Agricultural Public Services

Types of Degrees Agricultural Public Services Majors Are Getting

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

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	156
Doctor’s Degree	15
Graduate Certificate	8

What Agricultural Public Services Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, agricultural public services 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 Agricultural Public Services Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these 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.
• Communications and Media - Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• 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.
• 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 Agricultural Public Services Majors

When studying agricultural public services, 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:

• 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.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Abilities for Agricultural Public Services Majors

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a agricultural public services student include the following:

• 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.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

What Can You Do With a Agricultural Public Services Major?

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

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Audio and Video Equipment Technicians	12.8%	$43,770
Farm and Home Management Advisors	7.7%	$49,840
Graphic Designers	4.2%	$50,370

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Agricultural Public Services?

The major attracts more women than men. About 79% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	1
Black or African American	8
Hispanic or Latino	5
White	136
International Students	2
Other Races/Ethnicities	4

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Agricultural Public Services. About 1.3% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• Brazil
• Colombia
• El Salvador
• China
• Nigeria

How Much Do Agricultural Public Services Majors Make?

Master’s Degree Starting Salary

The median starting salary of students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a master’s degree in agricultural public services was $46,808 per year. These stats come from the U.S. Department of Education. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $44,446 (25th percentile) and $49,171 (75th percentile).

Note that some of these people may have jobs that are not directly related to a agricultural public services degree.

Salaries According to BLS

Agricultural Public Services majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $48,940 to $54,680 (25th to 75th percentile). 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 Public Services

Some degrees associated with agricultural public services 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 public services careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	7.2%
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)	6.9%
Some College Courses	3.3%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	7.7%
Bachelor’s Degree	51.2%
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	18.8%
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.	2.0%
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.	1.0%
Doctoral Degree	2.0%

Online Agricultural Public Services Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 43 schools offered some type of agricultural public services 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)	0	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	7	0
Bachelor’s Degree	5	3
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	14	3
Post-Master’s	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	5	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Agricultural Public Services Worth It?

The median salary for a agricultural public services grad is $52,700 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 32% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $256,000 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Agricultural Public Services

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

Major	Number of Grads
Plant Sciences	912
Food Science Technology	692
Animal Science	596
Agricultural Economics & Business	410
General Agriculture	353
Agricultural Production	163
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 Bob Nichols under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.