Business and Markets

at UBC's

Vancouver Campus

Business and Markets will provide training in applied economics to help you understand how market structures, business practices, and international trade impact food supply and security worldwide. The program also addresses interactions between the food sector and major environmental challenges such as climate change and biodiversity.

Why this program?

  • Study a combination of economics, data analysis, business, and physical sciences and graduate with a unique set of skills for the labour market.
  • Increase your job prospects by developing expertise in sustainable business practices and the green economy.
  • Benefit from a small program that encourages strong connections between students and professors who act as both instructors and mentors.
Visit program website

Program information

  • Campus: Vancouver
  • Faculty: Faculty of Land and Food Systems
  • Degree: Bachelor of Science in Food and Resource Economics
  • Length 4 yrs
  • Co-op Yes
    You can combine your studies with full-time, paid work at top local and international organizations.
  • Honours No
    You can study intense specialization in a single field.

Global hunger has increased in recent years and yet 30% of all food produced goes to waste. How can food supply chains provide more food without sacrificing the environment, especially in light of climate change? What is the impact of government policies such as carbon taxes on food market outcomes? What are the benefits and costs of various green business initiatives?

At the end of this program, you will have the economic and business skills to address such questions. You will learn how to collect and analyze data, and be able to employ economic and business models for addressing real world food challenges.

After gaining a strong core foundation in applied economics and data analytics, you will take upper-year courses in food markets, international trade, and business from FRE, the Vancouver School of Economics, and the Sauder School at UBC. This program will also provide interdisciplinary breadth, exposing you to science-based courses such as FNH 200 (Exploring our Food) and GEOB 270 (Geographic Information Science).

Experiential learning and research

Students are encouraged to use FRE 497 (Directed Studies in Food and Resource Economics) to immerse themselves in a professor-supervised research project such as the economic and environmental implications of the rapidly expanding market for palm oil.

Life at UBC's Vancouver campus

In this program you’ll have access to the talents and diverse perspectives of instructors in the Food and Resource Economics (FRE) group, the Vancouver School of Economics, and the UBC Sauder School of Business. Flexible electives and opportunity are key strengths of the program.

Your future

An undergraduate degree in Food and Resource Economics prepares you for a wide range of jobs. Those with a major in the Business and Markets program will have opportunities to work within:

  • Companies which trade, process, and market food;
  • Agri-business financing;
  • Local NGOs and government departments in the areas of food and the environment.

Options for graduate study at UBC include UBC’s Masters of Food and Resource Economics (MFRE) and Master of Public Policy and Global Affairs (MPPGA) and the Masters of Business Administration (MBA). Students are also well trained to apply for graduate school in agricultural and resource economics at other universities.