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Agricultural Education

Types of Degrees Agricultural Education Majors Are Earning

Those studying Agricultural Education may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	7
Bachelor’s Degree	134
Master’s Degree	197
Doctor’s Degree	27

What Agricultural Education Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Agricultural Education build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Agricultural Education graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

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

• Education and Training — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.8 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Food Production — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 3.7 / 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 developed in a Agricultural Education program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Agricultural Education graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	4.5 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.5 / 7
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public	4.4 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.4 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.3 / 7
Getting Information	4.2 / 7
Working with Computers	4.2 / 7
Scheduling Work and Activities	4.2 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Agricultural Education professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Adobe Experience Manager (AEM)	Web page creation and editing software	—
Order management software	Procurement software	—
Microsoft Dynamics	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft SharePoint	Document management software	—
ESRI ArcGIS software	Geographic information system	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Geographic information system GIS software	Geographic information system	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Agricultural Education graduates include:

• Home Demonstration Agent
• CTE Teacher (Career and Technical Education Teacher)
• County Extension Agent
• Home Economics Expert
• Extension Service Advisor
• Cooperative Extension Agent
• Home Services Consultant
• Extension Specialist
• Adjunct Instructor
• Farm Business Management Agent
• Agricultural Extension Educator
• Farm Agent
• Feed Advisor
• Agricultural Extension Agent
• Teacher

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	70.4%
Bachelor’s degree	14.8%
Less than a high school diploma	3.7%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	3.7%
Doctoral degree	3.7%
Postsecondary certificate	3.7%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Agricultural Education?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 67.1% of Agricultural Education degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	245	67.1%
Men	120	32.9%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	283	77.5%
Asian	2	0.5%
Hispanic or Latino	23	6.3%
Black or African American	21	5.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	2	0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	4	1.1%
Two or More Races	10	2.7%
Race Unknown	7	1.9%
International Students	13	3.6%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Agricultural Education Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Agricultural Education 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	$45,101
4 years	$50,243
5 years	$55,891

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $55,891 — roughly 24% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Agricultural Education Programs

Fully online options is reported by IPEDS for Agricultural Education. 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
Master’s	5	3

^{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 Education Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Agricultural Education graduates earn a median of $50,243 four years after completion — roughly 32% 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 Public Services	01.08
Agricultural Communication/Journalism	01.0802
Agricultural Public Services, Other	01.0899
Agricultural Animal Breeding	01.0902
Agronomy and Crop Science	01.1102
Animal Nutrition	01.0904
Animal Sciences, General	01.0901
Animal Sciences, Other	01.0999
Animal/Livestock Husbandry and Production	01.0302
Apiculture	01.0310
Applied Horticulture/Horticulture Operations, General	01.0601

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.