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General Agriculture

Types of Degrees General Agriculture Majors Are Earning

Those studying General Agriculture can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	113
Associate’s Degree	859
Bachelor’s Degree	1,903
Master’s Degree	395
Doctor’s Degree	5

What General Agriculture Majors Need to Know

Studies in General Agriculture build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that General Agriculture graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in General Agriculture emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Biology — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Food Production — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills emphasized by a General Agriculture program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Active Learning — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to General Agriculture careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, General Agriculture graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.0 / 7
Processing Information	3.9 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by General Agriculture professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Geographic information system GIS systems	Geographic information system	—
Spreadsheet software	Spreadsheet software	—
ESRI ArcGIS software	Geographic information system	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for General Agriculture graduates include:

• Scientist
• Research Scientist
• Field Agronomist
• Agronomist
• Technical Agronomist
• Precision Agronomist
• Agricultural Specialist
• Agriculture Technician (Agriculture Tech)
• Fisheries Professor
• Agronomy Professor
• Viticulture Teacher
• Agricultural Economics Professor
• Agribusiness Instructor
• Horticulture Manager
• Animal Physiology Teacher

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	25.9%
Bachelor’s degree	22.0%
Master’s degree	13.6%
Post-doctoral training	10.6%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	9.4%
High school diploma or equivalent	7.6%
Postsecondary certificate	5.1%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.8%
Some college courses	1.6%
Post-master’s certificate	1.1%
First professional degree	0.9%
Less than a high school diploma	0.5%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in General Agriculture?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 60% women and 40% men among General Agriculture graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	1,965	60.0%
Men	1,311	40.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of General Agriculture graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	2,144	65.4%
Asian	39	1.2%
Hispanic or Latino	345	10.5%
Black or African American	388	11.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	70	2.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	26	0.8%
Two or More Races	137	4.2%
Race Unknown	49	1.5%
International Students	78	2.4%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do General Agriculture Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of General Agriculture 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	$42,537
4 years	$46,139
5 years	$53,130

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $53,130 — roughly 25% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online General Agriculture Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for General Agriculture. 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	9	10
Bachelor’s	2	6
Master’s	4	8

^{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 General Agriculture Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, General Agriculture graduates earn a median of $46,139 four years after completion — roughly 21% 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
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/Veterinary Preparatory Programs	01.13
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.