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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	16
Bachelor’s Degree	653
Master’s Degree	350
Doctor’s Degree	32

What Agricultural Education Majors Need to Know

Studies in 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

According to O*NET, a major in Agricultural Education emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.7 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills developed in a Agricultural Education program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

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

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.7 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.4 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.3 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Working with Computers	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Agricultural Education professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Calendar and scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Desire2Learn LMS software	Computer based training software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Image scanning software	Optical character reader OCR or scanning software	—
Blackboard Learn	Computer based training software	—
iParadigms Turnitin	Information retrieval or search software	—
Learning management system LMS	Computer based training software	✓

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Agricultural Education graduates include:

• Instructor
• Educator
• Industrial Arts Teacher
• Business Education Teacher
• Vocational Trainer
• Teacher
• Associate Professor
• Faculty Member
• Professor
• Adjunct Instructor
• Assistant Professor
• Vocational Teacher
• Industrial Technology Teacher
• Career Education Teacher
• Computer Science 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
Doctoral degree	39.4%
Bachelor’s degree	23.8%
Master’s degree	15.5%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	7.0%
Postsecondary certificate	3.8%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	3.5%
High school diploma or equivalent	2.7%
Post-doctoral training	2.2%
Some college courses	1.8%
First professional degree	0.1%
Post-master’s certificate	0.1%

^{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 76.5% of Agricultural Education degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	804	76.5%
Men	247	23.5%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	837	79.6%
Asian	5	0.5%
Hispanic or Latino	125	11.9%
Black or African American	20	1.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native	3	0.3%
Two or More Races	19	1.8%
Race Unknown	26	2.5%
International Students	16	1.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Agricultural Education Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Agricultural Education 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	$49,919
4 years	$50,204
5 years	$56,331

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $56,331 — roughly 13% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Agricultural Education Programs

Distance learning 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
Associate’s	1	3
Bachelor’s	1	1
Master’s	11	6
Doctoral (Research)	1	0

^{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 $50,204 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
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas	13.13
Art Teacher Education	13.1302
Biology Teacher Education	13.1322
Business and Innovation/Entrepreneurship Teacher Education	13.1303
Chemistry Teacher Education	13.1323
Communication Arts and Literature Teacher Education	13.1339
Computer Teacher Education	13.1321
Drama and Dance Teacher Education	13.1324
Driver and Safety Teacher Education	13.1304
Earth Science Teacher Education	13.1337
English/Language Arts Teacher Education	13.1305
Environmental Education	13.1338

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.