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The Master of Agribusiness Management program is an interdisciplinary degree between the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences and the College of Business and is administered by the Department of Agricultural Economics. It is designed to prepare students for careers in the agribusiness sector by combining core MBA courses with specific agribusiness content and issues.

With competitive prices and faculty with real world experience, you won’t find more value for your dollar than here at Mississippi State. Go ahead and look at other graduate programs – we even encourage it – but you won’t find a program that keeps your needs in mind like we do.

You’ll be amazed at the job positions that are available like agricultural lenders, agriculture educators, farm managers, agribusiness managers, crop insurance agents/adjusters, commodity brokers, agricultural policy analysts, extension agents, marketing/sales representatives and financial and market analysts.

Tuition & Fees

Tuition per credit hour $581.00
Instructional Support Fee per credit hour $25.00

Tuition and fees listed are subject to change and do not include all possible charges. Additional fees may apply. Please refer to the master class schedule for individual course charges.

Who should pursue this degree?

This coursework is designed to prepare students for careers in the agribusiness sector by combining core MBA courses with specific agribusiness content and issues. You will take graduate courses in accounting, finance and marketing along with graduate courses in the agricultural economics department.

Program Structure

The program curriculum is based on a total of 31 credit hours, with at least 16 hours from the Department of Agricultural Economics." And delete the following: Full time employment in any field can be substituted for internship experience. MABM students must also successfully complete a comprehensive oral examination.

All courses are offered on the semester system: spring, fall and summer. The Agricultural Economics courses are only offered at specified times in the year, however the MBA courses are offered each of the three semesters in the year, offering students the flexibility to arrange their schedules to fit their specific needs. The layout of the program is listed below.

Students must discuss course availability with the Director of the program prior to each registration period.

Required Courses:

Course Code Course Name
AEC 6530 Agribusiness Management Internship
FIN 8113 Corporate Finance
MKT 8153 Strategic Marketing Management
ACC 8213 Financial Statement and Management Accounting Report Analysis for Decision Making
AEC 6223 Applied Quantitative Analysis in Agricultural Economics*
AEC 6113 Agribusiness Firm Management*
6 hours approved Agricultural Economics courses
6 hours approved Elective courses

*If a student has taken an approved course equivalent prior to acceptance into the program, then another course may be substituted in its place

*The internship requirement may be replaced with approved coursework and/or a capstone project.

Foundational Requirements

There are foundational requirements for this program. Students do not need to have every foundational requirement completed before admissions, but they must have them completed before taking core program courses. Please speak with Matt Janzen, MABM Distance Director to see which prerequisites you would need to complete. He can be reached at mgj50@msstate.edu.

Additionally, some of these courses may be completed through “MBA Math”. MBA Math allows students to complete a course at a much lower cost and with much less time than a traditional course. Other courses that cannot be completed through this platform, can be completed through a CLEP exam or an online course, based on advisor approval.

These foundational requirements are:

  • ACC 2013 Financial Accounting
  • FIN 3123 Financial Management
  • EC 3123 Intermediate Microeconomics or equivalent
  • BQA I & II Statistics 1 and 2
  • Information Systems (or equivalent)

Example Program of Study

*Please be advised course offerings are subject to change and program of study updates can be made with the approval of an advisor. Please use the below Program of Study as an example.

Course Code Course Name Credit Hour
MGT 8113 Leadership Skills for Managerial Behavior 3
ACC 8213 Financial Statement and Management Accounting Report Analysis for Decision Making 3
MKT 8153 Strategic Marketing Management 3
MKT 8213 Operations/Supply Chain Management 3
FIN 8113 Corporate Finance 3
AEC 6363 Economics of Precision Agriculture 3
AEC 6223 Applied Quantitative Analysis in Agricultural Economics 3
AEC 6113 Agribusiness Firm Management 3
AEC 6623 Global Marketing of Agricultural Products 3
AEC 6530 Agribusiness Management Internship 4
Total Hours: 31

Admissions Requirements

Applications for the degree programs are reviewed three times a year. The application deadlines for those semesters are as follows:

  • Fall Semester – August 1
  • Spring Semester – December 1
  • Summer Semester – May 15

Students seeking full admission into the Master of Agribusiness Management program should apply as a classified student. Non-degree seeking students wishing to take classes offered through the program should apply as an Unclassified student.

An applicant for admission to graduate study must hold a bachelor's degree from a fully recognized four-year educational institution that has unconditional accreditation with appropriate regional accrediting agencies. They must meet the admission requirements of the Graduate School and the Master of Agribusiness Management program.

