Ag dean disputes notion that ag degrees are 'useless'

Dean of the UC Davis College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Neal Van Alfen, said a recent Yahoo! story that suggested many ag degrees are "useless" does not reflect statistics accumulated by the university, according to an article by Tim Linden in Produce News Daily.

Van Alfen said graduates from ag sciences, physical sciences and math are tied at the top of the charts, with 88 percent reporting they are currently working in their field of choice. On the bottom end of the list are those with degrees in humanities, arts and cultural studies, with only 61 percent working in their field of choice.

Looking forward, an ag degree may even increase in value in the coming years as producing food in an efficient manner is going to be one of the bigger challenges facing the world, the Produce News article said. The world population is growing and more and more food will be consumed and will have to be produced.

“Food is cheap,” Van Alfen said, “but food prices cannot remain low forever. In the next decade food prices will have to go up.”

Neal Van Alfen (Photo: UC Davis Center for Produce Safety)

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