ACE is a leader in agricultural and applied finance. The program has both a strong research base, and proven record working with industry participants and policy makers to address real-world problems and develop useful tools and outreach products. Students in the graduate program can become involved in any of a wide range of finance-related topics including asset valuation, credit assessment, firm-level financial management, investment and capital budgeting evaluation, leverage, financial structure, lending policies, agricultural credit institutions, and national and international trends affecting financial outcomes in agriculture. The faculty's strong ties to production agriculture, lending institutions, and agribusiness create an environment conducive to problem-oriented research, and provide highly promising post-graduation opportunities.

Recommended Courses for Ph.D. Area of Specialization

Descriptions of courses listed below are available on the course catalog

• ACE 542, Advanced Agricultural Finance

and at least two of:

• ACE 591, Independent Study (Approved Finance Topics), 4 hours
• FIN 511, Investments, 4 hours
• FIN 561, Financial Intermediation, 4 hours
• FIN 562, Macrofinance, 4 hours
• FIN 591, Theory of Finance, 4 hours
• FIN 596, Seminar in Fin Intermediation, 4 hours

For more information about Agricultural Finance, please contact:

Students in family and consumer economics use applied economics to address policy-relevant issues related to the behavior and well being of families, individuals, and consumers. This area of specialization focuses on household demand, household production, family formation and dissolution, consumer finance and family economics, and government policy. Faculty members are leading experts in several areas of family and consumer research including child support payments; effects of family structure on children's schooling, health, and well being; determinants of household financial well-being; family and consumer policy; consumer information and regulation; and health care issues. Faculty members also have a strong and growing interest in the international dimensions of family and consumer economics, including applications in the areas of international development and consumer finance.

Recommended Courses for Ph.D. Area of Specialization

Descriptions of courses listed below are available on the course catalog

• ACE 531, Impact Evaluation, 2 hours
• ACE 571, Household Economics, 2 hours
• ACE 572, Economics of the Family, 4 hours

For more information about Family and Consumer Economics, please contact:

This area focuses on a variety of management and decision issues relevant to farms and other firms in the food and agribusiness sector. Cooperation with the College of Business allows students to take courses or minor in related business fields. Research areas include decision analysis, information systems, operations management, business organization and strategy, marketing tactics and strategy, and behavior of organizations and decision makers. Close ties with industry executives enrich students' opportunities.

For more information about Food, Agribusiness and Farm Management, please contact:

Students in this area study the role of government in economic development, marketing, finance, international trade, and agriculture. They analyze policies related to market stabilization, international economic relations, food safety and biotechnology, natural resource use, income distribution, and public sector-private sector relations. Students and faculty also study the role of interest groups in the development of policies. Faculty have experience in Australia, Africa, Canada, Asia, Western and Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East.

Recommended Courses for Ph.D. Area of Specialization

Descriptions of courses listed below are available on the course catalog

• ACE 531 Impact Evaluation, 2 hours
• ACE 556 Agricultural Policy and Political Economy, 4 hours
• ACE 557 Food, Poverty and Development, 2 hours
• ACE 559 Food, Trade and Development, 2 hours
• ACE 571 Household Economics, 2 hours

For more information about International and Development Economics, please contact:

ACE is a leading contributor to economic studies of bioenergy, soil carbon sequestration, water resource management and valuation, resource and habitat conservation, and voluntary environmental programs. Our proximity to some of the world’s most productive agricultural land as well as to the Mississippi River, the Great Lakes, and Chicago provides ready access to important field sites and enables us to be major contributors to environmental, natural resource, and agricultural policy development both nationally and regionally.

Recommended Courses for Ph.D. Area of Specialization

Descriptions of courses listed below are available on the course catalog

At least two of:

• ACE 510, Adv Natural Resource Economics, 4 hours
• ACE 516, Environmental Economics, 4 hours

For more information about Natural Resource and Environmental Economics, please contact:

Students in price analysis and agricultural marketing address the performance of agricultural markets. The department is closely linked with one of the world's most important markets for agricultural commodities. It is a leader in analyzing those markets, including options and futures markets located in Chicago, to find ways of improving the worldwide flow of food and fiber. Other areas of research include market information, grain quality in domestic and international markets, location and transportation analysis, and managing price and income risk.

Recommended Courses for Ph.D. Area of Specialization

Descriptions of courses listed below are available on the course catalog

• ACE 520, Food Commodity Markets, 4 hours
• ACE 527, Advanced Price Analysis, 4 hours

For more information about Price Analysis and Agricultural marketing, please contact:

Regional economics is an intellectually demanding and exciting field. Recognizing that space or location matters adds another dimension of complexity and realism to traditional economics. Traditional questions of regional economics include why some regions prosper while others do not, why some industries cluster, and what public policies can help places become more competitive and prosperous. More recent questions deal with the spatial externalities of weather events on, among others, crop yield and interregional trade as well as the impact of climate change on global supply chain linkages. The University of Illinois has a 40‑year heritage of educating leading regional economists and providing leadership to the Regional Science Association International.

Recommended Courses for Ph.D. Area of Specialization

Descriptions of courses listed below are available on the course catalog

• ACE 532/SE, Spatial Econometrics, 4 hours
• ACE 592, Environmental and economic Input-Output, 4 hours

For more information about Regional Economics and Public Policy, please contact: