Columbus Standard

Degree enhances skills in data analytics, quantitative data analysis and data-based decision-making

Purdue University is offering a new fully online Professional Master of Science in International Agribusiness aimed at agribusiness professionals worldwide. Applications are being taken now, and the program launches in January 2023.

The new degree is particularly valuable for learners looking to enhance their skills in data analytics, quantitative data analysis and data-based decision-making. This knowledge is applicable whether they work in industry or government, management or marketing, and in a range of areas from commercial agriculture to food product development and production, and from natural resources management to managing supply chains. The program also teaches a skill set applicable to working in the fast-paced global economy in general, as well as the dynamic, rapidly growing international agribusiness and food industry specifically.

While the 100% online option is new, the mature, rigorous curriculum has been taught and refined for a decade by Purdue’s Department of Agricultural Economics faculty, who excel at teaching, research and engagement in their field. Each of the instructors also has multiple years of experience teaching in online and hybrid modes.

In addition to the required courses, students choose one of two specialized online graduate certificates – in Spatial Data Science or in Biotechnology Quality and Regulatory Compliance, the latter from Purdue’s top-ranked (U.S. News & World Report) Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering. The graduate certificate satisfies 12 credits of the 36 needed to earn the full master’s degree in international agribusiness.

Learners should be able to complete the degree in 18-24 months. The coursework is asynchronous, making it readily accessible for working professionals or new graduates who are ready to start work but also want to earn an advanced degree.

“That makes it nice for time management, and it also makes it work across time zones,” said Nicole Widmar, associate head of the agricultural economics department and graduate program chair.

Some previous knowledge of quantitative methods is helpful, Widmar said, but students do not need to have a bachelor's degree in agricultural economics to enroll in the master’s program. The degree is attainable for someone with a background in related fields such as marketing food products or land management, for example.

Core courses include:

• Applied Quantitative Methods for Decision Making
• Economics for Food and Agribusiness Managers
• Communication and Issues Engagement for Agricultural Professionals
• Problem Solving and Project Management for Decision Makers
• Quantitative Managerial Decision Making
• The Macroeconomic Trade and Policy Environment of the Food System
• Strategic Food and Agribusiness Management

In addition, core requirements include a capstone course with an analytic paper, which can be either academic in nature or work related, in lieu of a thesis.

The two graduate certificates also can be taken separately from the master’s program.

The online Biotechnology Quality and Regulatory Compliance Graduate Certificate is designed to provide professionals education on important aspects of the topic on the way to becoming leaders in pharmaceutical, medical device and biotechnology industries. The curriculum covers drug development, regulatory practices, quality management and the molecular basis of manufacturing pharmaceuticals, among other topics.

The online Graduate Certificate in Spatial Data Science teaches how to use big data to make a big impact in agriculture and land management while mastering key concepts of geographic information systems (GIS) and spatial data science, including data sources, projections, spatial data processing and analysis methods, data and metadata creation, and a conceptual framework for solving spatial problems.

For more information about Purdue’s online Master of Science in International Agribusiness and to apply, visit the program website.

Original source can be found here.