New model for dual-degree, distance-delivered grad program provides flexibility; meets needs of busy agribusiness professionals

The students who recently left the campus of Purdue University after a week-long residency in the executive classroom of the new, Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship , are not your typical grad students. They've chosen to stay in full time employment in the food and agribusiness industry while earning both an MBA and MS degree, simultaneously, from two Big Ten universities. As students in the Purdue-Kelley MS-MBA in Food and Agribusiness Management, they have found the flexibility to earn advanced degrees while keeping up with work and family life. This 27-month program, primarily distance delivered over the Internet, is now accepting applications for the class beginning August 2005.

Beyond earning two degrees in the program – an MBA from Indiana University and an MS in food and agribusiness management from Purdue University, students list a variety of reasons that draw them to this opportunity. They like that they can continue working full time while earning advanced degrees. They appreciate the program's unique focus on the food and agribusiness management industries. “There's also a lot of flexibility in the way it is set up and the way you can manage your time,” says class member, Dave Hoffman, lead consultant with Agricultural Consulting Services, Inc.

“You have to work hard in the courses, but the program has the flexibility to let you set your own schedule. If you're traveling, you can take it on the plane with you,” adds Ben Poletti, territory manager with Deere & Co.

In this joint venture of the Purdue University College of Agriculture and Indiana University 's Kelley School of Business, most of the coursework is delivered using distance-learning technology. The emphasis on an electronic instructional linkage between the two universities and the program participants allows for completion of the program with minimal time away from the job. In addition, technological advances in distance learning technologies have allowed a virtual classroom, which has proven effective in capturing, even enhancing, many of the elements of face-to-face contact. The design of the program is consistent with the standards of the International Association for Management Education (AACSB), and the MBA degree is fully accredited by that national accrediting body for management master's programs.

The Indiana University portion of the program (MBA) is built around a set of core courses in the functional areas of management including marketing, finance and accounting, human resource management, operations management, and business law. Considerable emphasis in these management courses is given to firms and situations outside the food and agricultural industries to insure that participants have the opportunity to learn from situations outside their operating worlds as well as from students not related to food and agribusiness.

The Purdue University portion (MS) focuses on the food and agribusiness marketplace. Courses in quantitative methods, economics, macroeconomic trade and policy environment of the food system, and strategy all have a heavy focus on applications and developments in the food and agribusiness industries. While no thesis is required, students do prepare a “capstone” project that involves solving a significant real world problem in their workplace. This set of courses takes participants deeply into conceptual material and issues that have both immediate and longer-term relevance for doing business in a global food and agribusiness market.

“The stronger the partners, the stronger the alliance, and this program clearly brings resources from two of the best to the students enrolled,” says Jay Akridge, professor and Purdue director of the program . Business Week magazine recently named the Kelley School one of the top 20 business schools in the U.S. , and Purdue's College of Agriculture is widely recognized as one of the best in the world.

The MS-MBA program begins with a face-to-face, one-week session in August of the first and second year at the Kelley School , and one-week residency sessions at Purdue each fall. The fifth one-week residency session is sponsored by Purdue and held on the campus of an international partner institution. This schedule makes it possible for participants to be drawn from a wide geographical area, minimizes conflicts with normal job responsibilities, and eliminates the problem of interruptions in the program due to job transfers. The international residency session is a dimension that reflects the global perspective running throughout the program.

For additional information, contact: Luanna DeMay, program manager, Purdue-Kelley MS-MBA Food and Agribusiness Management Program; Purdue University; 403 West State Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2056; Phone: (765) 494-4270; email: luanna@purdue.edu .

Details are also available on the Website: www.agecon.purdue.edu/agribusiness