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General Agriculture

What General Agriculture Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in General Agriculture emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Biology — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Food Production — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills built by a General Agriculture program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Active Learning — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to General Agriculture careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, General Agriculture graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.0 / 7
Processing Information	3.9 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by General Agriculture professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Geographic information system GIS systems	Geographic information system	—
Spreadsheet software	Spreadsheet software	—
ESRI ArcGIS software	Geographic information system	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for General Agriculture graduates include:

• Scientist
• Research Scientist
• Technical Agronomist
• Agronomist
• Field Agronomist
• Precision Agronomist
• Agricultural Specialist
• Agriculture Technician (Agriculture Tech)
• Animal Pathology Teacher
• Horticulture Professor
• College Professor
• Farm Instructor
• Agribusiness Professor
• Soil Science Professor
• Sericulture Teacher

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	25.9%
Bachelor’s degree	22.0%
Master’s degree	13.6%
Post-doctoral training	10.6%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	9.4%
High school diploma or equivalent	7.6%
Postsecondary certificate	5.1%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.8%
Some college courses	1.6%
Post-master’s certificate	1.1%
First professional degree	0.9%
Less than a high school diploma	0.5%

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

How Much Do General Agriculture Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of General Agriculture graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$42,537
4 years	$46,139
5 years	$53,130

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $53,130 — roughly 25% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online General Agriculture Programs

Online study is reported by IPEDS for General 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	9	10
Bachelor’s	2	6
Master’s	4	8

^{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 General Agriculture Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, General Agriculture graduates earn a median of $46,139 four years after completion — roughly 21% 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
Agricultural Production Operations	3,608
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

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.