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Agricultural Production

Instructional content for this group of programs is defined in codes 01.0301 - 01.0399.

Types of Degrees Agricultural Production Majors Are Earning

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

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	481
Associate’s Degree	1,176
Bachelor’s Degree	666
Master’s Degree	1,237
Doctor’s Degree	35

What Agricultural Production Majors Need to Know

Studies in Agricultural Production build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Agricultural Production graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Agricultural Production emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills emphasized by a Agricultural Production program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Agricultural Production graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Getting Information	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.1 / 7
Scheduling Work and Activities	4.0 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Agricultural Production professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
ESRI ArcGIS software	Geographic information system	✓
Geographic information system GIS software	Geographic information system	—
Microsoft Internet Explorer	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft SharePoint	Document management software	—
Image editing software	Graphics or photo imaging software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Agricultural Production graduates include:

• Adjunct Instructor
• Agriculture Consultant
• Farm Agent
• County Extension Agent
• Agriculture Extension Specialist
• Home Economist
• County Demonstrator
• Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent
• Community Educator
• CTE Teacher (Career and Technical Education Teacher)
• 4-H Club Agent
• Home Advisor
• Home Economics Expert
• Farm Business Management Agent
• Program Management Advisor

What Can You Do With a Agricultural Production Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Agricultural Production 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
Animal Breeders	1.0%	$49,553	$40,416–$58,691
First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers	-0.6%	$36,803	$31,817–$41,789
Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals	-1.5%	$35,854	$28,452–$43,256

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

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	46.2%
Doctoral degree	17.3%
Bachelor’s degree	13.6%
Post-doctoral training	6.8%
High school diploma or equivalent	4.7%
Postsecondary certificate	3.2%
Less than a high school diploma	2.9%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.5%
Some college courses	1.3%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	1.0%
Post-master’s certificate	0.3%
First professional degree	0.1%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Agricultural Production?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 57.7% women and 42.3% men among Agricultural Production graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	2,081	57.7%
Men	1,527	42.3%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	2,461	68.2%
Asian	50	1.4%
Hispanic or Latino	648	18.0%
Black or African American	104	2.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native	31	0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.0%
Two or More Races	112	3.1%
Race Unknown	127	3.5%
International Students	74	2.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Agricultural Production Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Agricultural Production 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	$38,195
4 years	$41,174
5 years	$47,624

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $47,624 — roughly 25% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Agricultural Production Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for Agricultural Production. 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	5	10
Bachelor’s	4	7
Master’s	5	3

^{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 Agricultural Production Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Agricultural Production graduates earn a median of $41,174 four years after completion — roughly 8% 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.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Agriculture Ag Operations	53,204
Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians	9,051
Agricultural Business and Management	8,612
Animal Sciences	8,295
Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services	4,164
Veterinary Medicine	3,756
Plant Sciences	3,261
Food Science and Technology	2,269
Agricultural and Domestic Animal Services	1,424
Agricultural Mechanization	1,378
Veterinary Biomedical and Clinical Sciences	1,077
Agricultural Public Services	975

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.