Quantitative Methods in Agricultural and Applied Economics
Quantitative methods in agricultural and applied economics using math, stats, and optimization to analyze decision problems and formulate numerical equilibrium models for policy.
Summary
Past student reviews · Thomas Rutherford
Homework assignments were consistently described as extremely difficult, often exceeding the level of skill students felt they had acquired from lectures. The workload required independent mastery of GAMS coding.
What you’ll be able to do
Develop an understanding of the use of calibrated economic models to study economic policy and the underlying applied price theory.
Gain expertise in the formulation of numerical economic equilibrium models with application to trade, public finance, climate and energy policy applications.
Describe data sources for sectoral and economy-wide policy applications of calibrated economic equilibrium models.
Use GAMS, Excel and other visualization tools to analyze and interpret large, multi-dimensional datasets and models.
Demonstrate competence in writing about economic issues on the basis of evidence-based analysis of economic policy proposals.
Learn equivalent formulations of partial and general economic equilibrium models in primal, dual and complementarity formats.
Source: UW Guide 1· UW Guide 2
Grade history
↗All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors
Prerequisites
Course map(MATH 211 or 221),ECON 301, and STAT 301, or graduate/professional standing
This is a best-effort interpretation; check the catalog requirements above.
Professors
Spring 2027No instructors recorded for this selection.
Historical instructors & teaching patterns
THOMAS L. COX is recorded teaching in Fall 2009, Fall 2010, Fall 2011, Fall 2012. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
THOMAS RUTHERFORD is recorded teaching in Fall 2013, Fall 2014, Fall 2015, Fall 2016, Fall 2017, Fall 2018, Fall 2019, Fall 2021, Fall 2023. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
Calendar & sections
Spring 2027Schedule loads here as you scroll.
| Section | Mode | Enrolled / capacity | Waitlist |
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Times are Central. Select a meeting for details; export includes recorded dates for the selected sections.
Meeting source records
No records available.
Student experience
the class
Past student reviews · Thomas Rutherford
Students described the course as challenging, with lectures that provided limited guidance on the required GAMS software. Reviews highlighted the expectation that students quickly become proficient in solving complex modeling problems.
Recent recorded grades — Fall 2015: 3.75 GPA, 75.0% A/AB (n=4 letter grades); Fall 2018: 3.71 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=7 letter grades); Fall 2019: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=7 letter grades).
difficulty & workload
Past student reviews · Thomas Rutherford
Homework assignments were consistently described as extremely difficult, often exceeding the level of skill students felt they had acquired from lectures. The workload required independent mastery of GAMS coding.
Past student reviews · Thomas Rutherford
One student noted that attending office hours and collaborating with peers who had strong statistics backgrounds were effective strategies for success. They also mentioned that the instructor was not a tough grader.
Topics
- Quantitative methods including mathematics, statistics, and optimization for natural resources and agriculture.
- Calibrated economic models, applied price theory, and economic policy study.
- Numerical economic equilibrium models applied to trade, public finance, climate, and energy policy.
- Data analysis and interpretation using GAMS, Excel, and visualization tools.
Skills
- Applying mathematics, statistics, and optimization to analyze decision-making problems in natural resources and agriculture.
- Formulating numerical economic equilibrium models for trade, public finance, climate, and energy policy.
- Using GAMS, Excel, and visualization tools to analyze and interpret large, multi-dimensional datasets and models.
- Understanding equivalent formulations of partial and general economic equilibrium models in primal, dual, and complementarity formats.
Grades
Latest available · Fall 2019— not enough history to project Spring 2027.
Grade distribution · % of letter grades
Grades over time
Through Fall 2019
More grade details Grade mix, volume & source data
Sources & history
Catalog & offerings
Descriptions, prerequisites, and recorded course offerings.
Catalog observation history
Observations at scan time; dates do not imply when a catalog change took effect.
Selected offering source records
No offering records for the selected term.
Raw records
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Student reviews
Original comments behind the course and instructor summaries.
Read original reviews
Grade history
Recorded grade distributions by term, section, and instructor.
Explore recorded gradesRecorded 2026-10-14
Model outputs & technical records
LLM outputs across runs
Full model traces
Recorded model configuration, reasoning, and tool conversations.
Model & dataset provenance
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"model": "Qwen/Qwen3.8-27B",
"model_revision": "1d4bf0f2ff6012fd82039f2fa52739d0dd7c60c0",
"task_version": "17",
"output_id": "2e09ccf6fc0f6f84ba4097ec22db8890b206244a0946d72dedd2f9703734a86d",
"requirements_status": "needs_review",
"dataset_revision": "fc1811fa52e581ea57a35c0cf3343f8740a8ffbf",
"observed_at": "2026-10-14 17:50:09.728220+00:00"
}