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agriculture/veterinary preparatory programs

Types of Degrees agriculture/veterinary preparatory programs Majors Are Earning

People majoring in agriculture/veterinary preparatory programs can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	1
Associate’s Degree	45
Bachelor’s Degree	518
Master’s Degree	2

What agriculture/veterinary preparatory programs Majors Need to Know

Programs in agriculture/veterinary preparatory programs develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that agriculture/veterinary preparatory programs graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing agriculture/veterinary preparatory programs emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Food Production — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set built by a agriculture/veterinary preparatory programs program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to agriculture/veterinary preparatory programs careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, agriculture/veterinary preparatory programs graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.0 / 7
Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment	4.0 / 7
Working with Computers	3.9 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	3.9 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.8 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	3.8 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	3.8 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	3.8 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.7 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	3.6 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by agriculture/veterinary preparatory programs professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Geographic information system GIS systems	Geographic information system	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Global positioning system GPS software	Mobile location based services software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
SST Development Group SSToolbox	Analytical or scientific software	—
MapShots EASi Suite	Analytical or scientific software	—
Trimble AgGPS EZ-Map	Map creation software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for agriculture/veterinary preparatory programs graduates include:

• Agriculture Technician (Agriculture Tech)
• Crop Specialist
• Agronomy Consultant
• Certified Crop Specialist
• Agriculture Specialist
• Precision Agriculture Specialist (Precision Ag Specialist)
• Precision Farming Coordinator
• Agronomy Specialist
• Precision Agriculture Technician (Precision Ag Tech)
• Field Agronomist
• Precision Technology Agronomist (Precision Tech Agronomist)
• Crop Consultant
• Precision Farming Specialist
• Migration Specialist
• Precision Agronomist

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to agriculture/veterinary preparatory programs graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	27.2%
High school diploma or equivalent	23.6%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	22.5%
Postsecondary certificate	9.4%
Some college courses	4.9%
Master’s degree	4.9%
Doctoral degree	3.3%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.7%
Less than a high school diploma	1.5%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in agriculture/veterinary preparatory programs?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 87.3% of agriculture/veterinary preparatory programs degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	494	87.3%
Men	72	12.7%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of agriculture/veterinary preparatory programs graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	399	70.5%
Asian	21	3.7%
Hispanic or Latino	74	13.1%
Black or African American	14	2.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native	2	0.4%
Two or More Races	27	4.8%
Race Unknown	20	3.5%
International Students	9	1.6%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do agriculture/veterinary preparatory programs Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of agriculture/veterinary preparatory programs 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	$32,501
4 years	$33,587
5 years	$52,509

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $52,509 — roughly 62% above the 1-year mark.

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

Is a Degree in agriculture/veterinary preparatory programs Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, agriculture/veterinary preparatory programs graduates earn a median of $33,587 four years after completion — about 12% below the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000). On earnings alone, this program does not show an income premium over the baseline; non-financial outcomes (career interests, certification requirements, advancement potential) are typically the stronger argument for fields in this range.

^{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
Agriculture Ag Operations	01
Agricultural and Domestic Animal Services	01.05
Agricultural and Food Products Processing	01.04
Agricultural Business and Management	01.01
Agricultural Mechanization	01.02
Agricultural Production Operations	01.03
Agricultural Public Services	01.08
Agricultural/Animal/Plant/Veterinary Science and Related Fields, Other	01.99
Agriculture, General	01.00
Animal Sciences	01.09
Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services	01.06
Food Science and Technology	01.10

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.