AGRICULTURAL OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT
For graduates in Agricultural Operations Management there is an abundance of job opportunities. The program provides a solid foundation in the area of technical management. Graduates become an integral part of the profitable operation of many types of businesses such as building materials, environmental structures, citrus processing and commercial nurseries. A burgeoning of new technologies are being applied to agriculture and experts are needed to make these new technologies productive. Starting salaries average over $40,000/year.
What is AOM? The AOM program provides students with an unmatched ability to guide their own career path. The program teaches both business and technical skills and provides students with the tools to apply them directly to a multitude of commercial and family owned businesses.
Students focus on the application of technology used in agriculture and the integration of business management concepts in the commercial, agriculture and food industries. The AOM graduate is able to identify system problems, formulate possible solutions, evaluate the impact of alternatives (including social and economic dimensions), and then implement the best solution.
Coursework AOM integrates a liberal arts and sciences education with expertise in the agricultural sciences, applied technology, and business management. The program emphasizes hands-on participation through classes and internships. Students must meet requirements in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. The AOM Academic Learning Compact identifies the skills students should acquire if they follow the course of study.
The AOM program allows students to focus specifically on their interests by selecting from these Courses of Concentration areas:
- Production Systems Mangement concentrations:
- Landscape Management
- Technical Sales Management
- Production Systems
- Fishery and Aquatic Production
- Nursery Management
- Business Management
- Organic and Sustainable Ecology
- Forestry
- Animal Productions Management
- Sustainable Systems Management concentrations:
- Energy Systems Management
- Environmental Systems Management
- Agricultural Construction Management concentration:
- Sustainable Agricultural Construction
All new AOM students will consult with an advisor and select from the above list to determine their specific coursework. Students choosing the Sustainable Systems Management or Agricultural Construction Management areas will be required to take higher level math and science courses.
Careers
Graduates from the AOM program work for a wide spectrum of companies including Purina, Terra Asgrow, Cargill, U.S. Sugar, Exxon, State and Federal regulatory agencies and many others. The information explosion and rapid dissemination of new technology has made it necessary for the agricultural industry to have a sales and management force which is educated in basic business practices, environmental regulation, business law, public safety, and science. The added benefit of the AOM degree is the ability to specialize in the natural resources sector as well as acquiring a background in business and management through a curriculum that includes marketing, accounting, human resources, and information technology.
Additional career information can be found at agforlife.com
