Agricultural Production

Types of Degrees Agricultural Production Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many agricultural production graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	116
Doctor’s Degree	33
Graduate Certificate	14

What Agricultural Production Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to agricultural production were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Agricultural Production Majors

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

• Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• 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.
• 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.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Skills for Agricultural Production Majors

When studying agricultural production, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• 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.
• Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Abilities for Agricultural Production Majors

A major in agricultural production 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.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

What Can You Do With a Agricultural Production Major?

People with a agricultural production degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Agricultural Sciences Professors	7.9%	$84,640
Animal Breeders	2.2%	$37,060
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
Food Scientists and Technologists	5.9%	$65,300
Forestry & Conservation Science Professors	4.5%	$86,900
Soil and Plant Scientists	9.0%	$63,950
Soil and Water Conservationists	6.3%	$61,310

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Agricultural Production?

This major is dominated by women with about 60% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of agricultural production majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	1
Black or African American	2
Hispanic or Latino	10
White	81
International Students	10
Other Races/Ethnicities	12

Geographic Diversity

Agricultural Production appeals to people across the globe. About 8.6% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• China
• India
• Ecuador
• Canada
• Ghana

How Much Do Agricultural Production Majors Make?

Master’s Degree Starting Salary

Data from the U.S. Department of Education shows that agricultural production students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a master’s degree made a median starting salary of $24,071 per year. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $24,071 (25th percentile) and $24,071 (75th percentile).

It’s important to note that just because the people reporting these salaries have a degree in agricultural production, it does not mean that they are working in a job related to their degree.

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $52,700 to $79,940 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to agricultural production. This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

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 Agricultural Production

Some degrees associated with agricultural production may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. 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.

Find out what the typical degree level is for agricultural production careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	1.4%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	16.0%
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)	7.4%
Some College Courses	4.4%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	5.9%
Bachelor’s Degree	28.6%
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.	1.0%
Master’s Degree	11.0%
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.	0.7%
Doctoral Degree	17.1%
Post-Doctoral Training	7.0%

Online Agricultural Production Programs

In 2020-2021, 266 schools offered a agricultural production program of some type. 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)	109	3
Certificate (2-4 Years)	5	0
Associate’s Degree	205	4
Bachelor’s Degree	10	2
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	20	4
Post-Master’s	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	8	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Agricultural Production Worth It?

The median salary for a agricultural production grad is $70,630 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 77% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $614,600 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Agricultural Production

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to agricultural production.

Major	Number of Grads
Plant Sciences	912
Food Science Technology	692
Animal Science	596
Agricultural Economics & Business	410
General Agriculture	353
Agricultural Public Services	179
Soil Sciences	158
Other Agriculture	104
International Agriculture	46
Horticulture	15
Animal Services	8
Food Processing	2
Agricultural Mechanization	0
Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians	0

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 {} under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.