High quality graduates and high morale among students distinguish the UC Davis graduate program in agricultural, development, and environmental and resource economics. Two components of our teaching and mentoring philosophy allow us to consistently produce leaders in the profession:

• The department fosters a working and social atmosphere in which students and faculty interact as colleagues. Professors are readily accessible, and successful collaboration between students and faculty is evidenced by the large number of joint publications.
• The dissertation stage is the most important part of the Ph.D. program, and Davis students are not left to "sink or swim." Davis faculty engage in a careful mentoring process involving choice of a research project that matches the individual student’s interests, close guidance at every step of the dissertation process, aid in getting work exposed in publications and meetings, and assistance in finding high-quality jobs.

We have worked hard to create a state-of-the-art program that remains feasible and friendly as well as first-rate.