Agriculture

Master of Science in Agricultural Economics

The Master of Science in Agricultural Economics is a postgraduate programme that prepares professionals for advanced practice in agricultural economics, policy analysis, and rural development. The programme combines economic theory with agricultural application and quantitative methodology.

Core areas include agricultural economics, production economics, agricultural trade and policy, agricultural and rural development, environmental and natural resource economics, agribusiness management, econometrics, research methods, and thesis. Students engage with both economic theory and practical agricultural application through coursework and research.

The programme is offered by Kenyatta University, Egerton University, and the University of Nairobi. All three are public universities offering the programme over two academic years through full-time and part-time modes of study.

Students develop competencies in agricultural economics, production economics, trade policy analysis, rural development, natural resource economics, agribusiness management, econometrics, and research methods. The programme includes coursework, examinations, and a research thesis.

KU charges approximately KES 326,400/year for East Africans. UoN charges approximately KES 433,500/year (KES 867,000 total). Egerton also offers the programme. Entry requires a Bachelor's degree with Second Class Honours Upper Division in agricultural economics, agribusiness, economics, agriculture, or related fields from a recognised university.

Graduates pursue careers as agricultural economists, policy analysts, trade analysts, rural development specialists, agribusiness managers, and lecturers in agricultural economics across government, research institutions, international organisations, and financial institutions.

Skills Required

Agricultural Economics and Production Analysis
Agricultural Trade and Policy Analysis
Econometric Modelling and Analysis
Rural Development and Livelihoods Analysis
Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
Agribusiness Management and Strategy
Market Analysis and Price Economics
Project Planning and Evaluation
Research Methods in Agricultural Economics
Academic Writing and Thesis Research

Key Subjects

Agricultural Economics and Production Analysis
Agricultural Trade and Policy
Econometric Modelling and Analysis
Rural Development and Livelihoods
Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
Agribusiness Management
Market Analysis and Price Economics
Research Methods in Agricultural Economics
Project Planning and Evaluation
Thesis Research

Certifications

KAM Agricultural Economics Certification
FAO Agricultural Policy Certification

Specializations

Agricultural Trade and Policy

Focuses on agricultural trade and policy, covering trade theory, trade policy, agricultural trade, trade negotiations, and managing agricultural trade and policy.

Agricultural and Rural Development

Examines agricultural and rural development, covering rural development, agricultural development, livelihoods, community development, and managing agricultural and rural development.

Environmental and Natural Resource Economics

Covers environmental and natural resource economics, covering environmental economics, resource economics, climate economics, sustainability, and managing environmental and natural resource economics.

Agribusiness Management

Focuses on agribusiness management, covering business strategy, operations management, enterprise management, supply chain management, and managing agribusiness.

Production Economics

Examines production economics, covering production theory, cost analysis, efficiency analysis, farm management, and managing agricultural production.

Agricultural Finance

Covers agricultural finance, covering agricultural credit, investment analysis, financial planning, risk management, and managing agricultural finance.

Duration: 2 years
Public, up to: Ksh 433,500
Job market: High

The programme

What you study, how long it takes, and how it is delivered.

Practicalities

Study mode: Full-time, Part-time
Attachment: 0 months
Average class: 20 students
Award: Masters

What you study

10 subjects

Agricultural Economics and Production Analysis
Agricultural Trade and Policy
Econometric Modelling and Analysis
Rural Development and Livelihoods
Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
Agribusiness Management
Market Analysis and Price Economics
Research Methods in Agricultural Economics
Project Planning and Evaluation
Thesis Research

Modules

12 in the programme

Agricultural Economics Theory and Applications
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines economic theory, agricultural markets, price analysis, welfare economics, agricultural policy, and managing agricultural economics.
Production Economics and Farm Management
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers production theory, cost analysis, efficiency analysis, farm management, supply analysis, and managing agricultural production.
Research Methods in Agricultural Economics
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers research design, data collection, analysis, ethical issues, and conducting agricultural economics research, preparing students for their thesis.
Econometric Methods and Analysis
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines econometric methods, regression analysis, time series, panel data, hypothesis testing, and managing econometric analysis.
Agricultural Trade and Policy
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers trade theory, trade policy, agricultural trade, trade negotiations, regional trade, and managing agricultural trade and policy.
Agricultural and Rural Development
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines rural livelihoods, community development, agricultural development, poverty analysis, food security, and managing agricultural and rural development.
Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers environmental valuation, resource economics, climate economics, sustainability, natural resource management, and managing environmental economics.
Agribusiness Management and Strategy
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines business strategy, operations management, enterprise management, supply chain management, and managing agribusiness.
Project Planning and Evaluation
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers project design, project appraisal, monitoring and evaluation, cost-benefit analysis, logical framework, and managing agricultural projects.
Agricultural Finance and Credit
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines agricultural credit, investment analysis, financial planning, risk management, microfinance, and managing agricultural finance.
Market Analysis and Price Economics
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers market research, price analysis, market modelling, commodity markets, market integration, and managing market analysis.
Research Thesis
Year 2Semester 26 creditsCore
Original research thesis on an agricultural economics topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and economic knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Specialisations

