Graduate Admissions
We welcome your application for our Ph.D. program for the FALL term.
Your online application must be received by the deadline posted on the main Graduate Admissions Website. This deadline applies to the application form only. Supplemental materials such as transcripts, letters of recommendation, and official test scores are not subject to the same deadlines; however, they should arrive shortly after the deadline. Your application must be complete in order to be reviewed for admission.
NOTE: We cannot recommend students for fellowships until their applications are complete (including receipt of test scores).
We do not admit students for the Spring term or for a terminal Master's degree. However, the Master of Science in ARE may be awarded to students pursuing work toward the Ph.D. in our program (or in another field at Berkeley) after fulfillment of the appropriate requirements.
Criteria for Graduate Student Admission
Unfortunately, due to the limited number of students we are allowed to recommend for admission, we are not able to recommend admission for all of the applicants who meet all of our qualifications. These guidelines are designed to help potential students strengthen their applications. For example, students who lack strong training in economics or mathematics may want to take additional courses before applying.
Every year, a committee of faculty members considers potential applicants for admission to the graduate program in Agricultural and Resource Economics. Since the composition of this committee changes frequently and the pool of applicants changes each year, we do not use rigid rules in determining admissions. Nonetheless, the following guidelines are used as a starting point in our deliberations.
Formal Records
Formal records are relied upon heavily. We generally will not consider a student with a grade point average (GPA) below 3.0, which is the University's minimum standard for graduate admission. Typically, we consider the overall GPA, the economics GPA, and the GPA in mathematics, statistics, and other quantitative methods, with particularly heavy weight on the economics and mathematics grades.
Many of our applicants have a Master's degree in agricultural economics or economics from other institutions. When grades in graduate courses are available, we put greater weight on those than on undergraduate grades.
Standardized Tests
When students have attended colleges and universities with which we are not familiar, greater weight is placed on the GRE examinations. Particular weight is placed on the quantitative, but the analytical and verbal are also considered.
Personal Statement
The essay by the applicant is also given substantial weight. We are looking for students who have clear and reasonable objectives. We want to know why the applicant wants to study agricultural and resource economics at Berkeley and how this training will be used.
Letters of Recommendation
Letters of recommendation are given considerable attention. We put particular weight on letters from people who have previously recommended students who have done well in our program.
Publications
In some cases, an applicant may already have a paper accepted for publication in an economics journal. If so, this information may weigh heavily in the applicant's favor, and may offset less favorable GPA and/or GRE scores.
Coursework and Employment Experience
We have rarely (if ever) admitted students who do not have training in economics and quantitative methods. At a minimum, a student should have taken intermediate level micro-economics and macro-economics courses and a year of calculus. We also strongly recommend courses in linear algebra, statistics, and econometrics. Most admitted students have had several undergraduate economics courses at the intermediate level. Indeed, one half to three-quarters of each entering class has a Master's degree from another university.
We will make exceptions for students who do not meet these guidelines if they have other characteristics or experiences that we believe are important. Many applicants have had employment that will contribute to their study of agricultural economics. For example, many foreign applicants have important jobs in their country's government; some applicants have worked for international agencies in less-developed countries; and some applicants have worked for federal or state agencies in agriculture or natural resources. A few applicants have professional or graduate training in related fields such as biology, law, or business.
International Students
We encourage applications from other countries. In previous years, international students have comprised at least one quarter of the entering class each fall.
International students are required to show competency in English, with a minimum TOEFL score of 68 for the internet-based test, 230 in the computer-based test, or 570 for the paper test.
In evaluating an international student's background, we are sometimes unfamiliar with the grading system used, the content of courses, etc. We recommend that foreign students provide an official explanation of the grading system and explain in some detail the content of the courses they have taken.
Preparing for Graduate Admissions
An applicant should hold a degree comparable to a Bachelor's degree at the University of California and must have demonstrated strong scholarship potential. The degree need not be in agricultural or resource economics.
Preparation in Math and Statistics
- Calculus (at Berkeley, Math 1A/B)
- Multivariate Calculus (Math 53)
- Introduction to Linear Algebra and Differential Equations (Math 54)
- Recommended: An Introduction to Statistics (Stat 131)
- Recommended: Real Analysis (Math 104)
Preparation in Economics
- Principles (ECON 1 or EEP 1)
- Intermediate Micro (Econ 100A or EEP 100)
- Intermediate Macro (Econ 100B)
- Recommended: Field courses such as Labor, Trade, Industrial Organization, Environment
GRE and TOEFL
- Institutional code: 4833
- Department code for the GRE: 0101
- TOEFL code: 31
The Graduate Record Examination is required of all applicants.
All applicants from countries in which the official language is not English are required to take the TOEFL. Please see the Graduate Application forms for more complete information regarding the GRE and TOEFL.
International students are required to show competency in English, with a minimum TOEFL score of 230 in the computer-based test (or 570 for the paper test).
It is very important that potential applicants arrange to take the GRE and TOEFL examinations early. We recommend that you take them by October or November. Official scores from the December tests may not reach us in time for applicants to be considered for fellowship awards.