The value of an Ag Econ PhD.....

[silentbob]

Cld you please let me know how good Maryland is for a Phd. in environ econ. I know econphd.net etc. give it top rank but I guess rankings should be taken with a pinch of salt. What is the perception of the school amongst the faculty/students in other (higher?) places. How would a Phd in AREC from Maryland (and the like) be vs. an Econ Phd. from a top 10 school with a specialization in envt?

Also, what the kinds of non-academic job opportunities are available to AREC Phds?

[can_econ]

Maryland has one of teh best agricultural/resource economics programs out there IMHO.

Agricultural/resource economics program grads often have opportunities to work in government in agricultural, resource and environmental agencies, and I think the World Bank has a few people who are in the agriculture/resource fields. Agricultural/resource economics programs tend to provide better training to do applied work, the coursework will better prepare you to do applied research in the context of heavily regulated agriculture and resource sectors.

A top 10 education will be widely respected, and will probably put you in a better position for an academic job, even if you're looking to go into an agec department, and I'd guess it would be a better bet for a World Bank job too, though I could be wrong. However, many econ don't offer environmental economics as a field.