Agricultural Trade and Policy
Focuses on agricultural trade and policy, covering trade theory, trade policy, agricultural trade, trade negotiations, and managing agricultural trade and policy.
Agricultural and Rural Development
Examines agricultural and rural development, covering rural development, agricultural development, livelihoods, community development, and managing agricultural and rural development.
Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
Covers environmental and natural resource economics, covering environmental economics, resource economics, climate economics, sustainability, and managing environmental and natural resource economics.
Agribusiness Management
Focuses on agribusiness management, covering business strategy, operations management, enterprise management, supply chain management, and managing agribusiness.
Production Economics
Examines production economics, covering production theory, cost analysis, efficiency analysis, farm management, and managing agricultural production.
Agricultural Finance
Covers agricultural finance, covering agricultural credit, investment analysis, financial planning, risk management, and managing agricultural finance.

A day as a student

A typical day during the MSc in Agricultural Economics programme combines lectures, tutorials, computer laboratory sessions, seminars, and independent study. Sessions cover agricultural economics, production economics, trade policy, econometrics, and rural development. Agricultural economics sessions examine economic theory, agricultural markets, price analysis, welfare economics, and managing agricultural economics. Production economics sessions cover production theory, cost analysis, efficiency analysis, farm management, and managing agricultural production. Agricultural trade sessions cover trade theory, trade policy, agricultural trade, trade negotiations, and managing agricultural trade. Econometrics sessions cover econometric methods, regression analysis, time series, panel data, and managing econometric analysis. Rural development sessions cover rural livelihoods, community development, agricultural development, poverty analysis, and managing rural development. Environmental economics sessions cover environmental valuation, resource economics, climate economics, sustainability, and managing environmental economics. Agribusiness management sessions cover business strategy, operations management, enterprise management, and managing agribusiness. Project planning sessions cover project design, project appraisal, monitoring and evaluation, cost-benefit analysis, and managing agricultural projects. Market analysis sessions cover market research, price analysis, market modelling, commodity markets, and managing market analysis. Research methods sessions prepare students for their thesis, covering research design, data collection, and analysis. Computer laboratory sessions provide hands-on experience with econometric software, data analysis, economic modelling, and statistical computing. Seminars and discussion groups provide opportunities for debating current issues in agricultural economics. Guest lectures from experienced economists, policy analysts, and agricultural development experts provide practical insights. The programme culminates in a research thesis on an agricultural economics topic.

The trade offs

In its favour

High demand for agricultural economics professionals with growing agricultural commercialisation, policy reforms, and regional trade in Kenya.
Programme is offered by three public universities (KU, Egerton, UoN), providing institutional choice.
Programme combines economic theory with agricultural application, providing versatile skills for economics, policy, and agribusiness.
Diverse specialisations including trade and policy, rural development, environmental economics, and agribusiness management.

Against it

UoN fees are relatively high at approximately KES 433,500/year (KES 867,000 total).
KU fees at KES 326,400/year are also relatively high compared to other agricultural master's programmes.
No private university confirmed offering this programme, limiting options.
Programme requires economics or agriculture background, which may limit access for non-related graduates.

What it costs

Tuition at both ends of the market, and how to pay for it.

What it costs, and where

Against 303 agriculture courses

Public326k to 434k

326k at Kenyatta University434k at University of Nairobi

Annual tuition in Kenyan shillings, rounded. The upright tick is the median for this field, so a bar sitting entirely to its right is an expensive programme by the standards of its own subject.

The fine print

UoN ~433.5K/yr; KU 326.4K/yr (ku.ac.ke). Private unverified.

HELB postgraduate loans are available for Kenyan students. KU may offer postgraduate bursaries for eligible students. The TAGDev programme at Egerton provides full-board scholarships for eligible agricultural economics students. FAO and other international organisations may provide training support for agricultural economics professionals.

Funding options

HELB Postgraduate Loan
KU Postgraduate Bursary
TAGDev Scholarship (Egerton)

Scholarships

3 recorded

HELB Postgraduate Loan
LoanKsh 200,000Kenyan
Kenyan students pursuing postgraduate studies at recognised universities.
KU Postgraduate Bursary
ScholarshipKsh 100,000Kenyan
Kenyatta University offers postgraduate bursaries for eligible students.
TAGDev Scholarship (Egerton)
ScholarshipKsh 500,000Kenyan
TAGDev programme at Egerton provides full-board scholarships covering tuition, research, accommodation, and stipend for eligible agricultural economics students.

