While you watch the thoroughbred racehorses run at Churchill Downs someone has to be running the business side of the horse industry and that is where the University of Louisville's Equine Business Degree shines. No other equine program is quite like it.
When you see all those beautiful thoroughbred racehorse farms in Kentucky someone has to know how to run those farms in an efficient manner. You have to have the business sense to manage the farm besides just being able to manage the horses themselves. The UofL College of Business is the only AACSB International-accredited business degree in the world with an equine major. It has also been ranked among the leading entrepreneurship programs in North America. This unique equine business degree has been hailed as a much needed program throughout the equine industry.
No where else can a student get the all important equine taxation, equine management, and marketing courses with access to some of the world's most famous farms, racetracks, and ranches. Of course being in the middle of horse country provides many great hands on opportunities for students. Students of the Equine Business Program must take the entire business administration core as well as 30 hours of specialized courses in the business of horses. Because of the unique location of the University of Louisville in horse country this allows for classroom instruction to be supplemented with field trips, prominent guest lectures, and internships.
What kind of jobs can students expect to get after graduation? Graduates can go into farm management, equine marketing, writing for equine publications, running riding stables, or become a top quarter horse racing trainer like graduate Heath Taylor who has topped twenty five million dollars in trainer earnings. Since the degree is a business degree first and foremost the sky is the limit for graduates, they can make it work as they wish.
The University of Louisville Equine Business Program has some new things going on and has recently started to add case studies into their curriculum by working with some of the leaders in the horse industry. Craig Bandoroff, of Denali Stud, has worked many hours on this and has visited the classroom as well. The Equine Business Program has just recently moved into their new wing of the building.
The University of Louisville recognizes outstanding entrepreneurship in the equine industry with the John W. Galbreath Award. It has bestowed this award since 1990 on those whose careers have had a positive impact on the equine industry. Notable recipients have been John A Bell 111, John R. Gaines, John M. Lyons, D. Wayne Lukas, William S. Morris 111, and Carol Rose are among the diverse equine industry leaders who have received this award. The 2011 recipient is John Helzer, who is a leader in the Quarter Horse racing industry.
For more information on the University of Louisville College of Business and the Equine Business Degree you can visit their website here. To get directions to the UofL College of Business you can go here.
Photo courtesy of: University of Louisville College of Business
