This major will show you how to use economic and management principles to understand and optimize the way we produce and distribute food. You鈥檒l gain a foundation in agriculture and international development, food systems, trade and natural resource management, and policy.
Your courses will be taken at 平特五不中's聽Macdonald Campus and on the Downtown Campus, in the Desautels Faculty of Management. Some of your classes may also have fieldwork or lab components.
Students who complete this major with the Professional Agrology and Agribusiness specializations will be eligible to apply to the [Order of Agrologists of Quebec]. You may also be eligible for professional certification in other provinces and countries.
Your courses
The Bachelor of Science (Agricultural and Environmental Sciences) - Major in Agricultural Economics聽consists of 42 credits of core courses plus at least one 24-credit specialization.
In this flexible, interdisciplinary program, you鈥檒l take courses in economics, marketing, finance, resource economics, and public policy. You can also explore environmental issues or agriculture in more depth depending on your chosen specialization.
Suggested specializations
In the Agricultural Economics major, you鈥檒l need to choose at least one specialization. We recommend:
Agribusiness
Understanding agriculture and food systems, including financial and market analysis and the appropriate policies for agriculture and food systems.
Environmental Economics
Economics, environmental policies, and the management of natural resources integrated with biological and environmental sciences.
Professional Agrology
Agrology encompasses the science and technology required for agricultural production.
To become a member of the Ordre des agronomes du Qu茅bec (OAQ) [Order of Agrologists of Quebec], you will need to take both the Agribusiness and Professional Agrology specializations.
Membership in the OAQ is also possible through the聽Agro-Environmental Sciences聽major or the聽Bioresource Engineering听辫谤辞驳谤补尘.
Career paths
This program will prepare you for careers in many sectors, including government and non-profit organizations, international development, and the multibillion-dollar agri-food industry. You could work in:
- Agribusiness, farming, or natural resources management
- Environmental economy
- Policy analysis
- Banking, finance, marketing (agri-food)
- Professional agrology
Internships & research
You can choose to complete an internship at a farm or relevant business as one of your complementary courses. Our students have been:
- Optimizing software used by Quebec dairy producers to manage their business
- Documenting grain trading activities among businesses undergoing a merger
- Evaluating agricultural producers鈥� funding requests to financial institutions
- Exploring alternatives for聽pricing pork in Quebec
A聽Bachelor's degree聽is an undergraduate degree that normally takes 3 to 4 full-time years of study to complete, depending on the student鈥檚 previous education system.
If you are applying from high school (outside of Quebec's CEGEP system), you cannot apply directly to this major. You must apply to the associated聽Freshman/Foundation Year听辫谤辞驳谤补尘.