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Agricultural & Resource Economics (ARE)
 West Virginia's economy is based on natural resources, such as coal and timber, processing of raw materials, manufacturing, energy, and tourism and recreation. The latter is growing rapidly and also utilizes the states resources: its forests, streams, hills, and historic sites. The research of the ARE faculty deals with conflicts that often arise when the same resources serve different purposes, and tries to find ways to enhance economic development, while preserving natural resources and amenities and protecting the environment.
This program offers two majors. The Agribusiness Management and Rural Deveopment major focuses on agricultural businesses, valued-added and consumer-driven agricultural businesses, and on rural businesses, in general. The Environmental and Natural Resource Economics major is for students interested in careers in natural resource management and policy.
Graduate degrees include a M.S. in Agricultural and Resource Economics and a Ph.D. in Resource Management and Sustainable Development. The Ph.D. degree has been renamend and revisions have been approved in November 2005. The description of the doctoral program is being updated to reflect the revisions and will soon be available.
NEWS
The ARE Program was ranked eighth in the United States based on faculty productivity in areas such as publishing and externally funded. The ranking considered the performance during the years 2001 through 2005. The analysis was conducted by Academic Analytics for 104 disciplines. A summary of the results was published in the Chronicle of Higher Education, January 12, 2007. Listen to brief interview with Dr. Alan Collins, Program Chair, on National Public Radio, on "Inside WVU" (MP3 file)
On May 7, 2007, we held a Symposium in Honor of Professor Walter C. Labys. Dr. Labys is internationally known for his research in commodity price modeling, research on the relationship between trade and environmental quality, and spatial pricing. This symposium is part of a celebration to honor his many contributions to West Virginia University and to the profession on the occasion of his retirement in 2006. For more information, click here for a link to the events page.
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