Launch your future with confidence. Graduates from K-State’s Department of Agricultural Economics step into a wide range of exciting careers—shaping the business of food, finance, policy, and resource management around the world. With career coaching, résumé and interview support, networking opportunities, and faculty mentorship, we help you build the skills and connections that lead to meaningful, rewarding careers. Whether you’re interested in consulting, commodities, marketing, natural resources, or beyond, we’ll guide you toward the path that fits your goals and passions.
Career fields
The following are a list of the array of fields graduates from the Department of Agricultural Economics enter into. Use the title and arrow link to learn more about each career opportunity. When you become a part of our department, faculty and advisors will gladly work with you to make sure you are on the opportune path to your career goal.
Accountants offer a wide array of business and accounting services including public, management, and government accounting, as well as internal auditing. In each of these major fields, accountants and auditors prepare, analyze, and verify financial documents in order to provide information to clients.
The legal system affects nearly every aspect of our society, from buying a home to crossing the street. Lawyers form the backbone of this vital system, linking it to society in myriad ways. For this reason, they hold positions of great responsibility and are obligated to adhere to a strict code of ethics.
Widespread management service firms influence how businesses, governments, and institutions make decisions and affect the lives of all Americans. Often working behind the scenes, these firms have a variety of functions.
Widespread management service firms influence how businesses, governments, and institutions make decisions and affect the lives of all Americans. Often working behind the scenes, these firms have a variety of functions.
Almost every firm, government agency, and organization has one or more financial managers who oversee the preparation of financial reports, direct investment activities, and implement cash management strategies. As computers are increasingly used to record and organize data, many financial managers are spending more time developing strategies and implementing the long-term goals of their organization.
The Federal Government affects Americans in countless ways. It defends them from foreign aggression, represents their interests abroad, enforces laws, and administers many different programs and agencies.
Attracting the most qualified employees and matching them to the jobs for which they are best suited is important for the success of any organization. However, many enterprises are too large to permit close contact between top management and employees. Human resources, training, and labor relations managers and specialists provide this link.
Market, or marketing, research analysts are concerned with the potential sales of a product or service. They analyze statistical data on past sales to predict future sales. They gather data on competitors and analyze prices, sales, and methods of marketing and distribution.
Forests and range lands supply wood products, livestock forage, minerals, and water; serve as sites for recreational activities; and provide habitats for wildlife. Conservation scientists and foresters manage, develop, use, and help to protect these and other natural resources.
The prevalence of operations managers in the nation’s economy reflects the growing complexity of managing large organizations that require the effective use of money, materials, equipment, and people. Operations managers help determine better ways to coordinate these elements by applying analytical methods from mathematics, science, and engineering. They solve problems in different ways and propose alternative solutions to management, which then chooses the course of action that best meets the organization’s goals. In general, operations managers may be concerned with diverse issues such as top-level strategy, planning, forecasting, resource allocation, performance measurement, scheduling, the design of production facilities and systems, supply chain management, pricing, transportation and distribution, and the analysis of large databases.
American farmers, ranchers, and agricultural managers direct the activities of one of the worlds’ largest and most productive agricultural sectors. They produce enough food and fiber to meet the needs of the United States and produce a surplus for export.
Veterinarians play a major role in the healthcare of pets, livestock, zoo, sporting, and laboratory animals. Some veterinarians use their skills to protect humans against diseases carried by animals and conduct clinical research on human and animal health problems. Others work in basic research, broadening the scope of fundamental theoretical knowledge, and in applied research, developing new ways to use knowledge.
Career Resources
The Department offers instruction in job search strategies, résumé writing, interviewing, and networking through the Career Center. Our faculty mentors are pleased to assist students in developing career goals and counsel as students need.
Students are encouraged to register with Career Center in the Berney Family Welcome Center on the K-State campus. The Career Center provides individual and group employment assistance for graduates seeking full-time employment in their field of study and assistance for students seeking part-time employment while they complete their program.