Doctor of Philosophy in Agricultural Economics

Apply Now

Program Link:
http://ses.wsu.edu/graduatestudies/phdprograms/
Total Graduate Faculty in Program:
33
Total Core Graduate Faculty in Program:
33
Graduate Students in Program:
6
Students Receiving Assistantships:
6
Priority Deadlines:

  • Fall January 10

Campus:

  • Pullman

International Student English Proficiency Exams

International students may need to surpass the Graduate School’s minimum English language proficiency exam scores for this program. If the graduate program has unique score requirements, they will be detailed below. Otherwise, please refer to the Graduate School’s minimum score guidelines.

Degree Description:

The PhD in Agricultural Economics is designed to provide the student with an excellent foundation in the theory and methods of economic analysis as well as experience in applied analysis of agricultural, agribusiness, and/or resource economics problems. Career opportunities for agricultural economists also include academia, government, and the private sector. Many academic positions (especially at land grant universities) include salary support for a combination of teaching, research, and/or outreach related to the food and fiber sectors and the natural resource base that supports them.

Admission Requirements:

Statement of Purpose, 3 letters of recommendation, CV, GRE, Unofficial Transcripts

Student Opportunities:

The collaboration between students and professors is really close, our offices are often next to each other, and it is common for professors to coauthor papers with PhD students, which turn into journal publications. In the last years, coauthored papers with our students were published in journals such as American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Economic Inquiry, Agricultural Economics, Canadian Journal of Economics, Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, and Economic Letters, among others. In addition, the environment between students and professors is very collegial, and we meet once a week (normally after seminars) for drinks in a more relaxed environment.

We fund around 80% of admitted students, who receive graduate assistantships from our School. The rest of students are often funded by governments in their home countries, or foundations, such as the Fulbright or the Soros Foundations.

Career Opportunities:

Academia, Government and the Private Sector

Job Market Guide

Career Placements:

The job market placement of our recent PhD graduates has been extremely positive, including positions at the University of Arkansas, Penn State University, Yale University (Post-Doc), University of Connecticut, California State University, Cornell University (Post-Doc), University of New Mexico, Illinois State University, University of Kentucky, University of Oklahoma, University of Georgia, Colorado State University, and University of Nebraska; at government agencies such as the US Department of Agriculture and the United Nations; and firms such as JP Morgan-Chase and American Express.

Contact Information:

  • Jaimie Dahl, Asst. to the Director, and Graduate Coordinator jaimie@wsu.edu
  • Jeffrey Luckstead, Associate Professor, and Graduate Studies Chair jluckstead@wsu.edu