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Livestock Management

Types of Degrees Livestock Management Majors Are Earning

Those studying Livestock Management may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	9
Associate’s Degree	8
Master’s Degree	22
Doctor’s Degree	2

What Livestock Management Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Livestock 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 built by a Livestock 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

Innate abilities most relevant to Livestock 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, Livestock 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 Livestock Management professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Microsoft Internet Explorer	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Dynamics	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Kahoot!	Multi-media educational software	—
ESRI ArcGIS software	Geographic information system	—
Adobe Experience Manager (AEM)	Web page creation and editing software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Livestock Management graduates include:

• Adjunct Instructor
• Extension Officer
• Farm Agent
• Home Agent
• Agricultural Extension Educator
• Home Advisor
• Farm Consultant
• County Agent
• Extension Educator
• Program Management Advisor
• Agriculture Extension Agent
• Farm Services Advisor
• Extension Worker
• Agriculture Consultant
• County Demonstrator

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Livestock 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 Livestock Management?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 73.2% of Livestock Management degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	30	73.2%
Men	11	26.8%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	38	92.7%
Hispanic or Latino	1	2.4%
Two or More Races	1	2.4%
International Students	1	2.4%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Livestock Management Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Livestock Management 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	$34,873
4 years	$43,315
5 years	$54,045

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $54,045 — roughly 55% above the 1-year mark.

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

Is a Degree in Livestock Management Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Livestock Management graduates earn a median of $43,315 four years after completion — roughly 14% 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
Animal Sciences	01.09
Agricultural Animal Breeding	01.0902
Animal Health	01.0903
Animal Nutrition	01.0904
Animal Sciences, General	01.0901
Animal Sciences, Other	01.0999
Dairy Science	01.0905
Poultry Science	01.0907
Agronomy and Crop Science	01.1102
Animal/Livestock Husbandry and Production	01.0302
Crop Production	01.0304
Farm/Farm and Ranch Management	01.0104

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.