DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
AGRIBUSINESS ENTREPRENEURSHIP MINOR
A minor is recognized in the marketplace as an indicator of your desire to achieve more than the minimum required for your degree.
Do you want to own your own business and be your own boss?
Do you intend to rejoin a family business after graduation?
Would you like to pursue employment with a bank or financial institution that funds start-up and existing businesses?
Perhaps you just want to have a working knowledge of business development practices and strategies to achieve success working for an entrepreneur in either a rural or metropolitan setting.
If any of these pursuits interest you, then the Agribusiness Entrepreneurship minor could help you achieve your goals!
Students working toward this minor will be able to select a business to develop or evaluate an enterprise from a consultant’s perspective. Business ventures may be selected from various rural and metropolitan enterprises. Enterprises evaluated by previous students include traditional agriculture, such as cow/calf operations, as well as corn, cotton, and rice farming. Other enterprises students have analyzed in the minor include exotic animal hunts, clothing/resale stores/boutiques, customized gifts, car washes, bakeries or catering, touring bands, special event planners, financial planning specialists, florists, custom home builders, real estate investors, etc. For other examples, refer to the program’s webpage, scrolling down to “Student Business Ventures.”
The only limit is your imagination!
NOTE: Enterprises must be mutually agreed upon between the instructor & student.
Please contact your advisor to see how these courses could possibly fit into your degree plan. For example, Ag Economics students could use the AGEC courses as “Directed AGEC Electives” or “General Electives,” or possibly other substitutions per advisor approval. In order for the minor to be added to the student’s records, students must have a major already posted on their academic records. (All majors are eligible to obtain this minor.) Additionally, students must complete an application for the minor.
Questions regarding the minor should be directed to Dr. Ed Rister, by phone 979-255-5211, or by email at e-rister@tamu.edu. When calling, please leave a message, speak clearly, leave your name, cell phone number, and a message with questions you have regarding the Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Minor. When emailing Dr. Rister, please put Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Minor in the Subject Line, and ensure you include your full name and cell phone number in the body of your email.
Students have the option to complete the application electronically by filling the form below and submitting, or by printing the form using the following “Download AGBE Form PDF” button. When printing the form, student must obtain the necessary signatures, and either hand deliver it or scan and email to Dr. Ed Rister at risteroffice@ag.tamu.edu. Students are encouraged to print or download the course curriculum for their reference, as certain courses are offered only in the fall or only in the spring.
FYI: When you earn a minor, it is indicated only on your official Texas A&M University transcript. It is not indicated on your diploma.
AGRIBUSINESS ENTREPRENEURSHIP MINOR
(Code for COMPASS is AGBE.)
Offered by the Department of Agricultural Economics, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences – Texas A&M University
(First Edition January 6, 2016; Revised November 5, 2024 er; Revised January 6, 2025 er)
The Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Minor is available to all students enrolled at Texas A&M University. Minors serve in the marketplace as indicators that a student has a desire and the ability to complete more than the minimum coursework required for their degree. Students pursuing an Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Minor are to complete the information requested below and, preferably, submit the form electronically. Alternatively, students may print a PDF copy of the form to submit as a hard copy, by hand-carrying to AGLS 211B, or emailing to e-rister@tamu.edu. After the Director of the Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program, an AGEC/AGBU Advisor, and the AGEC Associate Head for Undergraduate Programs have signed the form, the student must return the completed form to their academic advisor for the minor to be added to student’s academic plan.
- Required Courses (16 hours)
| Course Requirements | Credits | Semester(s) Offered |
| Prerequisites for the minor include: – One (1) 3-hr course in economics: AGEC 105 or ECON 202 – One (1) 3-hr course in accounting: ACCT 209 or ACCT 210, or FINC 409 Discuss with director of the program questions about any other course prerequisites for specific classes. | ||
| Select one from: – AGEC 223 – Establishing Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Networks I – AGEC 423 – Establishing Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Networks II | 1 | Fall, Spring Fall, Spring |
| AGEC 315 – Food and Agricultural Sales | 3 | Fall, Spring |
| Select one from: – AGEC 324 – Agribusiness Entrepreneurship – Budgeting * MGMT 470 – Entrepreneurial Small Business * MGMT 477 – The Lean Startup Method | 3 | Spring Fall and Spring Fall and Spring |
| AGEC 424 – Agribusiness Entrepreneurship – Economic Analysis | 3 | Fall only |
| AGEC 425 – Agribusiness Entrepreneurship – Financial Analysis | 3 | Spring only |
| AGEC 434 – Rural Financial Markets and Financial Planning | 3 | Spring only |
| Total Credit Hours Required | 16 |
B. A grade of “C” or better must be earned in each of the required 16 hours.
C. Student must have a major already posted on their academic record.
D. Students must meet prerequisites for each course listed above PRIOR to enrolling in the course, or obtain approval from Director of Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program for co-enrollment. (Course prerequisites are not included in the required 16 minor hours.)
E. Must have a Texas A&M cumulative GPR of 2.0 or higher.
F. * Denotes the student must be enrolled in a Business major (i.e., Agribusiness, Finance, Accounting, etc.).
G. Compliance with the Aggie Honor Code is essential for completing and earning the AGBE minor. Any confirmed violation of the Aggie Honor Code within the Rister ’74 Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program will result in expulsion from the AGBE minor.