UW-Madison To Offer MBA in Agribusiness

Beginning this fall, the University of Wisconsin–Madison will join a handful of schools where students can earn an MBA in agribusiness.

Those entering the program will take core business courses included in the business school’s MBA program and at least 18 credits of agribusiness-related courses in the School of Business and the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS). Students will be eligible for fellowships, attend workshops with faculty and business leaders, and take part in an annual conference on key issues affecting agribusiness.

“We feel we are timely in creating this new degree,” said Andrew J. Policano, dean of the School of Business.

Roger Wyse, dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, said the need for the agribusiness MBA surfaced several years ago through discussions with the college’s Board of Visitors. “We are very pleased that needs will now be met through collaborative efforts of business and agricultural faculty members,” Wyse added. “It’s another good example of the university listening to people’s needs and finding a constructive way to respond.”

Impetus for the new agribusiness MBA came from two main sources — alumni who convinced the deans of both schools of the need for an agribusiness program, and a generous gift from a well-known Wisconsin family interested in advancing the study of agribusiness at the university.

For several years, alums of the agriculture and business schools who worked for companies like Cargill and Land O’ Lakes and many smaller agribusiness operations had been talking with deans about the need for a joint program. Employers reported a need for graduates who had both business and agricultural know-how.

Then, in 1996, Walter and Martha Renk and Richard and Sharon Renk made a $3 million commitment to the UW Foundation earmarked for advancing the cause of agriculture and agribusiness at UW–Madison. “The gift to create the Renk Agribusiness Institute made it possible for us to implement the program,” said Wyse. “We always felt it was a good idea, but the Renk gift made it happen.” The gift also created a chaired professorship in agribusiness.

Policano noted that the school’s new MBA program makes this new joint program possible because of its added flexibility and efficiency. By combining seven-week modules with traditional semester-long courses, the new MBA allows students to tailor a program to their interests and build on their strengths. “We see this as another way to help us meet the needs of agribusiness in Wisconsin and the surrounding areas,” Policano said.

Professors Don Hausch and Alan Filley at the School of Business and William Dobson, Robert Cropp and Bruce Marion of the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics in CALS developed the new agribusiness MBA. CALS economists and business school faculty will jointly implement it.

To learn more about the program, call Dobson at (608) 262-8965 , Hausch at (608) 262-2535 or Filley (608/263-1664). For an application form, contact the School of Business Graduate Admissions office at (608) 262-1556.