In an effort to meet the demands of today’s agricultural industry, New Mexico State University has developed a new graduate-level program that will train future mid- and upper-level executives for the food and fiber industry.

NMSU’s College of Business Administration and Economics and College of Agriculture and Home Economics partnered to create a Master of Business Administration (MBA) program with a specialization in agribusiness.

“What we have created is a unique program that meets the demands of the industry and students, and the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International) accreditation requirements,” said Wayne Headrick, director of NMSU’s MBA Program. “It will provide a new graduate-level educational opportunity and open access to an additional pool of quality jobs for our students.”

Headrick said the program includes five agribusiness courses (15 credit hours) and seven core courses (21 credit hours) from the “general” MBA program.

“Students in the agribusiness specialization will be getting the same business background as other MBA students,” he said. “They will acquire the same analytical, communication and presentations skills, but they will get to apply them in the context of agribusiness.”

Organizers said there are a few universities that offer similar specializations within their MBA programs in the Midwest and a few throughout the West, but, to their knowledge, there are no such programs in the Southwest.

“Graduates of the program will be getting the kind of credentials that they need to be successful executives in the agribusiness sector,” Headrick said.

Octavio A. Ramirez, professor and department head of Agricultural Economics and Agricultural Business and Extension Economics at NMSU, said businesses in the agricultural, food and fiber industry seek people who have the qualifications of an MBA but also substantial background, knowledge and expertise in the agriculture sector.

“This program takes the extra steps to ensure that its graduates satisfy all of the requirements needed to earn an MBA degree that is fully accredited, while providing them with specialized advanced training in agribusiness management, agribusiness marketing, international agricultural trade and policy, agricultural commodity and future markets, and other key aspects related to agricultural, food and fiber business administration,” Ramirez said.

Ramirez said the food and fiber industry employs about 17 percent of the labor force in the United States and other industrialized countries, and more than 25 percent worldwide. He added that some major agribusiness corporations such as Archer Daniels Midland, Cargill, ConAgra Foods, Pioneer-Dupont, Nestle and Kraft Foods provide excellent career opportunities in marketing, management and administration for MBA graduates. Graduates from a program like this can also seek careers in the public sector with agencies such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Bureau of Land Management.

Students in the program also will have the opportunity to participate in scholarly projects addressing agribusiness issues under the direction of experts in the field, Ramirez said.

The College of Business Administration and Economics at New Mexico State University has achieved reaccreditation of its undergraduate, master’s and doctoral degrees in business administration by the board of directors of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

“This achievement is a high-water mark for the college,” said Danny Arnold, dean of the college of business. “The faculty, staff and administrators have been working toward this goal for the last 10 years. It provides concrete validation for the college’s efforts, particularly since the organization accredits achievement in excellence rather than simply meeting minimum standards. It provides the stamp of excellence.”

The accreditation is for 10 years. The college’s undergraduate program has been accredited by the AACSB since 1972 and the graduate program since 1981.

The business college has 2,061 undergraduate students and 158 graduate students.

To achieve AACSB International accreditation, business programs must satisfy the expectations of a wide range of quality standards relating to curriculum, faculty resources, admissions, degree requirement, library and computer facilities, financial resources and intellectual climate that are mission-linked.

As of November, there are 432 accredited members all over the world.

The AACSB, the premier accrediting agency and service organization for business schools, is a not-for-profit organization consisting of more than 900 educational organizations and corporations worldwide devoted to the promotion and improvement of higher education in business administration and management.

Las Cruces, New Mexico. The College of Business at New Mexico State University has achieved reaccreditation of its undergraduate/master’s/doctoral) degree programs in business administration and accounting by recent action of the Board of Directors of AACSB International – The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. The official announcement was made November 18, 2002.

As of November 2002, there are 432 accredited members – 406 in North America (396 in the U.S., eight in Canada and two in Mexico), 15 in Europe, four in Asia, one in Australia, one in Central America, two in the Middle East, and three in South America.

To achieve AACSB International accreditation, business programs must satisfy the expectations of a wide range of quality standards relating to curriculum, faculty resources, admissions, degree requirement, library and computer facilities, financial resources, and intellectual climate that all are mission-linked.

During the accreditation process, College of Business was visited and evaluated by business school deans, accounting educators and corporate representatives, who are leaders in the field of management education, applying AACSB International accreditation standards that are widely accepted and adopted by the educational and business communities.

“This achievement is a high-water mark for the College. The faculty, staff and administrators have been working towards this goal for the last ten years. It provides concrete validation for the college’s efforts, particularly since the organization accredits achievement of excellence rather than simply meeting minimum standards,” stated Danny Arnold, Dean of the College of Business at New Mexico State University.

AACSB International is a not-for-profit organization consisting of more than 900 educational organizations and corporations, world-wide, devoted to the promotion and improvement of higher education in business administration and management. Its mission is to provide global leadership in advancing management education through accreditation and by fostering international interchanges, key business linkages, sharing of best practice, and professional development.

AACSB International is the premier accrediting agency and service organization for business schools and has its headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A. For more information, please contact Tom Weiser, Communications Manager, NMSU Business, 505-646-6290.