The Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics (AAE) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison was founded in 1909 and was the first department of agricultural economics in the United States. The department offers two undergraduate programs—Agricultural and Applied Economics and Agricultural Business Management. Both majors will give students a strong base in economics and how it is applied to real-world situations. The teaching and research in AAE focuses on the areas of development economics, environmental economics, and managerial economics.

The department also offers two certificates to undergraduate students enrolled at the University of Wisconsin–Madison: the Certificate in Business Management for Agricultural and Life Sciences and the Certificate in Development Economics

People

Professors

Tessa Conroy 
Steven Deller 
Paul Dower 
Sheldon Du 
Jeremy Foltz 
Dustin Frye
Corbett Grainger 
​Jeff Hadachek
Rhiannon Jerch

Sarah Johnston
Paul Mitchell 
Priya Mukherjee 
Charles Nicholson 
Dominic Parker 
Daniel Phaneuf 
Thomas Rutherford 
Laura Schechter 
Guanming Shi (Chair)
Andrew Stevens
Jordan van Rijn
Eleanor Wiseman

Instructors

Jeremy Beach 
Courtney Berner 
Silke Schmidt
Jing Yi

Affiliate Faculty

Jason Fletcher
Gisella Kagy
Jennifer Raynor
Christopher Timmins

Undergraduate Advisor

Michaela Thaw

For faculty and instructor profiles, visit the department website.

Resources and Scholarships

Scholarships

The Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics offers a number of scholarships to students declared in both of our majors, Agricultural & Applied Economics and Agricultural Business Management. All of our students are encouraged to apply each year for department and CALS scholarships through the Wisconsin Scholarship Hub (WiSH). Students in either of our majors or who have declared the Certificate in Business Management for Agricultural & Life Sciences are also eligible to apply for the Renk Scholarship Program, which can provide scholarships for up to three years. The Renk Scholarship Program is part of the Renk Agribusiness Institute and emphasizes leadership in contemporary agricultural issues and activities linked to agribusiness.

Resources

There are a number of student organizations of interest to students in our majors. For more information, please visit the CALS Student Organization website.