Grace College to Launch Agribusiness Program

By Alex Brown | Inside INdiana Business

Grace College President Bill Katip has announced the institution is launching an agribusiness degree program. Students will have the opportunity to earn an associate's or bachelor's degree in agribusiness beginning this fall. 

The college says the curriculum for the degree program will combine science, business and new agriculture courses. Students will also be required to complete three integrated internships as a means of gaining real-world experience.

"For more than three years we have researched and developed the agribusiness program to best meet the needs of our region and current economy," said Katip. "We’ve long realized the importance and prominence of agriculture in our county and state; this degree program is our response. We want to prepare the next generation of farm CEOs, CFOs and independent farmers to amply feed of our state, nation and world from right here in Kosciusko County."

The program's associate degree track will consist of 60 credit hours with the bachelor degree track taking 120 credit hours to complete. The internships will total seven months as well. Some of the new agribusiness classes being offered include Agricultural Economics, Ag & Commodity Marketing and Sustaining the Family Business.

"The Grace College program is designed to educate the student with an agriculture background, such as a family farm, who wishes to return home upon graduation to run the family business," said Jeffrey Fawcett, dean of the Grace College School of Business. "It’s also geared to prepare students for an agriculture business career in jobs such as provider, processor and marketer."