Regular admission to graduate study in the program requires a minimum grade point average (last four semesters of undergraduate work) of 3.00/4.00. When a student is deficient in one of the criteria cited, the student's application, nevertheless, may be considered for admission based on the strength of other materials contained in the student's application.

Admissions Options

Domestic/International Classified Admissions

  1. Submit online application. You will choose Master of Agribusiness Management as your Program of Study and Online Education as your campus.
  2. Statement of Purpose
  3. Three letters of recommendation
    • You will be asked to submit three names and three email addresses of individuals you are using as references. Once you click submit, these individuals will be sent an email from MSU, which will provide a link to an online form for completing their recommendations.
  4. The GRE is not required for this program, but is encouraged for students that may not meet the minimum GPA requirement. TOEFL or IELTS scores are required for international students
    • ETS is providing home testing for the TOEFL iBT test, and MSU is encouraging students to take advantage of this testing option. For those students applying for the summer or fall 2020 semester who have taken the TOEFL within five years of the semester they plan to enroll and are unable to access the TOEFL iBT test from home, we will accept your previous test scores.
    • The department evaluates the overall admissions packet in considering a student for the program.
  5. One official transcript showing bachelor’s degree or progress toward degree. (For international students, please submit a copy in native language along with translated copies, if appropriate.)
  6. One official transcript showing ALL work after bachelor’s degree. (For international students, please submit a copy in native language along with translated copies, if appropriate.)
    • Electronic transcripts should be sent to: gradapps@grad.msstate.edu Mississippi State University, Graduate School. Only one copy of an electronic transcript is required.
    • Paper Transcripts Address (USPS):
      Mississippi State University
      The Office of the Graduate School
      P.O. Box G
      Mississippi State, MS 39762
    • Physical Street Address (for DHL, Fed Ex, UPS, DHS, etc.):
      Mississippi State University
      The Office of the Graduate School
      175 President Circle
      116 Allen Hall
      Mississippi State, MS 39762
  7. Payment of $60 non-refundable application processing fee for domestic students.
    Payment of $80 non-refundable application processing fee for international students.
  8. Once you are admitted, you will receive an email with complete instructions on registering for classes and contacting your advisor

Attention International Students

Applicants whose native language is not English must submit the results of either the TOEFL or IELTS exam. Prospective students should contact ETS (TOEFL) or IELTS for testing information. The Graduate School maintains a list of countries exempt from English language requirements. Please consult the Graduate Catalog for specific English Language test score requirements.

English Language Test Score Requirements

TOEFL Essentials TOEFL iBT IELTS Admission Eligibility Outcome
9 and above 79 and above 6.5 and above Eligible for admission for any term and a graduate assistantship Considered proficient in English. Applicant is not required to enroll in an ESL course unless his/her academic program requires a higher test score.
8.0-8.5 69-78 6.0-6.4 Eligible for admission for Fall, Spring, or Summer and a graduate assistantship. Scores indicate a need for assistance in English writing, research, and editing skills. Applicant must enroll in EAP 5323 Academic Research and Writing. Student may enroll in up to 6 credit hours in his/her graduate program.
7.0-7.5 61-68 5.5-5.9 Eligible for admission for the Fall & Spring terms only. Not eligible for a graduate assistantship until ESL requirements are met. Applicant is required to enroll in ESL 5120, a 9-hour intensive English course (graded on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis). The student must complete this course prior to registering for courses in his/her graduate program. The student must then enroll in EAP 5323.
6.0-6.5 54-60 4.6-5.4 Eligible for admission for the Fall term only. Not eligible for a graduate assistantship until ESL requirements are met. Applicant is required to enroll in ESL 5110, an intensive English course (graded on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis). The student cannot enroll in courses in his/her program until ESL 5110 and ESL 5120 have been successfully completed. The student must then complete ESL 5120 before proceeding to enroll in EAP 5323.
5.5 and below 53 and below 4.5 and below Not eligible for admission to the Graduate School. Applicant can enroll in the English Language Institute on a non-credit basis after which he/she can retake the English-language test in preparation for submitting another application to graduate study at MSU.

Contact Information

Photo of Samantha Clardy

Samantha Clardy

Enrollment & Onboarding Coach

  • General Program Questions
  • Assistance with Admissions Process & Requirements
662-325-9092
Headshot of Mark Jimerson

Mark Jimerson

Retention & Engagement Coach

  • Current Student Inquires
  • Academic & Support Services Assistance
662-325-2655
Matt Janzen Headshot Photo

Matthew Janzen

Agricultural Economics

  • MABM Distance Program Director
662-325-4787
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Department of Agricultural Economics