New Name, New Degree for WSU Ag Econ Dept.

PULLMAN, Wash. — Washington State University’s agricultural economics department opened the fall semester with a new name — the department of agricultural and resource economics — and soon after with a new offering, a bachelor of science degree in environmental and resource economics and management.

The new department name reflects a broader mission for the department that has been in place for some time said C. Richard Shumway, department chair. “We’ve had a strong graduate program in resource economics for many years.”

The new name was approved by WSU’s Board of Regents in June.

The new degree, approved this fall, is designed to meet the growing needs of businesses and policymakers looking for people who can help them weigh alternatives for solutions to natural resource problems.

Two students currently are enrolled in the new degree program. The department’s goal is to have 25 by the end of the current academic year and 50 by the end of the 2003-04 academic year.

The agricultural and resource economics department has 18 full-time faculty and 130 undergraduate and graduate students. In addition to the new degree, the department offers bachelor of science degrees in agricultural economics and agribusiness.

Graduate students can earn master of arts degrees in agricultural economics and agribusiness and doctorates in agricultural economics. A doctoral degree is offered in a coordinated economics and finance program with the College of Business and Economics.

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