Dept. Website:
.
illinois.edu/future-students/off-campus
Programs Offered
:
Enhance your
credentials and advance your career with
online courses and programs from the
College of Agricultural, Consumer &
Environmental Sciences (ACES). We are
known for our globally competitive
students, first class discovery research,
and the innovative knowledge we share.
Our offerings include: Master’s Degree
in Agricultural Education, Master’s
Degree in Crop Sciences, Master’s
Degree in Food Science, Master’s Degree
in Natural Resources and Environmental
Sciences, and Crop Sciences Professional
Development Certificate. Our online
programs are specifically designed for
professionals who want to update their
current competencies on a part-time
basis. Courses also meet in “virtual
classrooms” during evening hours to
give students flexibility.
VIRGINIA TECH
Location:
Worldwide
Contacts:
James Anderson, Jennifer Carr
Contact Phone:
540-231-2608 / 540-
231-8127
Contact Email:
/
Dept. Website:
Programs Offered:
Virginia Tech’s
Online Master of Agricultural and Life
Sciences program features five
concentrations, including food safety and
biosecurity, environmental sciences, plant
science and pest management, education,
and leadership studies. Advance and lead
the agriculture profession through this
customized educational experience. Earn
your degree from a land-grant institution
known for its roots in agriculture and life
sciences with access to world-renowned
faculty experts in the classroom and the
field. The program affords optimal
schedule flexibility, while earning the
same regionally accredited degree as an
on-campus student.
The food economy is changing. Managers
need a broader foundation of skills and
knowledge to compete regardless of where
they work in the value chain. They need
to understand the entire value chain from
input supply, through production and
processing, distribution and retail or food
service. More and more industry
professionals are considering an MBA
to enhance their management skills and
accelerate their career development. The
challenge for business schools is to provide
industry relevant training within the context
of the critical curriculum core to an MBA.
The University of Guelph, known as
Canada’s food university, has a program
that strikes the perfect balance of a strong
business foundation and agribusiness
specific training in areas such as policy and
risk management.
Food is different.
Policy makers think
differently about food. Food safety and
labeling regulations are more stringent than
for any other products. Food
production and processing are policy
priorities.
Food is global.
Currency
issues beyond the control of individual
companies or mangers affect food prices
and food security. Changing trade rules
create both opportunities and challenges
which vary with currency fluctuations.
Oil prices significantly affect production
costs as well as changing the relative
competitive strengths of different supply
chains.
Food is biological.
Production
depends, short and long-term, on a
variable and changing climate. Biotech-
nology is a critical strategic lever for
increasing production and adding value to
products.
Food is personal.
Consumers
think differently about food than about
other products. They are changing what
they value in food, paying more attention
to how and where it is produced. GMO,
organic, local, animal welfare and various
other issues are coming into the
consumer consciousness and affecting
the products they choose.
The Guelph MBA recognizes these
important characteristics of the food
economy and is explicitly designed to
prepare managers to succeed anywhere
in the food economy. This is reflected in
the students enrolled in and graduating
from the program. One of the significant
strengths of the program is the diverse
experience and perspectives within each
cohort of students – producers, input
suppliers, processors, bankers, plant
breeders, distributors, retailers and food
service are all represented in the program.
This food focused program attracts food
focused students who learn with and
from each other. The curriculum reflects
both general business and food-focused
topics but all are presented within the
context of food value chains. The case
studies and examples are largely taken
from food to incorporate learning from
the range of issues mangers will face –
problems and opportunities are not
considered in isolation but in broader
competitive context. Nowhere is this
more apparent than in the “live” case
study that forms the foundation of the
capstone strategic management course.
Students work competitively in teams
to address a real world issue with a real
company. Work is done on site with the
company so students have access to
managers and information key to making
a recommendation that works and
recommendations are presented to senior
managers at the end of the course.
The food economy represents great
opportunities for managers to develop
rewarding careers. The Agribusiness MBA
from Guelph is the best choice for those
interested in honing and enhancing the
skills to allow them to compete and excel.
C
ompeting
in
the
N
ew
F
ood
E
conomy
By Dr. Mike von Massow, Associate Professor, Hospitality, Food, and TourismManagement, University of Guelph
30
A
g
& F
ood
E
mployer
G
uide
