Graduate study in Agricultural Economics at Oklahoma State University provides intensive training in the application of economic theory and quantitative methods to the economic problems of the food sector and rural areas. The Ph.D. program of study includes a core of courses to assure that all students obtain a satisfactory background in the various areas of the field. The broad background enables students to consider a wide variety of jobs upon completion of the degree as well as in future years. The desired specialization is normally obtained through the selection of electives and a dissertation topic.
A minimum of 60 semester credit hours is required for students who have a M.S. degree or equivalent. The required number of hours depends on the advisory committee's evaluation of the course work and research needed to provide depth and breadth of preparation. Students may earn a minor in Statistics by completing 18 hours in statistics including hours earned at the M.S. level.
Written examinations given for microeconomics, macroeconomics, and quantitative methods test the student's comprehensive understanding and use of tools, concepts and basic principles developed in the graduate program. An oral qualifying examination is given as soon as possible after the three written comprehensive examinations have been successfully completed. The oral exam is administered and evaluated by the student's advisory committee.
Applications of
Mathematical Programming (for students without previous
mathematical programming coursework)
Agricultural Economics (11 credit hrs)
AGEC 6102
Teaching Practicum in Agricultural
Economics (2 credit hrs) plus
Economics of
Ag and Food Policy or Intnl Agricultural Policy &
Development (3 credit hrs)
Production Economics or
Natural Resource Economics (3 credit
hrs)
Agricultural Marketing
or Agricultural Prices (3 credit hrs)
The following substitutions are permissible:
ECON
6223
Mathematical Economics II for
ECON 6133
ECON
6243
Econometrics II for AGEC 6213
ECON 5243
Econometrics I for AGEC 5213
The Ph.D. in agricultural economics has no foreign language
requirement.
A two-hour teaching practicum
(AGEC 6102) is required of all Ph.D.
candidates. The teaching practicum is designed to give candidates
classroom teaching experience. The practicum usually involves
classroom lectures, leadership in handling laboratory sections of
courses, or major teaching responsibility. Credit may be earned by
enrolling in AGEC 6102 under the professor responsible for the
course or subject matter area.
The number of credit hours included in the plan of study depends on
the advisory committee's evaluation of the course work and research
needed to provide depth and breadth of preparation. A minimum of 90
semester credit hours is required (60 if student has M.S. or
equivalent). As many as 30 of these hours (24 if student has M.S.)
may be earned for thesis research. No Agricultural Economics M.S.
core courses (or equivalent to them) can be included in a Ph.D.
Plan of Study. Thus, neither AGEC 5103 nor STAT 4043 can be
included on a Ph.D. plan of study. Either ECON 5133 or AGEC 5403
(but not both) may be included. Either AGEC 5213 or AGEC 5113 (but
not both) can be included. AGEC 5101 can be included and is
required if the student has not written a M.S. thesis.
Minimum core requirements for the Ph.D. degree can be met by such
combinations of courses as the following. Other combinations are
possible and should be considered in line with the student's
interests.
The desirability of both depth and breadth of preparation is recognized and the department encourages broadening of the student's background by including courses in philosophy, law, psychology, political science, history, sociology, foreign languages, computer science, and engineering. If a student, with the advice of his or her committee, chooses to receive 24 credit hours for thesis research, then 36 hours of course work are required to accumulate 60 credit hours. Twenty-six of the 36 hours are used to meet core requirements, leaving 10 hours available to broaden the student's training.
Written examinations for doctoral students test the student's comprehensive understanding and use of tools, concepts and basic principles developed in the graduate program. Written comprehensive examinations are administered and evaluated by the Departmental Graduate Examination Committee after the completion of core requirements. The examinations are given two times each year. Exams are given for microeconomics, macroeconomics, and quantitative methods.
The oral qualifying examination is completed as soon as possible after the written comprehensive examination has been successfully completed. The qualifying examination, which may cover the entire area of the student's graduate study, including the specialty area, is administered and evaluated by the student's advisory committee. In certain cases, the student and the advisory committee may choose to replace this with a thesis proposal seminar.
The final oral examination, which is administered by the student's advisory committee, concludes the doctoral program and is given on completion of the student's doctoral thesis.
Plans of study are customized to meet the needs of the student. The student prepares the plan with input from the student's advisor and advisory committee. All members of the advisory committee and the department head must sign the plan. A typical plan of study includes twelve three-hour courses and 24 hours of research problems. The following sketch of courses is provided an example.
Fall (year one):
STAT
4203
Mathematical
Statistics I (prerequisites: differential and intregral
calculus)
ECON
5133
Macroeconomics Theory
I (prerequisites: differential calculus; intermediate
macroeconomics)
+ one fall semester elective from
AGEC 5113
Applications of Mathematical Programming
AGEC 5503
Economics of Natural and Environmental Resource Policy (prerequisites: intermediate microeconomics or AGEC 4503; differential calculus)
The department requires a written Preliminary Examination and an oral Qualifying Examination for all students seeking admission to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree.
