This is a named option in the Agricultural and Applied Economics MS.

The Agricultural and Applied Economics Professional Option (MSPO) program is a full-time, 15-month, accelerated professional master’s program designed to meet the growing private sector demand for quantitatively-skilled analysts and managers. Please visit the AAE MS AAE Professional Option website for more information.

The department also offers an AAE MS Option.

Admissions

Please consult the table below for key information about this degree program’s admissions requirements. The program may have more detailed admissions requirements, which can be found below the table or on the program’s website.

Graduate admissions is a two-step process between academic programs and the Graduate School. Applicants must meet the minimum requirements of the Graduate School as well as the program(s). Once you have researched the graduate program(s) you are interested in, apply online.

Fall Deadline April 15 for international applicants; June 1 for domestic applicants*
Spring Deadline This program does not admit in the spring.
Summer Deadline May 1**
GRE (Graduate Record Examinations) Required.
English Proficiency Test Every applicant whose native language is not English, or whose undergraduate instruction was not exclusively in English, must provide an English proficiency test score earned within two years of the anticipated term of enrollment. Refer to the Graduate School: Minimum Requirements for Admission policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1241.
Other Test(s) (e.g., GMAT, MCAT) n/a
Letters of Recommendation Required 2
*

Priority deadline: March 15

**

Domestic applicant deadline to accept admission: June 30

Preparatory Coursework

Strong applicants to the Agricultural and Applied Economics - MS Professional Option will have successfully completed undergraduate courses in intermediate microeconomics, multivariate calculus, and introductory statistics.

For details on the Agricultural and Applied Economics MS application process, please visit the department application site.

For more information on the MS degree, contact the Graduate Academic Program Manager listed in the contact information box.

Funding

Graduate School Resources

Resources to help you afford graduate study might include assistantships, fellowships, traineeships, and financial aid. Further funding information is available from the Graduate School. Be sure to check with your program for individual policies and restrictions related to funding.

Program Resources 

Students enrolled in this program are not eligible to receive tuition remission from graduate assistantship appointments at this institution.

AAE has limited scholarships for Professional Option students. Applications will be reviewed for admission and funding with the initial application.

Minimum Graduate School Requirements

Review the Graduate School minimum academic progress and degree requirements, in addition to the program requirements listed below.

Named Option Requirements 

Mode of Instruction

Face to Face Evening/Weekend Online Hybrid Accelerated
Yes No No Yes Yes

Mode of Instruction Definitions

Accelerated: Accelerated programs are offered at a fast pace that condenses the time to completion. Students typically take enough credits aimed at completing the program in a year or two.

Evening/Weekend: ​Courses meet on the UW–Madison campus only in evenings and/or on weekends to accommodate typical business schedules.  Students have the advantages of face-to-face courses with the flexibility to keep work and other life commitments.

Face-to-Face: Courses typically meet during weekdays on the UW-Madison Campus.

Hybrid: These programs combine face-to-face and online learning formats.  Contact the program for more specific information.

Online: These programs are offered 100% online.  Some programs may require an on-campus orientation or residency experience, but the courses will be facilitated in an online format.

Curricular Requirements

Minimum Credit Requirement 30 credits
Minimum Residence Credit Requirement 16 credits
Minimum Graduate Coursework Requirement 15 credits must be graduate-level coursework. Refer to the Graduate School: Minimum Graduate Coursework (50%) Requirement policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1244.
Overall Graduate GPA Requirement 3.00 GPA required.
Refer to the Graduate School: Grade Point Average (GPA) Requirement policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1203.
Other Grade Requirements Students must earn a B or above in all core curriculum coursework (A A E 635, 636, and 637).
Assessments and Examinations n/a
Language Requirements No language requirements.

