Abstract

Undergraduate research experiences (UREs) provide students with the opportunity to acquire many skills including improved written and verbal communication, analytical, and critical thinking skills; these skills and other experiences cultivated as part of a URE may also contribute to career development. As a result of these and other benefits, departments of agricultural economics and agribusiness often require UREs for their students. Previous research documented the benefits of UREs at one agribusiness program; this research expands that work to learn whether the benefits reported by alumni are demonstrated in other institutional contexts. We query the perception alumni have about their UREs, the skills they may have gained from such programs, and how their experiences in these programs contributed to the development of their careers. More than 70% of respondents reported completing an independent senior project and 86% indicate strong support for UREs, but we identify disparity in perceived skill development and career contributions across institutions. These results suggest no single prescription exists for alumni to perceive skill or career benefits from UREs