Tesas Master’s degree program prepares ranch managers for a complex business

By Lynn Brezosky

Once upon a time, in the Wild West, all it took to raise cattle was land, grass, and cowboys who knew how to rope the critters. Now, it may take an MBA.

Texas A&M-Kingsville’s Institute for Ranch Management is offering what university officials call the first ever Master’s degree program for ranchers–sort of a Harvard Business School for cowboys. In addition to graduate-level business courses, students are schooled in rangeland specialties, including animal nutrition and wildlife management