Agricultural Economics Minor (B.Sc.(Ag.Env.Sc.)) (24 credits)
Offered by: Agricultural Economics (Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences)
Degree: Bachelor of Science (Agricultural and Environmental Sciences)
Program credit weight: 24
Program Description
The Minor in Agricultural Economics will complement a student's education in four ways. First, as a social science, Economics will provide an alternative perspective for students in the Faculty. Second, the Minor will provide an excellent foundation of the workings of the economy at large. Third, it will aid students in understanding the business environment surrounding the agri-food industry. Finally, it will challenge students to analyze the interaction between the agricultural economy and the natural resource base.
For information on academic advising, see: http://www.mcgill.ca/macdonald/studentinfo/advising
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.
Required Courses (12 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AGEC 200 | Principles of Microeconomics. | 3 |
Principles of Microeconomics. Terms offered: Fall 2025 The field of economics as it relates to the activities of individual consumers, firms and organizations. Emphasis is on the application of economic principles and concepts to everyday decision making and to the analysis of current economic issues. | ||
| AGEC 201 | Principles of Macroeconomics. | 3 |
Principles of Macroeconomics. Terms offered: Winter 2026 The overall economic system, how it works, and the instruments used to solve social problems. Emphasis will be on decision-making involving the entire economic system and segments of it. | ||
| AGEC 330 | Agriculture and Food Markets. | 3 |
Agriculture and Food Markets. Terms offered: Fall 2025 Nature and organization of agricultural and food markets as economic institutions, including the application of economic theory to problems within the agri-food marketing chain. Spatial and temporal price relationships, and the role of market structure. | ||
| AGEC 333 | Resource Economics. | 3 |
Resource Economics. Terms offered: Fall 2025 The role of resources in the environment, use of resources, and management of economic resources within the firm or organization. Problem-solving, case studies involving private and public decision-making in organizations are utilized. | ||
Complementary Courses (12 credits)
12 credits selected from:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AGEC 231 | Economic Systems of Agriculture. | 3 |
Economic Systems of Agriculture. Terms offered: Winter 2026 The structure and organization of Canada's agriculture-food system, the operation, financing, linkages, and functions of its components. Focus to be on management of the various components and the entire system, types of problems confronted now and in the future. | ||
| AGEC 320 | Intermediate Microeconomic Theory. | 3 |
Intermediate Microeconomic Theory. Terms offered: Winter 2026 An intermediate theory course in agricultural economics, dealing with economic concepts as applied to agricultural production and cost functions. Includes theory and application of linear programming as related to production decisions. | ||
| AGEC 332 | Farm Management and Finance. | 3 |
Farm Management and Finance. Terms offered: Fall 2025 Managing and financing a farm business. Topics include: the decision making process, farm management and economic concepts, the analysis of financial statements, farm planning and budgeting, input management, investment analysis, risk in financial management, the acquisition and cost of capital. | ||
| AGEC 425 | Applied Econometrics. | 3 |
Applied Econometrics. Terms offered: Fall 2025 The theory and application of econometrics to empirical issues in agriculture and environment. Diagnosis and treatment of standard violations of the assumptions underlying ordinary least squares. | ||
| AGEC 430 | Agriculture, Food and Resource Policy. | 3 |
Agriculture, Food and Resource Policy. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Examination of North American and international agriculture, food and resource policies, policy instruments, programs and their implications. Economic analysis applied to the principles, procedures and objectives of various policy actions affecting agriculture, and the environment. | ||
| AGEC 442 | Economics of International Agricultural Development. | 3 |
Economics of International Agricultural Development. Terms offered: Winter 2026 The course deals with economic aspects of international development with emphasis on the role of food, agriculture and the resource sector in the economy of developing countries. Topics will include world food analysis, development project analysis and policies for sustainable development. Development case studies will be used. | ||
| AGEC 450 | Agribusiness Management. | 3 |
Agribusiness Management. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Strategic management of agricultural and food businesses. Analysis of internal and external factors and competitive forces affecting agribusinesses. Formulation of business strategy and solutions to strategic problems. Case-based course designed to enhance students' problemsolving and decisionmaking skills. Integration of knowledge and tools from various economics and business disciplines. | ||
| AGEC 491 | Research and Methodology. | 3 |
Research and Methodology. Terms offered: Fall 2025 Conceptual and philosophical foundations of research methodology, and the procedural aspects of planning, designing and conducting research in applied economics. | ||