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Agriculture

Instructional programs that focus on agriculture, animal, plant, veterinary, and related sciences and that prepares individuals to apply specific knowledge, methods, and techniques to the management and performance of agricultural and veterinary operations.

Types of Degrees Agriculture Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Agriculture have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	4,505
Associate’s Degree	11,095
Bachelor’s Degree	21,099
Master’s Degree	11,773
Doctor’s Degree	4,615

What Agriculture Majors Need to Know

Programs in Agriculture emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Agriculture graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Agriculture emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills developed in a Agriculture program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Active Learning — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Agriculture careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Agriculture graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.3 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.1 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.0 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	3.9 / 7
Working with Computers	3.8 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Agriculture professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Adobe Acrobat	Document management software	—
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	✓
Geographic information system GIS software	Geographic information system	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Agriculture graduates include:

• Adjunct Instructor
• Teacher
• Animal Anatomist
• Equine Vet (Equine Veterinarian)
• Veterinary Meat Inspector (Vet Meat Inspector)
• Veterinary Medicine Doctor (DVM)
• Veterinary Radiologist (Vet Radiologist)
• Treatment Coordinator
• Veterinary Epidemiologist (Vet Epidemiologist)
• Veterinary Toxicologist (Vet Toxicologist)
• Veterinary Medicine Scientist (Vet Medicine Scientist)
• Veterinary Virus Serum Inspector (Vet Virus Serum Inspector)
• Animal Surgeon
• Public Health Veterinarian (Public Health Vet)
• Poultry Veterinarian (Poultry Vet)

What Can You Do With a Agriculture Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Agriculture commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Farm and Home Management Educators	14.0%	$55,950	$47,136–$64,765
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products	6.0%	$29,657	$23,253–$36,061
First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers	5.3%	$53,224	$45,316–$61,133
First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers	-0.6%	$36,803	$31,817–$41,789

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Agriculture graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	32.7%
Master’s degree	20.4%
Bachelor’s degree	12.0%
High school diploma or equivalent	9.1%
Post-doctoral training	8.7%
Postsecondary certificate	4.3%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	4.3%
Some college courses	3.0%
First professional degree	2.6%
Less than a high school diploma	1.7%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.9%
Post-master’s certificate	0.3%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Agriculture?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 65.4% of Agriculture degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	34,815	65.4%
Men	18,389	34.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Agriculture graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	34,469	64.8%
Asian	1,308	2.5%
Hispanic or Latino	9,634	18.1%
Black or African American	2,260	4.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native	358	0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	113	0.2%
Two or More Races	1,805	3.4%
Race Unknown	1,492	2.8%
International Students	1,765	3.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Agriculture Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Agriculture graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$42,788
4 years	$45,274
5 years	$52,002

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $52,002 — roughly 22% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Agriculture Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for Agriculture. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	57	93
Bachelor’s	38	53
Master’s	46	42
Doctoral (Research)	1	5

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Agriculture Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Agriculture graduates earn a median of $45,274 four years after completion — roughly 19% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.