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Agronomy & Crop Science

Types of Degrees Agronomy & Crop Science Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Agronomy & Crop Science may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	14
Associate’s Degree	70
Bachelor’s Degree	691
Master’s Degree	321
Doctor’s Degree	105

What Agronomy & Crop Science Majors Need to Know

Programs in Agronomy & Crop Science build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Agronomy & Crop Science graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Agronomy & Crop Science emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Food Production — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Agronomy & Crop Science program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Agronomy & Crop Science careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 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, Agronomy & Crop Science graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Getting Information	4.2 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.1 / 7
Working with Computers	4.0 / 7
Scheduling Work and Activities	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Agronomy & Crop Science professionals:

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

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Agronomy & Crop Science graduates include:

• Adjunct Instructor
• County Extension Agent
• Home Services Advisor
• Community Educator
• Farm Consultant
• Home Economist
• Farm Management Specialist
• County Home Demonstrator
• Family Development Extension Specialist
• Family and Consumer Sciences Educator (FACS Educator)
• Extension Specialist
• Extension Service Advisor
• District Extension Service Agent
• Feed Advisor
• Farm Services Advisor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Agronomy & Crop Science graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	47.3%
Bachelor’s degree	15.8%
Doctoral degree	12.6%
Post-doctoral training	4.4%
Postsecondary certificate	4.3%
High school diploma or equivalent	4.1%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	4.1%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	3.0%
Less than a high school diploma	2.6%
Some college courses	0.8%
Post-master’s certificate	0.5%
First professional degree	0.4%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Agronomy & Crop Science?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 42% women and 58% men among Agronomy & Crop Science graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	505	42.0%
Men	696	58.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Agronomy & Crop Science graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	809	67.4%
Asian	16	1.3%
Hispanic or Latino	143	11.9%
Black or African American	18	1.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native	5	0.4%
Two or More Races	32	2.7%
Race Unknown	33	2.7%
International Students	145	12.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Agronomy & Crop Science Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Agronomy & Crop Science 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	$45,321
4 years	$49,331
5 years	$56,395

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $56,395 — roughly 24% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Agronomy & Crop Science Programs

Online study is reported by IPEDS for Agronomy & Crop Science. 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	1	1
Bachelor’s	3	0
Master’s	3	2

^{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 Agronomy & Crop Science Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Agronomy & Crop Science graduates earn a median of $49,331 four years after completion — roughly 30% 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
Plant Sciences	01.11
Agricultural and Horticultural Plant Breeding	01.1104
Horticultural Science	01.1103
Plant Protection and Integrated Pest Management	01.1105
Plant Sciences, General	01.1101
Plant Sciences, Other	01.1199
Range Science and Management	01.1106
Reserved	01.1180
Animal Sciences, General	01.0901
Dairy Science	01.0905
Poultry Science	01.0907
Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture	01.0308

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.