Board of Governors approves new Agribusiness degree at MSSU

The Board of Governors of Missouri Southern State University approved a new degree  regular meeting on
Friday, November 8, 2024.

The new degree in agriculture business is the result of collaboration between MSSU and regional community colleges, many of which have associate degree programs in agriculture.

Students from Crowder College, Northeastern A&M College, and others will have the opportunity to transfer credits from their associate’s degree in agriculture to Missouri Southern and pursue a bachelor’s degree in agriculture business.

Dr. Lisa Toms, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Missouri Southern, says the new degree fills not only a desire among community college agriculture students to pursue a four-year degree, but also a defined regional workforce need.

“Almost since the day I arrived at Missouri Southern in 2022, I’ve heard repeatedly from our community college partners that their graduates in agriculture had the need to pursue a four-year degree, but few realistic options based on both access and affordability. This new degree in ag business will allow those students to pursue their passion in agriculture and prepare themselves for a career in the region’s burgeoning agriculture industries.”

Due to its specialized nature with associate’s degree coursework in agronomy, animal science, mechanics, and horticulture, this new degree program will only be available to students who transfer into MSSU from a community college with a two-year degree in agriculture.

This completion program is designed to enhance their associate’s degree coursework with a bachelor’s degree focused on the business and economics of agriculture.

Following approval by the Board of Governors, the new program will require the approval of the Missouri Department of Higher Education and the Higher Learning Commission before launching in the fall 2025.