Food and Agricultural Business Co-op Information for Employers
Adding Value to Your Team
Food is big business. It is Canada’s second largest industry, and in Ontario one in every five jobs is food related. In the Agricultural Business program, students acquire the management skills needed to succeed in the multi-million-dollar agribusiness industry. Students explore all areas of management, including accounting, economics, finance, marketing, production, organizational behaviour, policy planning and implementation. The University of Guelph is proud of our long-established history in agriculture.
University of Guelph Advantage
Our students develop a comprehensive management perspective based on an understanding of the complex relationships from input suppliers to producers and through to the eventual consumer. This includes, for example, food safety consultants, financial advisors, packagers, distributors, and marketing and sales agents. Students learn to relate these operations to an industry that is shaped by global issues including free trade, genetically modified foods, sustainable agriculture and the stability of commodities markets.
Our co-op process responds to your needs. Employers can post, hire and interview throughout the semester and our students are available for 4 or 8 month work terms. The Experience Guelph hiring tool makes hiring Guelph co-op students easy!
Student Strengths
Critical Thinking
Excellent critical thinking, analytical and teamwork skills are developed as students complete extensive research projects.
Knowledge
Students have the fundamental skills acquired in a Commerce degree with the additional advantage of applied knowledge of the agricultural industry
Leadership
Leadership and communication skills are further enhanced developed through education, extracurricular involvement, and experiences both at school and at work.
Food and Agricultural Business Work Term Schedule
| YEAR | FALL | WINTER | SUMMER |
|---|---|---|---|
| ONE | Academic | Academic | Off |
| TWO | Academic | Academic | Work |
| THREE | Work | Academic | Work |
| FOUR | Academic | Work | Work |
| FIVE | Academic | Academic |
Food and Agricultural Business Course Sequencing
Based on the 2023/24 undergraduate calendar. Please see the current undergraduate calendar for more information.
Fall
- Introductory Marketing
- Introductory Microeconomics
- Business Mathematics
- Introduction to Business
Winter
- Economics of the Agri-Food System
- Introductory Macroeconomics
- Introductory Financial Accounting
- 1 Elective or Restricted Elective
Fall
- Individuals and Groups In Organizations
- Intermediate Microeconomics
- Economic Statistics
- Introduction to Co-operative Education
- Information Management
- 1 Elective or Restricted Elective
Winter
- Agri-Food Markets and Policy
- Management Accounting
- Introductory Mathematical Economics
- 2 Electives or Restricted
Electives
Summer
Work Term One
Fall
Work Term Two
Winter
- Financial Management
- Operations Management
- Introduction to Econometrics
- Introduction to Finance
- Futures & Options Markets
Summer
Work Term Three
Fall
- Corporate Social Responsibility
- 4 Electives or Restricted Electives
Winter
Work Term Four
Summer
Work Term Five
Fall
- The Firm and Markets
- Food and Agri Marketing Management
- Strategic Management
- One Of: Business and Consumer Law or Housing & Real Estate Law
- 1 Elective or Restricted Elective
Winter
- Agricultural and Food Policy
- Advanced Agribusiness Management
- 3 Electives or Restricted Electives
Restricted Electives
Electives must be chosen to ensure 3 courses are completed from the following list:
- Independent Studies I
- Independent Studies II
- International Food Sector and Policy Analysis
- Food Security, Nutrition and International Development
- Advanced Operations Management in the Agri-Food Sector
- Poverty, Food and Hunger
- Flexible Internship in Agri-Food
- Cost-Benefit Analysis
- Resource Economics
- Decision Science
- Marketing Research
- Survey of Natural Resource Economics
- Supply and Value Chain Management
- Agri-Food Retailing, Merchandising and Sales
- Land Economics
About Us
The Experiential Learning Hub is home to experiential learning opportunities on and off-campus, co-op, career education and community engaged learning.