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Agricultural Business

Types of Degrees Agricultural Business Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Agricultural Business can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	77
Associate’s Degree	600
Bachelor’s Degree	1,110
Master’s Degree	400
Doctor’s Degree	1

What Agricultural Business Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Agricultural Business 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 developed in a Agricultural Business 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

Innate abilities most relevant to Agricultural Business 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 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 professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Spreadsheet software	Spreadsheet software	—
Database software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Sakai CLE	Computer based training software	—
Calendar and scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Agricultural Business graduates include:

• Horticulture Manager
• Farm Crops Teacher
• Assistant Professor
• Animal Nutrition Teacher
• Soil Conservation Teacher
• Agribusiness Instructor
• Dairy Husbandry Teacher
• Agriculture Instructor
• Agriculture Teacher
• College Professor
• Agricultural Economics Professor
• Pomology Teacher
• Horticulture Professor
• Agronomy Instructor
• Animal Pathology Teacher

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Agricultural Business 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?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 42.2% women and 57.8% men among Agricultural Business graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	924	42.2%
Men	1,264	57.8%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	1,813	82.9%
Asian	6	0.3%
Hispanic or Latino	137	6.3%
Black or African American	81	3.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native	14	0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	2	0.1%
Two or More Races	35	1.6%
Race Unknown	39	1.8%
International Students	61	2.8%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Agricultural Business Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Agricultural Business 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	$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 Programs

Distance learning is reported by IPEDS for Agricultural Business. 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	10	12
Bachelor’s	5	2
Master’s	2	3

^{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 Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Agricultural Business 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 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
Agricultural/Farm Supplies Retailing and Wholesaling	243

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.