Agriculture & Agriculture Operations

Types of Degrees Agriculture & Agriculture Operations Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many agriculture & agriculture operations graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Doctor’s Degree	4,401
Master’s Degree	3,185
Graduate Certificate	386

What Agriculture & Agriculture Operations Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, agriculture & agriculture operations majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Agriculture & Agriculture Operations Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in agriculture & agriculture operations should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

Skills for Agriculture & Agriculture Operations Majors

agriculture & agriculture operations majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Abilities for Agriculture & Agriculture Operations Majors

Agriculture & Agriculture Operations majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

What Can You Do With a Agriculture & Agriculture Operations Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with agriculture & agriculture operations:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Computer User Support Specialists	11.3%	$50,980
Farm and Home Management Advisors	7.7%	$49,840
First-Line Supervisors of Agricultural Crop and Horticultural Workers	2.1%	$46,960
First-Line Supervisors of Animal Husbandry and Animal Care Workers	2.1%	$46,960
Microbiologists	8.2%	$71,650
Range Managers	6.3%	$61,310
Soil and Plant Scientists	9.0%	$63,950

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Agriculture & Agriculture Operations?

The major attracts more women than men. About 62% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of agriculture & agriculture operations majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	78
Black or African American	126
Hispanic or Latino	291
White	1,978
International Students	535
Other Races/Ethnicities	177

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Agriculture & Agriculture Operations, too. About 16.8% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Agriculture & Agriculture Operations

Some careers associated with agriculture & agriculture operations require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to agriculture & agriculture operations have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	5.5%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	21.6%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	11.5%
Some College Courses	6.2%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	8.6%
Bachelor’s Degree	24.4%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	1.2%
Master’s Degree	7.7%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	0.9%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	0.4%
Doctoral Degree	9.9%
Post-Doctoral Training	2.7%

Online Agriculture & Agriculture Operations Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	1,172	40
Certificate (2-4 Years)	66	0
Associate’s Degree	2,722	80
Bachelor’s Degree	180	66
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	866	80
Post-Master’s	20	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	522	2
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	72	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	2	0

Majors Related to Agriculture & Agriculture Operations

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to agriculture & agriculture operations.

Major	Number of Grads
Engineering	198,720
Biological & Biomedical Sciences	180,784
Engineering Technologies	86,188
Mathematics & Statistics	49,970
Physical Sciences	47,709
Natural Resources & Conservation	32,106
Architecture & Related Services	19,716
Science Technologies / Technicians	6,771
Military Technologies & Applied Sciences	4,568

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By W.carter under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.