SUNY Morrisville to add food and agribusiness master’s degree in 2023

MORRISVILLE, N.Y. — SUNY Morrisville announced it will add its first master’s degree in food and agribusiness (FAB) in a fully online two-year degree program that starts in the fall of 2023.

The degree will prepare individuals for careers throughout the food system, drawing from agricultural economics, food marketing, supply-chain management, organizational management, econometrics, agriculture and food regulation, and other topics tailored to the special problems that food businesses face.

“The program will provide graduates who are equipped with the tools to solve the tremendous challenges facing food systems that promote safe, secure, and sustainable practices for an ever-growing global demand,” Scott Colby, assistant professor of agribusiness at SUNY Morrisville, said in a release. Colby was instrumental in developing the new degree.

SUNY Morrisville President David Rogers said the new FAB program represents a new era at Morrisville with graduate education aligned with its historical mission in agriculture and technology. “As these specialized fields become increasingly complex, SUNY Morrisville will continue to expand its programming to meet the educational needs of New York’s evolving workforce opportunities,” he said.

Anyone in or interested in a career in the food system will benefit from the FAB master’s program including managers, farmers, policy analysts, food and fiber entrepreneurs, importers/exporters, retailers, distributors, marketers, military logistic personnel, and food scientists, the university contended.

“FAB is designed to support professionals throughout the entire global system,” Sheila Marshman, associate professor of agricultural business development at SUNY Morrisville, said. Marshman helped develop the program.

Students in the program will acquire managerial and analytical skills through group projects, computational analysis, microeconomic theory, case studies of food producers’ and marketers’ managerial decisions, hot-topic policy debates, and business and marketing planning. Cohorts will be comprised of people with experience throughout the food system, creating understanding of the interconnectedness of the food system, and the program will teach skills and knowledge application throughout the entire food system.

“That means FAB graduates will have job prospects virtually everywhere within the food system,” Colby contended.

SUNY Morrisville operates campuses in Morrisville and Norwich, offering more than 50 associate and bachelor’s degree programs to about 2,000 students.