Required Courses

Optional summer entry course (by permission of dept)
A A E 670 Mathematics for Agricultural and Applied Economics3
Year 1 - Fall Semester
A A E 635 Applied Microeconomic Theory3
A A E 636 Applied Econometric Analysis I3
A A E 720 Seminar in Quantitative and Applied Economics1
A A E Professional Option Elective (see list below)up to 4 credits
Year 1 - Spring Semester
A A E 637 Applied Econometric Analysis II4
A A E 721 Professional Communication of Applied Economic Analysis1
Complete one of the following:
A A E 625
 Agribusiness Economics and Management
or A A E 706
 Applied Risk Analysis
or A A E 719
 Applied Business Economics
Year 1 - Summer Semester
A A E 718 Data Science for Agricultural and Applied Economics3
Year 2 - Fall Semester
A A E 723 Professional Development Seminar1
A A E 724 Practicum for Applied Economists4
A A E Professional Option Elective (see list below)up to 4 credits
Total Credits30

 A A E Professional Option Electives

A A E 319 The International Agricultural Economy3
A A E 320 Agricultural Systems Management3
A A E 322 Commodity Markets4
A A E 323 Cooperatives and Alternative Forms of Enterprise Ownership3
A A E 335 Introduction to Data Analysis using Spreadsheets2
A A E/​ECON/​ENVIR ST  343 Environmental Economics3-4
A A E/​AGRONOMY/​NUTR SCI  350 World Hunger and Malnutrition3
A A E 352 Global Health: Economics, Natural Systems, and Policy4
A A E/​ECON  371 Energy, Resources and Economics3
A A E/​INTL ST  373 Globalization, Poverty and Development3
A A E/​INTL ST  374 The Growth and Development of Nations in the Global Economy3
A A E 375 Special Topics1-4
A A E 419 Agricultural Finance3
A A E/​ECON  421 Economic Decision Analysis4
A A E 422 Food Systems and Supply Chains3
A A E/​ECON/​INTL BUS  462 Latin American Economic Development3
A A E/​ECON  473 Economic Growth and Development in Southeast Asia3
A A E/​ECON  474 Economic Problems of Developing Areas3
A A E/​ECON  477 Agricultural and Economic Development in Africa3
A A E/​REAL EST/​URB R PL  520 Community Economic Analysis3
A A E/​ECON  526 Quantitative Methods in Agricultural and Applied Economics4
A A E/​ECON/​F&W ECOL  531 Natural Resource Economics3
A A E/​M H R  540 Intellectual Property Rights, Innovation and Technology3
A A E/​ECON/​ENVIR ST/​URB R PL  671 Energy Economics3
A A E 706 Applied Risk Analysis3
A A E 719 Applied Business Economics3
A A E 737 Applied Econometric Analysis III3
A A E/​CIV ENGR/​ENVIR ST/​URB R PL  561 Energy Markets3
A A E 625 Agribusiness Economics and Management3
A A E 641 Foundations of Agricultural Economics3
A A E 642 Foundations of Development Economics3
A A E 643 Foundations of Environmental and Natural Resource Economics3
A A E 722 Machine Learning in Applied Economic Analysis4

Students in this program may not take courses outside the prescribed curriculum without faculty advisor and program director approval. Students in this program cannot enroll concurrently in other undergraduate or graduate degree programs.

Graduate School Policies

The Graduate School’s Academic Policies and Procedures provide essential information regarding general university policies. Program authority to set degree policies beyond the minimum required by the Graduate School lies with the degree program faculty. Policies set by the academic degree program can be found below.

Named Option-Specific Policies

Prior Coursework

Graduate Credits Earned at Other Institutions

With program approval, students are allowed to count no more than 7 credits of graduate coursework from other institutions. Coursework earned ten or more years prior to admission to a master's degree is not allowed to satisfy requirements.

Undergraduate Credits Earned at Other Institutions or UW-Madison

Up to 7 credits from a UW–Madison undergraduate degree numbered 300 or above are allowed to count toward the degree, with petition from student. Coursework earned ten or more years prior to admission to a master's degree is not allowed to satisfy requirements.

Credits Earned as a Professional Student at UW-Madison (Law, Medicine, Pharmacy, and Veterinary careers)

Refer to the Graduate School: Transfer Credits for Prior Coursework policy.

Credits Earned as a University Special Student at UW–Madison

Refer to the Graduate School: Transfer Credits for Prior Coursework policy.

Probation

Refer to the Graduate School: Probation policy.

Advisor / Committee

The A A E Graduate Faculty Committee makes decisions regarding student progress.

Credits Allowed Per Term

15 credits

Time Limits

A full-time student is expected to complete the MS in Agricultural and Applied Economics in 15 months (4 semesters). However, the program can be completed in as little as 12 months (3 semesters). The program can be completed part-time but must be completed in five years.

