COURSE INFORMATION

• Food safety and security, natural resource depletion, climate change and the drive for sustainability are among the most significant global challenges of our time. There is a growing demand for professionals who are skilled at solving economics problems and making decisions relevant to these critical agricultural and natural resource issues.

• With UNE’s Bachelor of Agricultural and Resource Economics, you will build specialist quantitative skills to pivot your career in a diverse range of agricultural and natural resource settings.

Why study the Bachelor of Agricultural and Resource Economics with UNE?

• Our course is uniquely positioned to equip you with the knowledge, skills and attributes you need to solve economic problems and drive decision making in various sectors grappling with agricultural and natural resource issues, whether you work in business, government or the community.

• Students consistently award UNE the maximum 5-star ratings for Overall Experience and Student Support in The Good Universities Guide, so when you study with us, you know you are in good hands.

We offer a unique opportunity to examine agriculture and natural resources through an economics lens. Specifically, you will be able to:

• Develop advanced skills in analysing economic trade-offs, weighing up costs and benefits, and interpreting the interconnected relationships between economic activity, environmental depletion and production systems.

• Apply initiative, judgement and critical thinking to solving real-world agricultural and natural resource issues.

• Consider current agricultural and natural resources challenges from a global perspective.

• Undertake an in-depth research project, with supportive supervision, giving you valuable practical experience in analysing agricultural and natural resource issues.

• Hone your understanding of social responsibility in relation to agricultural and business practices and develop an appreciation of the importance of the environment and sustainability.

• Choose between a coursework-only option, or undertake an embedded honours program, comprised of a supervised program of reading and research and a dissertation that investigates and reports on a particular area of economic enquiry that interests you.

• Undertake practical work experience.

• Participate in overseas study tours and exchange programs that value add to your degree, such as attending the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association (IFAMA) symposium.

• Choose between the flexibility of studying online where you can balance your work and study commitments to suit you or studying on-campus in Armidale, where you’ll be living in a regional community and will see the relevance of your learnings first-hand.

• Interact with the Smart Region Incubator, an innovative hub co-located in our Business School, that connects regional businesses that have growth potential with academic business research, business mentors, corporate and community partners.

• ?Many of our students choose to take advantage of the on-campus lifestyle in Armidale, in the beautiful New England region, with access to unparalleled support, accommodation and sporting facilities. These students are often starting their first degree and have left school recently. Through access to academic and career support they get a fantastic start to their careers.

• 24/7 tutor support includes: essay feedback (within 24 hours); live chat 24/7 for generic feedback on academic writing; and subject-specific help at a foundation or first-year level for subjects including mathematics, chemistry, biology, physics, business, accounting, microeconomics, macroeconomics and statistics. There are also a wide range of workshops, resources and courses available in academic skills support to assist you and help you to succeed.

COURSE STRUCTURE

•  To qualify for the award a candidate must pass units to the value of 192 credit points with not more than 60 credit points at 100 level; at least 72 credit points at 300 level; and not more than 24 credit points at 400 level.

•  To qualify for the award of Honours a candidate must pass units to the value of 192 credit points with not more than 60 credit points at 100 level; at least 36 credit points at 300 level; and at least 42 credit points at 400 level including BUS481C.

CAREER OUTCOMES

The Bachelor of Agricultural and Resource Economics aims to produce professional graduates with the knowledge, skills and attributes required for problem solving and economic decision making across a diverse range of agricultural and natural resource issues. This degree provides students with a strong economic and quantitative background that allows them to explore a variety of professional career options or to advance to higher degree studies.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

• ?BAgResEc: understand, explain and apply disciplinary concepts to agricultural and natural resource issues;

• with initiative and judgement apply critical thinking and problem solving skills to address real agricultural and natural resource issues;

• use quantitative data to critically analyse agricultural and natural resource issues and understand their role in economic and business decision-making and policy decisions;

• be effective communicators of agriculture and resource economics by communicating results, information or arguments to a range of audiences for a range of purposes and using a variety of modes; and

• be accountable for their own learning and work by being independent and self-directed learners; working effectively, responsibly and safely in an individual or team context; taking responsibility and accountability for personal outputs and all aspects of the work or function of others within broad parameters; and demonstrating knowledge of the regulatory frameworks relevant to agricultural and resource economics and personally practising ethical conduct.

• BAgResEc with Honours: demonstrate an advanced understanding, explanation and application of disciplinary concepts to complex agricultural and natural resource issues;

• with initiative and judgement apply critical thinking and advanced problem solving skills to address complex agricultural and natural resource issues and develop new understanding;

• be effective communicators of agriculture and resource economics by communicating results and research to informed professional audiences;

• conduct a research investigation under supervision in a research or professional environment by critically analysing a challenging complex or multi-faceted problem, identifying research questions, designing and planning a project; selecting and applying practical and/or theoretical techniques or tools to address a research question; analysing, interpreting and critically evaluating research findings; and

• be accountable for their own learning and work by being independent and self-directed learners; working effectively, responsibly and safely in an individual or team context; taking responsibility and accountability for personal outputs and all aspects of the work or function of others within broad parameters; and demonstrating knowledge of the regulatory frameworks relevant to agricultural and resource economics and personally practising ethical conduct.