Getting in

The grades, the alternatives, and who accredits the award.

What you need

KCSE mean grade: N/A (Postgraduate)
Alternative entry: Most universities require Upper Second Class Honours in agricultural economics, agribusiness, economics, or related field. Lower Second Division holders with Grade B and above in relevant units are considered. Contact respective universities for specific admission requirements.

How you are assessed

4 components

Coursework and Continuous Assessment
Coursework30% of the mark
Continuous assessment through coursework assignments, problem sets, econometric exercises, seminar presentations, and class participation.
Written Examinations
Examination70% of the mark
Written examinations covering agricultural economics, production economics, trade policy, econometrics, and rural development.
Computer Laboratory Assessment
Practical100% of the mark
Practical assessment through computer laboratory exercises, econometric analysis, data analysis, economic modelling, and demonstrating computational skills.
Research Thesis
Research100% of the mark
Original research thesis on an agricultural economics topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and economic knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Accreditation

The programme is accredited by the Commission for University Education (CUE). Kenyatta University, Egerton University, and University of Nairobi (all public) offer MSc in Agricultural Economics. All programmes meet CUE standards for postgraduate training in agricultural economics. Graduates are eligible for KAM agricultural economics certification and FAO agricultural policy certification.

Accredited by

Commission for University Education (CUE)
Academic accreditationRequired
Programme accredited by CUE. Kenyatta University, Egerton University, and University of Nairobi (all public) offer MSc in Agricultural Economics. All programmes meet CUE standards for postgraduate training in agricultural economics. Graduates are eligible for KAM agricultural economics certification and FAO agricultural policy certification.

Where it leads

The roles it opens, and what you leave with.

Where graduates go

6 roles

Agricultural Economist
High demandKsh 130,000 to Ksh 550,000
Conducts economic analysis, overseeing agricultural economics research, market analysis, policy analysis, and managing economic analysis.
Policy Analyst
High demandKsh 140,000 to Ksh 600,000
Analyses agricultural policy, overseeing policy research, policy evaluation, policy development, and managing policy analysis.
Trade Analyst
Moderate demandKsh 130,000 to Ksh 550,000
Analyses agricultural trade, overseeing trade data analysis, market research, trade policy analysis, and managing trade analysis.
Rural Development Specialist
Moderate demandKsh 120,000 to Ksh 500,000
Develops rural development programmes, overseeing rural development planning, community development, livelihoods analysis, and managing rural development.
Agribusiness Manager
High demandKsh 130,000 to Ksh 550,000
Manages agribusiness operations, overseeing business strategy, operations management, financial management, and managing agribusiness enterprises.
Agricultural Economics Lecturer
Moderate demandKsh 120,000 to Ksh 500,000
Teaches agricultural economics at university or college level, overseeing instruction, research, academic supervision, and curriculum development.

Graduate outcomes

Where these fields lead

8 careers

Tools you will learn

Stata
SoftwarePrimary
Stata econometric software for agricultural economics research, covering data analysis, econometric modelling, time series, and managing research data.
R
Software
R statistical software for agricultural economics research, covering statistical analysis, data visualisation, econometric modelling, and managing research data.
SPSS
Software
SPSS statistical software for agricultural economics research, covering data analysis, statistical tests, and managing research data.
Excel
Software
Excel for economic analysis, covering financial modelling, cost-benefit analysis, data management, and managing economic data.

Industry links

Common misconceptions

Agricultural economics is just about farming economics.
Agricultural economics covers comprehensive economic analysis including trade, policy, rural development, environment, markets, and agribusiness beyond just farming.
This programme is only for those from farming backgrounds.
Agricultural economics skills are valuable for anyone interested in economic analysis, policy, trade, development, and agribusiness.
Agricultural economics has limited career prospects in Kenya.
With growing agricultural commercialisation, policy reforms, and regional trade, demand for agricultural economics professionals is increasing in Kenya.
Agricultural economics is the same as general economics.
Agricultural economics requires specialised knowledge of agricultural markets, seasonality, food systems, rural development, and natural resource management.
Policy analysis is only for government officials.
Policy analysis skills are valuable for agribusiness managers, consultants, researchers, NGO professionals, and anyone involved in agricultural development.
Econometrics is too mathematical to be practical.
Econometrics provides essential tools for data-driven decision-making, market analysis, policy evaluation, and research in agricultural economics.