimum of 90 semester hours of graduate credit beyond the baccalaureate, with at least 27 hours of coursework and 30 hours of Research and Dissertation (AAEC/ECON 7994). For the Ph.D. degree in Economics, there are additional core coursework requirements. In the first year of the program, the core requirements include one semester each of mathematical economics and macroeconomic theory, and two semesters of microeconomic theory and econometric theory. In the second year of the program, the core requirements include one semester of applied microeconomic theory, one semester of microeconometrics, and one semester of macroeconomic theory. Students also take the AAEC 5004 seminar course in professional ethics and expectations their first Fall semester and AAEC 6004 Seminar in Professional Engagement and Communication in Spring of their second year.

Beginning in the second year of the program, Ph.D. students are required to complete two field courses in each of their two fields, and at least one elective course that supports their fields and areas of research specialization.

Beyond the core coursework requirements, individual programs of study are determined jointly by the student and his/her advisory committee chair. Students who are admitted to the Ph.D. program without having completed a master's degree at another institution often earn an M.S. at Virginia Tech as part of their Ph.D. program. The credit hours applied to the master's degree can also be counted toward the Ph.D. coursework requirements. A similar rule applies for students who are initially in a master's degree program and are subsequently admitted to the Ph.D. program.

In addition to coursework, Ph.D. students are required to pass three examinations: (1) a written qualifying examination, (2) a written and oral preliminary examination, and (3) a final oral dissertation defense. More information on these requirements is available at the Department's Graduate Program website.

Agricultural and Applied Economics Facilities Introduction

Students on assistantship are allocated office space in the department and offices are made available to those students not on assistantship as space allows. All students have access to a well-equipped graduate computer laboratory with microcomputers, laser printers, and scanners. Many graduate students are allocated personal computers in their office facilities. Computers are networked to servers, which provide a wide variety of word processing, statistical, spreadsheet, mathematical programming, and other software.

Agricultural and Applied Economics Facilities Introduction

Students on assistantship are allocated office space in the department and offices are made available to those students not on assistantship as space allows. All students have access to a well-equipped graduate computer laboratory with microcomputers, laser printers, and scanners. Many graduate students are allocated personal computers in their office facilities. Computers are networked to servers, which provide a wide variety of word processing, statistical, spreadsheet, mathematical programming, and other software.

Add this course listing feed to your website.
XML Feed Widget

Course Listing for Agricultural and Applied Economics

 
Loading...