Texas Ranching Degree is one of a kind

In 2004, the King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management at Texas A&M University-Kingsville opened its doors, with two students ready to revolutionize ranching education.

“Ranching is a constantly changing business. It isn’t enough just to be a cowboy these days,” says Dr. Barry Dunn, executive director and endowed chair of the institute. “You have to be a businessman, wildlife manager, animal expert and range conservationist all at the same time. Our program is uniquely designed to produce ranch managers that are just that.”

Those first two students graduated in 2006. Dun says the program will be open to as many as four students at a time.

“The institute’s curriculum is unique, as each student’s plan of study is tailored to strengthen their skills and intellect in all areas of ranch management, including animal science, wildlife management, range management, business and system analysis,” Dunn says.

The program differs from student to student depending on what components they have already had and what they need to become a well-rounded ranch manager. Symposia also are held on various current topics to keep students up-to-date with important happenings in the ranching industry.

“The King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management is a unique program that has as its central role the offering of a Master of Science degree in ranch management,” says Dr. Rumaldo Z. Juárez, university president. “The institute seeks to establish a free flow of information between the private sector and the university to ensure that the institute addresses real problems in the ranching industry and endeavors to create new knowledge focused on natural resource systems that can be applied to ranch management.”

“The goal of the institute is to produce a cadre of exceptional professionals who will be prepared to take on the challenges inherent in managing the large ranches found in South Texas,” says Dr. Ronald Rosati, dean of the College of Agriculture and Human Sciences. “These new stewards of the land will be trained in a systems approach to managing ranch resources.”

The institute will work closely with the College of Business Administration, which offers many of the courses, outside the College of Agriculture and Human Sciences, new ranch managers will need.