Agriculture

Types of Degrees Agriculture Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many agriculture and agriculture operations graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Doctor’s Degree	4,273
Master’s Degree	2,949
Graduate Certificate	309

What Agriculture Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to agriculture and agriculture operations and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Agriculture & Agriculture Operations Majors

Agriculture and Agriculture Operations majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

• 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 and 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

A major in agriculture and agriculture operations will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

• 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 Major?

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

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Agricultural Equipment Operators	5.5%	$31,190
Agricultural Inspectors	4.5%	$44,140
Agricultural Sciences Professors	7.9%	$84,640
Agricultural Technicians	6.2%	$40,860
Animal Breeders	2.2%	$37,060
Animal Scientists	4.9%	$58,380
Audio and Video Equipment Technicians	12.8%	$43,770
Computer User Support Specialists	11.3%	$50,980
Economists	6.1%	$104,340
Environmental Economists	6.1%	$104,340
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
First-Line Supervisors of Aquacultural Workers	2.1%	$46,960
First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers	3.8%	$39,630
Food Science Technicians	6.2%	$40,860
Food Scientists and Technologists	5.9%	$65,300
Forestry & Conservation Science Professors	4.5%	$86,900
Graphic Designers	4.2%	$50,370
Microbiologists	8.2%	$71,650
Range Managers	6.3%	$61,310
Soil and Plant Scientists	9.0%	$63,950
Soil and Water Conservationists	6.3%	$61,310

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Agriculture?

The major attracts more women than men. About 61% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	81
Black or African American	116
Hispanic or Latino	197
White	1,828
International Students	559
Other Races/Ethnicities	168

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Agriculture & Agriculture Operations, too. About 19.0% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Agriculture Majors Make?

Master’s Degree Starting Salary

The U.S. Department of Education found that students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a master’s degree in agriculture and agriculture operations made a median starting salary of $52,245 per year. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $47,049 (25th percentile) and $67,761 (75th percentile).

It is possible that some of these people may have taken positions that were not related to agriculture and agriculture operations.

Salaries According to BLS

Agriculture and Agriculture Operations majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $44,170 to $67,690 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Agriculture

Some careers associated with agriculture and 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 and 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 Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 964 schools offered some type of agriculture and agriculture operations program. 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)	593	17
Certificate (2-4 Years)	34	0
Associate’s Degree	1,338	39
Bachelor’s Degree	69	26
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	442	36
Post-Master’s	23	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	281	2
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	35	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Agriculture Worth It?

The median salary for a agriculture and agriculture operations grad is $53,370 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 34% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $269,400 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Agriculture

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

Major	Number of Grads
Engineering	61,791
Computer & Information Sciences	60,971
Biological & Biomedical Sciences	28,851
Mathematics & Statistics	15,127
Physical Sciences	12,705
Engineering Technologies	7,672
Architecture & Related Services	6,944
Natural Resources & Conservation	5,744
Communications Technologies & Support	585
Science Technologies / Technicians	79

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.