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AGRICULTURAL & RESOURCE ECONOMICS
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT BERKELEY |
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AGRICULTURAL & RESOURCE ECONOMICS
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT BERKELEY |
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Graduate Study at ARE |
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| Overview |
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The University of California at Berkeley offers the premier graduate
program in Agricultural and Resource Economics.* Our objective is a
graduate program that produces outstanding researchers in applied
economics and policy, specializing in problems of agriculture,
natural resources, and the environment, both domestically and
internationally.
Why should you apply? First, we provide top training in agricultural economics. Our faculty members are committed to teaching and working closely with our students. Our classes are small, and we have a strong tradition of one-on-one mentoring of each student. Our teaching stresses state-of-the-arts theory coupled with knowledge of the key policy issues of the day. Faculty of the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics have a distinguished research and public service record, have received numerous research awards, and have played a major advisory role in shaping agricultural and resource policies throughout the world. Second, students can take advantage of outstanding courses throughout U.C. Berkeley. They can gain interdisciplinary training by taking courses in other departments within the College of Natural Resources, the Economics Department, the Haas Business School, and many others. Some students get a masters degree in Berkeley's top-ranked Statistics Department while they work on their PhD in our department. U.C. Berkeley was recently ranked as the world's second best university (see the Times of London: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1343642,00.html). In a recent evaluation of graduate schools, the American Council on Education ranked Berkeley as number one in the country, "the best balanced distinguished university in the nation." Berkeley has had 18 Nobel laureates, including two of the most recent awards in Economics, and 143 members of the National Academy of Sciences. Third, we have the best placement history of any agricultural and resource economics department in the world. Our graduates work in most of the top agricultural economics departments around the world. In addition, we have placed students in economics departments, policy programs, business schools, and other academic programs. Others of our graduates work in government agencies, nonprofit agencies, and business. We are incredibly proud of the more than 500 graduates from our Ph.D. program. Our distinguished alumni include John Kenneth Galbraith, Philip Habib, Richard Just, Oscar Burt, Larry Klein, Zvi Griliches, Gardner Brown, Dennis Aigner, and Yair Mundlak. (For a more complete list of graduates, see ARE Alumni, of whom we're also very proud.) Fourth, much of the research work in the Department is done collaboratively with students. Many papers are co-authored by students and faculty every year. Fifth, there's no finer place to live than the San Francisco Bay Area. Berkeley itself offers the lively background of one of America's most culturally diverse and politically adventurous small cities. Local recreational opportunities abound, and many national parks are only hours away. Because we can admit only a small number of candidates to the Ph.D. degree program, we are able to select some of the most outstanding minds from around the world. We strive for a talented and diverse class to enhance the student body on which the excellence of our teaching and research programs very much depends. Thanks to resources the Department derives from the Agricultural Experiment Station, the Giannini Foundation, the University of California, endowed chairs, and ongoing research grants, we are able to provide fellowship support or Research Assistant appointments to most of our students. Please examine our web site to learn more about the structure of our graduate program, our faculty, and ongoing research activities. Jeffrey M. Perloff, Chair *Perry, Gregory M. 1994. Ranking M.S. and Ph.D. Programs in Agricultural Economics. Review of Agricultural Economics 16:333-40. |
| Admission |
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An applicant should hold a degree comparable to a Bachelor's degree at
the University of California and must have demonstrated strong
scholarship potential. The degree need not be in agricultural or
resource economics. Minimal preparation for admission to the graduate
program includes knowledge of principles of economics, intermediate
micro- and macroeconomics, calculus, and linear algebra. Additional
preparation in economics and other fields of the social sciences is
highly desirable.
