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Agricultural Business Management

Types of Degrees Agricultural Business Management Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Agricultural Business Management have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	28
Bachelor’s Degree	76
Master’s Degree	33

What Agricultural Business Management Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Agricultural Business Management emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Biology — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Agricultural Business Management program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Agricultural Business Management graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.4 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Getting Information	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.0 / 7
Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others	4.0 / 7
Scheduling Work and Activities	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Agricultural Business Management professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Database software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Spreadsheet software	Spreadsheet software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
DOC Cop	Information retrieval or search software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Agricultural Business Management graduates include:

• Horticulture Manager
• Fisheries Professor
• Olericulture Professor
• Plant Science Professor
• Farm Management Professor
• Animal Anatomy Teacher
• Aquaculture Professor
• Agriculture Instructor
• Plant Sciences Professor
• Plant Pathology Teacher
• Floriculture Professor
• Agribusiness Professor
• Agronomy Instructor
• Floriculture Teacher
• Viticulture Teacher

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	49.4%
Post-doctoral training	24.1%
Master’s degree	12.8%
Bachelor’s degree	4.8%
High school diploma or equivalent	3.3%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	1.7%
Postsecondary certificate	1.5%
Less than a high school diploma	1.0%
Post-master’s certificate	0.8%
Some college courses	0.6%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Agricultural Business Management?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 51.8% women and 48.2% men among Agricultural Business Management graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	71	51.8%
Men	66	48.2%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	112	81.8%
Asian	5	3.6%
Hispanic or Latino	9	6.6%
Black or African American	2	1.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.7%
Two or More Races	5	3.6%
International Students	3	2.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Agricultural Business Management Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Agricultural Business Management 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	$49,730
4 years	$57,738
5 years	$66,345

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $66,345 — roughly 33% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Agricultural Business Management Programs

Distance learning is reported by IPEDS for Agricultural Business Management. 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

^{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 Business Management Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Agricultural Business Management graduates earn a median of $57,738 four years after completion — roughly 52% 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	Annual Degrees Awarded
Agricultural Business and Management	8,612
Animal Sciences, General	7,535
Agribusiness/Agricultural Business Operations	3,573
Agricultural Business and Management, General	2,188
Agricultural Economics	1,768
Agronomy and Crop Science	1,201
Animal/Livestock Husbandry and Production	841
Agricultural Production Operations, General	820
Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture	769
Farm/Farm and Ranch Management	668
Crop Production	516
Animal Sciences, Other	249

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.