Grievances and Appeals

These resources may be helpful in addressing your concerns:

College of Agricultural and Life Sciences: Grievance Policy
 

In the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS), any student who feels unfairly treated by a member of the CALS faculty or staff has the right to complain about the treatment and to receive a prompt hearing. Some complaints may arise from misunderstandings or communication breakdowns and be easily resolved; others may require formal action. Complaints may concern any matter of perceived unfairness.

To ensure a prompt and fair hearing of any complaint, and to protect the rights of both the person complaining and the person at whom the complaint is directed, the following procedures are used in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. Any student, undergraduate or graduate, may use these procedures, except employees whose complaints are covered under other campus policies.

  1. The student should first talk with the person at whom the complaint is directed. Most issues can be settled at this level. Others may be resolved by established departmental procedures.
  2. If the student is unsatisfied, and the complaint involves any unit outside CALS, the student should seek the advice of the dean or director of that unit to determine how to proceed.
    1. If the complaint involves an academic department in CALS the student should proceed in accordance with item 3 below.
    2. If the grievance involves a unit in CALS that is not an academic department, the student should proceed in accordance with item 4 below.
  3. The student should contact the department’s grievance advisor within 120 calendar days of the alleged unfair treatment. The departmental administrator can provide this person’s name. The grievance advisor will attempt to resolve the problem informally within 10 working days of receiving the complaint, in discussions with the student and the person at whom the complaint is directed.
    1. If informal mediation fails, the student can submit the grievance in writing to the grievance advisor within 10 working days of the date the student is informed of the failure of the mediation attempt by the grievance advisor. The grievance advisor will provide a copy to the person at whom the grievance is directed.
    2. The grievance advisor will refer the complaint to a department committee that will obtain a written response from the person at whom the complaint is directed, providing a copy to the student. Either party may request a hearing before the committee. The grievance advisor will provide both parties a written decision within 20 working days from the date of receipt of the written complaint.
    3. If the grievance involves the department chairperson, the grievance advisor or a member of the grievance committee, these persons may not participate in the review.
    4. If not satisfied with departmental action, either party has 10 working days from the date of notification of the departmental committee action to file a written appeal to the CALS Equity and Diversity Committee. A subcommittee of this committee will make a preliminary judgement as to whether the case merits further investigation and review. If the subcommittee unanimously determines that the case does not merit further investigation and review, its decision is final. If one or more members of the subcommittee determine that the case does merit further investigation and review, the subcommittee will investigate and seek to resolve the dispute through mediation. If this mediation attempt fails, the subcommittee will bring the case to the full committee. The committee may seek additional information from the parties or hold a hearing. The committee will present a written recommendation to the dean who will provide a final decision within 20 working days of receipt of the committee recommendation.
  4. If the alleged unfair treatment occurs in a CALS unit that is not an academic department, the student should, within 120 calendar days of the alleged incident, take his/her grievance directly to the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs. The dean will attempt to resolve the problem informally within 10 working days of receiving the complaint. If this mediation attempt does not succeed the student may file a written complaint with the dean who will refer it to the CALS Equity and Diversity Committee. The committee will seek a written response from the person at whom the complaint is directed, subsequently following other steps delineated in item 3d above.

Other

n/a

Professional Development

Graduate School Resources

Take advantage of the Graduate School's professional development resources to build skills, thrive academically, and launch your career. 

Program Resources

The MS AAE Professional Option courses are designed to prepare students to enter the professional workforce in both the U.S. and abroad in data-intensive and quantitatively focused jobs in economic consulting, businesses, agribusinesses, non-profit organizations focused on development, and governmental sectors.

People

Professors

Deller, Steven
Foltz, Jeremy
Mitchell, Paul
Phaneuf, Daniel
Rutherford, Thomas
Schechter, Laura
Shi, Guanming (Chair)

Associate Professors

Conroy, Tessa
Dower, Paul
Du, Sheldon
Grainger, Corbett
Nicholson, Charles
Parker, Dominic

Assistant Professors

Frye, Dustin
Hadachek, Jeff
Jerch, Rhiannon
Johnston, Sarah
Mukherjee, Priya
Stevens, Andrew
van Rijn, Jordan
Wiseman, Eleanor

Faculty Associates

Beach, Jeremy
Berner, Courtney
Yi, Jing

Affiliate Faculty

Fletcher, Jason
Kagy, Gisella
Raynor, Jennifer
Timmins, Christopher

Lecturers

Roth, Kevin
Schmidt, Silke

Graduate Advisor

Mary Treleven