Getting an Application:
You may submit an
application to the graduate school on the web. Alternatively, we
can mail you an application. To receive an application or any other
information about graduate admissions contact Gail Vawter either by
email at
,
by phone at (510) 642-3347, or by post at
Deadlines: Applications for Fall admission are due by February 10. If applying for University fellowships, applications are due by December 15. These deadlines apply to the application form only. Supplemental materials such as transcripts, letters of recommendation and official test scores are not subject to the same deadlines; however, they should arrive shortly after the deadline. Your application must be complete in order to be reviewed for admission. Criteria for Admission: The criteria governing recommendations for admission relate to academic promise. In forming its appraisal of academic promise, the Graduate Admissions Committee relies primarily on (1) the grade-point average in Upper Division courses and in previous graduate work (if applicant has an M.S. or M.A.), (2) an assessment of the applicant's formal course background as preparation to enter the program for which he/she is applying, (3) letters supporting the application, and (4) the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). All applicants are required to take the general GRE. All applicants from countries in which the official language is not English are required to take the TOEFL. Please see the Graduate Application forms for more complete information regarding the GRE and TOEFL. Formal records are relied upon heavily. We generally will not consider a student with a grade point average (GPA) below 3.0, which is the University's minimum standard for graduate admission. Typically, we consider the overall GPA, the economics GPA, and the GPA in mathematics, statistics, and other quantitative methods, with particularly heavy weight on the economics and mathematics grades. Many of our applicants have a Master's degree in agricultural economics or economics from other institutions; when grades in graduate courses are available, we put greater weight on those than on undergraduate grades. When students have attended colleges and universities with which we are not familiar, greater weight is placed on the GRE examinations. Particular weight is placed on the quantitative, but the analytical and verbal are also considered. It is very important that potential applicants arrange to take the GRE and TOEFL examinations early. We recommend that you take them by October or November. Official scores from the December tests may not reach us in time for applicants to be considered for fellowship awards. (We cannot recommend students for fellowships until their applications are complete; applications are incomplete until test scores are received.) The institutional code for test scores is 4833. Our department code for the GRE is 0101, and the code for the TOEFL is 31. Letters of recommendation are given considerable attention. We put particular weight on letters from people who have previously recommended students who have done well in our program. In some cases, an applicant may already have a paper accepted for publication in an economics journal. If so, this information may weigh heavily in the applicant's favor, and may offset less favorable GPA and/or GRE scores. The essay by the applicant is also given substantial weight. We are looking for students who have clear and reasonable objectives. We want to know why the applicant wants to study agricultural and resource economics at Berkeley and how this training will be used. We have rarely (if ever) admitted students who do not have training in economics and quantitative methods. At a minimum, a student should have taken intermediate level micro-economics and macro-economics courses and a year of calculus. We also strongly recommend courses in linear algebra, statistics and econometrics. Most admitted students have had several undergraduate economics courses at the intermediate level. Indeed, one half to three-quarters of each entering class has a Master's degree from another university. We will make exceptions for students who do not meet these guidelines if they have other characteristics or experiences that we believe are important. Many applicants have had employment that will contribute to their study of agricultural economics. For example, many foreign applicants have important jobs in their country's government; some applicants have worked for international agencies in less-developed countries; and some applicants have worked for federal or state agencies in agriculture or natural resources. A few applicants have professional or graduate training in related fields such as biology, law, or business. International students are required to show competency in English, with a minimum TOEFL score of 230 in the computer-based test (or 570 for the paper test). In evaluating an international student's background, we are sometimes unfamiliar with the grading system used, the content of courses, etc. We recommend that foreign students provide an official explanation of the grading system and explain in some detail the content of the courses they have taken. We encourage applications from other countries. In previous years, international students have comprised at least one quarter of the entering class each fall. We do not accept applicants for the Master's degree only. However, the M.S. may be awarded to students pursuing work toward the Ph.D. in our program (or in another field at Berkeley) after fulfillment of the appropriate requirements. We do not admit students for the spring term, since we usually meet our admissions quota in the fall. Unfortunately, due to the limited number of students we are allowed to recommend for admission, we are not able to recommend admission for all of the applicants who meet all of our qualifications. These guidelines are designed to help potential students strengthen their applications; for example, students who lack strong training in economics or mathematics may want to take additional courses before applying.
Nondiscrimination The University of California, in compliance with Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Sections 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1973 and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religon, sex, handicap, or age in any of its policies, procedures, or practices; nor does the University, in compliance with Section 402 of the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Act of 1974, and section 12940 of the State of California Government Code, discriminate against any employees or applicants for employment because they are disable vertans or verterans of the Vietnam era, or because of their medical condition (as defined in Section 12926 of the California Government Code), their ancestry, or their marital status; nor does the University discriminate on the basis of citizenship, within the limits imposed by law or University policy; nor does the University discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation. This nondiscrimination policy covers admission, access, and treatment in University programs and activities, and application for and treatment in University employment. In conformance with University policy and pursuant to Executive Orders 11246 and 11375, Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and Section 402 of the Vietnam Era Readjustment Act of 1974, the University of California is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer. Inquiries regarding the University's equal opportunity policies may be directed to the Edith Ng, director, Staff Affirmative Action, 641 University Hall, (510) 642-5002. Inquiries regarding Title IX (sex discrimination) may be directed to Carmen McKines, Title IX Compliance Officer, 200 California Hall, (510) 643-7985, or Christina Maslach, Faculty Assistant for the Status of Women, 200 California Hall, (510) 642-7609. |
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The Ph. D. Program
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The first year of the Ph.D. program is designed to give students a sound
foundation in economic theory and quantitative methods to prepare them
for advanced study in their second year. Material covered in the first
year includes economic theory (ECON 201A-B); applied welfare economics,
international trade, applied industrial organization, and micromodeling
in agricultural and resource economics (ARE 201 and ARE 202); and
econometrics and statistics (ARE 211 and ARE 212). At the end of the
first year, students demonstrate mastery of microeconomic theory and
quantitative methods by completing a passing the preliminary
examination. The Graduate Advisory Committee may exempt students who
have an outstanding background in economics and/or quantitative methods
from taking any or all of the required first-year courses. The
requirement may be relaxed for a student with a weaker background, and
some remedial classes may be required. In such cases, first-year
requirements must be completed by the end of the second year. Without
exception, however, all students must pass the preliminary examination.
If this examination is passed upon entrance to the program, then the
student is free to begin developing field course work in the first year
of the program.
The second year of the Ph.D. program is designed to be highly flexible, permitting students to explore their own interests. During the second year students take one course in macroeconomic theory (ECON 202A or B) and complete the third required course in the econometrics sequence (ARE 213). By the middle of the second year, students submit an approved econometrics project (ARE 298). In addition, students are expected to develop two fields beyond basic microeconomic theory, macroeconomic theory, and quantitative methods. One field must be selected from among those offered by the Department (Environmental and Resource Economics, Agricultural and Resource Policy, International Development ). The second field also may be taken within the Department, in particular in one of the seven areas of specialization (Applied Econometrics, Intellectual Property Rights and Biotechnology, Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, International Trade, in addition to the three fields above), although many students choose a combination of courses offered by another department and selected with the advice and consent of the Graduate Advisory Committee. For example, students may take one field in other departments in the College of Natural Resources or in other campus departments such as Economics, Statistics, Demography, Business Administration, and others. To supplement their field courses, we encourage students to take courses in other departments. By the end of the second year (usually several weeks following the close of course work), students are expected to complete a field examination in one of their two fields. After the second year the student develops a thesis topic in consultation with a small faculty committee. A research essay, which is a short thesis prospectus, serves as a basis for an oral examination taken during the third year. It normally takes about two years to write the dissertation. During this time students may take further course work. Four seminar/workshops are regularly offered for students in their dissertation years: the Department Seminar, the Environmental and Resource Economics Seminar, the International Development Workshop, and the Thesis Workshop. Other workshops are organized on an ad-hoc basis, either when visitors offer such an opportunity or when particular needs are felt by a group of students. Students taking workshops for credit are generally beyond the second regular year of their PhD program. |
| Courses Offered |
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ARE 201: Welfare Economics and Trade Policy.
Three hours of lecture and one hour of discussion per week.
Prerequisite: Economics 201A-B or equivalent or consent of instructor.
Basic
concepts of micro and welfare economics: partial and general equilibrium.
Introduction to international trade theory and policy in partial and general
equilibrium and in second best settings.
ARE 202: Production, Industrial Organization, and Regulation in Agriculture.
Three hours of lecture and one hour of discussion per week.
Prerequisite: ECON 201A or equivalent or consent of instructor.
