For students who are considering starting their own business, currently working in a family-owned business or who intend to return to a family-owned business when they graduate, the agribusiness entrepreneurship minor could be a valuable addition to their degree plan. Innovation and entrepreneurship are not limited to one field or one degree area!
This minor is open to all students at Texas A&M University, regardless of major.
We provide students with hands-on relevant experiences and coursework that provide them a working knowledge of business development practices and strategies. Our students graduate prepared to build and manage their own enterprise, work with other entrepreneurs or pursue careers in business, banking or finance. Students pursuing this minor can participate in the Dianne and M. Edward Rister ’74 Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program.
What can students in the minor expect?
A critical component of the agribusiness entrepreneurship minor is learning to establish and develop a large network with successful entrepreneurs and other professionals. This minor offers ample opportunities for students to learn how to develop networking strategies in the classroom and in social settings.
Students will choose to develop a business plan for their own professional career pursuits, or to evaluate a business from an investor’s or consultant’s perspective. The course instructor and student will mutually agree on the business venture and business settings selected. The options for students’ businesses are wide and varied, and represent businesses located in either a rural or metropolitan setting.
Coursework
For a full list of required coursework, visit the minor listing in the undergraduate course catalog. The prerequisites that must be completed before enrolling in the agribusiness entrepreneurship minor are listed below. View the sample schedules and recommended course sequencing for students interested in completing the capstone, required for the minor.
Transfer Students
If students are transferring from a community college, like one of our transfer partners, some courses might be accepted as meeting the prerequisite requirements for certain courses.
- ACCT 2301 or ACCT 2401 equivalent to ACCT 229
- ACCT 2302 or ACCT 2401 equivalent to ACCT 230
- AGRI 2317 equivalent to AGEC 150
- ECON 2302 equivalent to ECON 202
Student Business Ventures
Ed Rister
Professor and holder of the Dianne and M. Edward Rister ’74 Endowed Chair in Agribusiness Entrepreneurship; Director of the Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program
Merritt Weeks
Assistant Director of the Dianne and M. Edward Rister ’74 Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program