A. Purpose
The major purpose of the Preliminary Examination is to test the student's:
Ability to understand the various tools, concepts, and basic principles developed in the central core of courses;
Ability to integrate the tools, concepts, and basic principles as may be required to analyze and to develop solutions to economic problems; and,
Ability to apply the appropriate integrated set of tools, concepts, and basic principles to analyze economic problems in a clear and concise written form.
B. Structure and Content
The written portion of the Preliminary Examination shall consist of separate four-hour (4-hour) examinations in three major areas as follows:
The general area of "micro-economics" covering such basic concepts as the theory of the firm, the theory of consumer choice, and the theory of market price with emphasis on applications to the field of agriculture.
The general area of "macro-economics" covering such basic concepts as the theory of income and employment, monetary theory, theory of economic growth and development, economic policy and the history of economic thought with emphasis on application to the field of agriculture.
The general areas of "quantitative methods" covering mathematical economics, methodology, statistics, and econometrics with emphasis on applications to the field of agriculture.
C. Administration
The Departmental Graduate Examination Committee shall administer the written Preliminary Examination. This committee shall consist of at least three members of the Department of Agricultural Economics appointed by the head of the department. This committee may be assisted by other members of the department and faculty members of complementary departments in preparing and grading the examinations, either in part or in their entirety.
The Preliminary Examinations shall be administered twice each year with the three exam portions offered in one-week intervals. The first portion of the examination shall be administered on the Friday before spring semester classes begin and again on the Friday before summer session classes begin, with the two remaining portions offered on succeeding Fridays. Students must obtain approval from their major advisor to take the exams, and should notify the chair of the Graduate Examination Committee of their intention to participate. Students are ordinarily required to write all three of the scheduled examinations within one of the regularly scheduled examination periods. However, a student may be required to retake in a subsequent examination period any examinations that were previously failed.
The chair of the Graduate Examination Committee should solicit faculty members for exam questions, and should post notices and in other ways inform faculty and students of the time and place of the exams several weeks in advance.
D. Grading and Reporting
The Graduate Examination Committee will evaluate each written examination and report grades of Pass with Distinction, Pass, or Fail for each of the three exams. The chair of the Graduate Examination Committee will send a letter to the student (and a copy to the student's major advisor) advising the student of the committee's evaluation of each exam and other pertinent information.
A student who fails any one of the three portions of the exam three times, fails to qualify for a Ph.D. degree in agricultural economics. A student will not be permitted to take any one of the three portions more than three times. However, an appeals process, designed to allow appropriate discretion in deserving cases, is afforded to students who believe that extraordinary personal circumstances significantly contributed to the failure. Such events must be highly unusual such as the death of immediate relative, a serious illness, severe financial distress, or personal crisis. A student who wishes to petition to take an exam for a fourth time will be given one week after notification of a third failure to submit the request. The student's written appeal to the committee must provide evidence showing how this circumstance was a factor in his/her performance on the exam. The Graduate Examination Committee will review and rule on the petition.
E. Qualifying Examination for Ph.D. Students
After the student has received a grade of Pass or Pass with Distinction on each of the three exams, the student's Academic Advisory Committee will administer an oral Qualifying Examination. The Qualifying Examination is comprehensive, covering the entire area of the student's graduate study. The examination must be passed not less than six months before the degree is granted. The results of the examination are reported to the Graduate College on the Application for Admission to Candidacy form (download it here). Before taking the Qualifying Examination, the student must have an approved plan of study on file in the Graduate College, and have the approval of their Academic Advisory Committee.
It is the responsibility of the student's Academic Advisory Committee to evaluate the student's "frontier" level of competency and familiarity with the literature in what is perceived to be the specialty areas of the student. It may be appropriate for faculty members who are not on the student's Academic Advisory Committee, but who have a similar specialty area, to participate in the oral examination. For students who have demonstrated strong performance in the written Preliminary Examination, the Academic Advisory Committee may choose to focus the oral qualifying examination on the dissertation proposal. The verdict of this evaluation must be reported to the Graduate College.
In case of failure to pass any part of this examination, the student will be notified in writing of the conditions under which another examination can be taken. A second examination may not be given earlier than four months after a failure.
If the results of the second examination are unsatisfactory, no other examination may be given without the approval of the Graduate Council.
F. Admission to Candidacy
A student must be admitted to candidacy at least six months before the commencement in which the Doctor of Philosophy degree will be received.
Before being admitted to candidacy, the student must have passed the Qualifying Examination, and have an approved plan of study filed in the Graduate College.