Economics, institutions, and policies relating to agricultural and
resource markets. The course makes extensive use of microeconomic modeling
techniques including equilibrium concepts, comparative statics, and welfare
economics using partial and general equilibrium models. The course concentrates
on industrial organization: dominant firm and competitive fringe, oligopoly,
monopolistic competition, vertical integration, price discrimination, and
economics of information with applications to agriculture, food retailing,
cooperatives, fishing, and energy.
ARE 210: Probability and Statistics. Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: Graduate standing or consent of instructor. This is an introduction to probability theory and statistical inference. It is primarily intended to prepare students for the graduate econometrics courses 212 and 213. The emphasis of the course is on the principles of statistical reasoning. Probability theory will be discussed mainly as a background for statistical theory and specific models will, for the most part, be considered only to illustrate the general statistical theory as it is developed. ARE 211: Mathematical Methods for Agricultural and Resource Economists. Three hours of lecture and one hour of discussion per week. Prerequisites: Graduate standing or consent of instructor. The goal of this course is to provide entering graduate students with the basic skills required to perform effectively in the graduate program and as professional economists. The lectures place heavy emphasis on intuition, graphical representations and conceptual understanding. Weekly problem sets provide the opportunity to master mechanical skills and computational techniques. Topics covered include: real analysis, linear algebra, multivariable calculus, theory of static constrained optimization, and comparative statics.ARE 212: Introduction to Econometrics; Estimation and Inference. Four hours of lecture and one hour of discussion per week. Prerequisite: ARE 211 or consent of instructor. Introduction to the estimation and testing of economic models. Includes analysis of the general linear model, asymptotic theory, instrumental variables, the generalized method of moments, time series analysis and limited dependent variables. ARE 213: Applied Econometrics. Three hours of lecture and three hours of computer laboratory per week. Prerequisites: 211 and 212 or equivalent or consent of instructor. Standard and advanced econometric techniques are applied to topics in agriculture and resource economics, and include generalized method of moments, limited dependent variables, time series analysis, and nonparametric analysis. Students are introduced to software packages and use computers to conduct statistical analyses. ARE 214: New Econometrics. Three hours of lecture per week. Topics vary from year to year. Topics in past years have included Bayesian Analysis, causal inference and program evaluation. ARE 231: International Markets and Trade. Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: ARE 212 and Economics 201B, or consent of instructor. Review of theories of comparative advantage. Theory and practice of international commercial policy. Customs unions trade under uncertainty. Empirical models of trade. Market structure considerations in international trade ARE 241: Economics of Production, Technology, Risk Agriculture and the Enviroment. Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: ARE 201 and 202, or Economics 201A-B, or consent of instructor. Agricultural policy problems in developed and less developed economies. Cutting-edge theory, implementation and econometric implications of dynamic stochastic modeling of markets for agricultural and other commodities. Effects of shocks on dynamic behavior of markets. Welfare evaluation methodology and applications to policy interventions (research, price supports, market stabilization, environmental regulations, cartelization), and implications for efficiency and distribution.ARE 242: Quantitative Public Policy. Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: ARE 211 or consent of instructor. Public policy analytical frameworks typically focus on only one of four dimensions: incidence, mechanism design, political economy and governance structures. The four analytical dimensions can be distinguished in accordance with their imposed maintained hypotheses, or assumptions, and the type of failures that arise. The roles of public versus special interests are modeled to determine the degree and extent of organizational failures in collective group behavior. Each of the four analytical dimensions must be integrated in the design of public policies that are sustainable and robust to an evolving economy and society. ARE C251: Microeconomics of Development. Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. This course focuses on understanding the behavior of households, and the wealth of contracts, arrangements, and institutions they form in response to an environment of imperfect markets and high risk. Emphasis is placed on formal economic analysis and empirical strategy. ARE 252: Economic Development and Planning. Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. This course examines theoretical and empirical issues in economic development, focusing on macroeconomic growth, inequality, political economy, and human resources.ARE C253: International Economic Development Policy. Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisite: Minimum of one semester graduate-level microeconomics and statistics, or consent of instructor. This course emphasizes the development and application of policy solutions to developing-world problems related to poverty, macroeconomic policy, and environmental sustainability. Methods of statistical, economic and policy analysis are applied to a series of case studies. The course is designed to develop practical skills for application in the international arena. ARE 261: Environmental and Resource Economics. Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisite: Ph.D. level economic theory or consent of instructor. Theory of renewable and nonrenewable natural resource use with applications to forests, fisheries, energy and climate change. Resources, growth and sustainability. Economic theory of environmental policy. Externality; the Coasian critique; tax incidence and anomalies; indirect taxes; the double dividend; environmental standards; environmental regulation; impact of uncertainty on taxes and standards; mechanism design; monitoring, penalties, and regulatory strategy; emissions markets. ARE 262: Nonmarket Valuation. Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisite: Ph.D. level economic theory or consent of instructor. The economic concept of value; historical evolution of market and nonmarket valuation; revealed preference methods: single site demand, multisite demand, corner solution models, and valuation of quality changes; averting behavior; the hedonic method; contingent valuation; other stated preference methods: ranking, choice, conjoint analysis; the value of life and safety; sampling and questionnaire design for valuation surveys. ARE 263: Dynamic Methods in Environmental and Resource Economics. Two hours of lecture and two hours of discussion per week. Prerequisite: Ph.D. level economic theory or consent of instructor. The course studies methods of analysis and optimal control of dynamic systems, emphasizing applications in environmental and natural resource economics. Continuous time deterministic models are studied using phase plane analysis, the calculus of variations, the Maximum Principle, and dynamic programming. Numerical methods are applied to discrete time stochastic and deterministic dynamic models. ARE 298: Empirical Project. In their second year, students are required to conduct an empirical project in consulation with a faculty advisor. This project draws on material learned in ARE 212 and ARE 213 to address a question of substantial economic interest. Particular emphasis is placed on the development of an interesting research question; formulation of a consistent economic model; and on building strong connections between the predictions generated by theory and tested using the tools of econometrics. Resulting papers are presented in one or more seminars, and are evaluated, in part, by the student's peers. Environmental and Natural Resource Economics Seminar. This seminar series and student workshop meets Wednesdays at lunchtime throughout the school year. Graduate students are invited to present research at any stage of completion. Students have used the seminar as an opportunity to present formal presentations such as practice job and conference talks, mock orals, and less formal discussions of new research ideas. The seminar also hosts speakers from outside the Department several times each year. International Development Workshop. For students working on their dissertations with a development faculty in ARE, weekly workshops are held where students rotate in presenting their work in progress. This allows faculty to collectively advise students, and students to cooperate in helping each others in their research. Thesis Workshop. All ARE graduate students are welcomed. Weekly workshops are held in which graduate students present their work in progress. Students can present early and preliminary work, as well as more advanced paper. The purpose of this seminar is to help students that prepare for their oral examination formulate their problem and research agenda, and to give constructive criticisms to students further advanced in their research. Members of the workshop are required to attend all meetings and read all papers. |
| Handbook |
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Introduction:
Welcome to the Department of Agricultural and Resources Economics (ARE) at UC Berkeley. We hope that your time here will be a rewarding experience. To help you take full advantage of your experience, ARE graduate students created this handbook to share "things we wish we had known" when we first got started. We've focused on information that is learned by experience or word-of-mouth and is generally not found in departmental or university publications. This web page is maintained by the The Grad Student Handbook Committee, appointed annually at the Committee Assignment Meeting. Please contact the committee should you wish to correct given information, add a relevant web link, or aid in the construction of that specific topic page. This handbook is the voice of contributing graduate students for fellow ARE graduate students, hence not official ARE or University policy. Contents:
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| Talk to a Student |
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We can imagine that you might still have some questions about work,
school, fun, funding, housing, and Berkeley life in general. If you
want to get a student's perspective, we encourage you to get in touch
with one of us. We'll be happy to answer your questions.
Feel free to give anyone on the list below a call or e-mail. No question
is too minor (i.e. "What kind of microbreweries can I find downtown?")
or too daunting ("Why should I choose Berkeley?").
If you are in the process of deciding on graduate school, we've all been
in your shoes before and hope to help you as much as we can with your
decision!
Students you might contact:
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