Agricultural Mechanization

Types of Degrees Agricultural Mechanization Majors Are Getting

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

Education Level	Number of Grads
Associate Degree	511
Bachelor’s Degree	302
Undergraduate Certificate	240
Basic Certificate	227

What Agricultural Mechanization Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to ag mech 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 Ag Mech Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• 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.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Skills for Ag Mech Majors

A major in ag mech prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
• Troubleshooting - Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
• Operation and Control - Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
• 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.

Abilities for Ag Mech Majors

A major in ag mech will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

• 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.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Control Precision - The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a Agricultural Mechanization Major?

People with a ag mech degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Agricultural Equipment Operators	5.5%	$31,190
Agricultural Sciences Professors	7.9%	$84,640
Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians	4.9%	$62,920
Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians	7.5%	$40,630
Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines	8.2%	$51,920

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Agricultural Mechanization?

This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 302 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in ag mechanization in 2021, making it rank #235 in popularity. This major tends to be male dominated. About 89% of recent graduates are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of ag mech majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	1
Black or African American	3
Hispanic or Latino	36
White	244
International Students	1
Other Races/Ethnicities	17

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Ag Mech, too. About 0.3% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• China
• Nigeria
• Indonesia
• Haiti
• Mexico

How Much Do Agricultural Mechanization Majors Make?

Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary

According to 2019-2020 data from the U.S. Department of Education, students who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in ag mech have a median salary of $51,141 during the early years of their career. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $44,614 (25th percentile) and $54,469 (75th percentile).

One thing to note here is that not all of these people may be working in careers related to ag mech.

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $42,190 to $65,230 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to ag mech. 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 Mechanization

Some careers associated with ag mech require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. 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 ag mech careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	10.5%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	23.1%
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)	37.7%
Some College Courses	5.6%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	8.3%
Bachelor’s Degree	0.7%
Master’s Degree	2.0%
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.	0.1%
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.	0.5%
Doctoral Degree	7.8%
Post-Doctoral Training	3.8%

Online Agricultural Mechanization Programs

In 2020-2021, 83 schools offered a ag mech 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)	30	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	4	0
Associate’s Degree	55	1
Bachelor’s Degree	1	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	1	0
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Agricultural Mechanization Worth It?

The median salary for a ag mech grad is $53,370 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 34% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $269,400 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Agricultural Mechanization

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to ag mech.

Major	Number of Grads
Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians	8,646
Animal Science	8,294
Agricultural Economics & Business	8,098
General Agriculture	3,370
Horticulture	3,234
Plant Sciences	3,175
Agricultural Production	3,066
Food Science Technology	2,532
Animal Services	990
Agricultural Public Services	845
Other Agriculture	602
Agriculture/Veterinary Preparatory Programs	527
Soil Sciences	406
Food Processing	237
International Agriculture	122
Veterinary Administrative Services	118

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 Alandmanson under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.