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Farm & Ranch Management

Types of Degrees Farm & Ranch Management Majors Are Earning

Those studying Farm & Ranch Management have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	360
Associate’s Degree	106
Bachelor’s Degree	126
Master’s Degree	76

What Farm & Ranch Management Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Farm & Ranch Management develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Farm & Ranch Management graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Farm & Ranch Management emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.6 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Food Production — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Farm & Ranch Management program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Farm & Ranch Management careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Farm & Ranch Management graduates report doing:

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

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Farm & Ranch Management professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
ServiceNow	Data base user interface and query software	—
ESRI ArcGIS software	Geographic information system	—
Geographic information system GIS software	Geographic information system	—
Microsoft Internet Explorer	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Dynamics	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Farm & Ranch Management graduates include:

• Adjunct Instructor
• Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent
• County Demonstrator
• Teacher
• Farm Consultant
• Family and Consumer Sciences Educator (FACS Educator)
• Program Management Advisor
• Agricultural Extension Agent
• Home Services Consultant
• Family Development Extension Specialist
• 4-H Youth Educator
• Farm Services Advisor
• Extension Educator
• Youth Development Agent
• Farm Demonstrator

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	57.8%
Doctoral degree	13.7%
Bachelor’s degree	12.6%
Post-doctoral training	5.3%
Postsecondary certificate	3.2%
Less than a high school diploma	3.1%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.9%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.7%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	0.4%
Post-master’s certificate	0.2%
Some college courses	0.1%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Farm & Ranch Management?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 74.1% of Farm & Ranch Management degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	173	25.9%
Men	495	74.1%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Farm & Ranch Management graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	612	91.6%
Hispanic or Latino	15	2.2%
Black or African American	5	0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native	1	0.1%
Two or More Races	7	1.0%
Race Unknown	26	3.9%
International Students	2	0.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Farm & Ranch Management Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Farm & Ranch Management graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$49,730
4 years	$57,738
5 years	$66,345

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $66,345 — roughly 33% above the 1-year mark.

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

Is a Degree in Farm & Ranch Management Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Farm & Ranch Management graduates earn a median of $57,738 four years after completion — roughly 52% 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	CIP Code
Agricultural Business and Management	01.01
Agribusiness/Agricultural Business Operations	01.0102
Agricultural Business and Management, General	01.0101
Agricultural Business and Management, Other	01.0199
Agricultural Business Technology/Technician	01.0106
Agricultural Economics	01.0103
Agricultural/Farm Supplies Retailing and Wholesaling	01.0105
Agronomy and Crop Science	01.1102
Animal Sciences, General	01.0901
Animal Sciences, Other	01.0999
Animal/Livestock Husbandry and Production	01.0302
Crop Production	01.0304

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.