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Agricultural Production Operations

Types of Degrees Agricultural Production Operations Majors Are Earning

Those studying Agricultural Production Operations have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	163
Associate’s Degree	355
Bachelor’s Degree	109
Master’s Degree	186

What Agricultural Production Operations Majors Need to Know

Programs in Agricultural Production Operations emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Agricultural Production Operations graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Agricultural Production Operations emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Biology — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set built by a Agricultural Production Operations program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Agricultural Production Operations careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Agricultural Production Operations graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.4 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Getting Information	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.0 / 7
Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others	4.0 / 7
Scheduling Work and Activities	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Agricultural Production Operations professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Spreadsheet software	Spreadsheet software	—
Database software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Blackboard Learn	Computer based training software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Agricultural Production Operations graduates include:

• Horticulture Manager
• Agribusiness Professor
• Agricultural Engineering Technology Instructor
• Plant Pathology Teacher
• Fisheries Professor
• Viticulture Teacher
• Associate Professor
• Poultry Husbandry Teacher
• Soil Science Professor
• College Professor
• Faculty Member
• Animal Physiology Teacher
• Pomology Teacher
• Animal Nutrition Teacher
• Olericulture Teacher

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	49.4%
Post-doctoral training	24.1%
Master’s degree	12.8%
Bachelor’s degree	4.8%
High school diploma or equivalent	3.3%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	1.7%
Postsecondary certificate	1.5%
Less than a high school diploma	1.0%
Post-master’s certificate	0.8%
Some college courses	0.6%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Agricultural Production Operations?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 40.1% women and 59.9% men among Agricultural Production Operations graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	329	40.1%
Men	491	59.9%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Agricultural Production Operations graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	692	84.4%
Hispanic or Latino	59	7.2%
Black or African American	23	2.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	2	0.2%
Two or More Races	12	1.5%
Race Unknown	23	2.8%
International Students	9	1.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Agricultural Production Operations Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Agricultural Production Operations graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$38,195
4 years	$41,174
5 years	$47,624

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $47,624 — roughly 25% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Agricultural Production Operations Programs

Online study is reported by IPEDS for Agricultural Production Operations. 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	4	4
Master’s	1	0

^{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 Agricultural Production Operations Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Agricultural Production Operations graduates earn a median of $41,174 four years after completion — roughly 8% 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 Production Operations	01.03
Agricultural Production Operations, Other	01.0399
Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture	01.0308
Animal/Livestock Husbandry and Production	01.0302
Apiculture	01.0310
Aquaculture	01.0303
Crop Production	01.0304
Dairy Husbandry and Production	01.0306
Horse Husbandry/Equine Science and Management	01.0307
Viticulture and Enology	01.0309
Agricultural Business and Management, General	01.0101
Agricultural Business and Management, Other	01.0199

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.