Agriculture Degrees
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Salaries For Degrees in Agriculture
People with a degree in Agriculture can be employed in a variety of occupations. It is impossible to say what you personally will do with a degree in Agriculture, our survey panel picked the following jobs as likely options:
- Farm and home management advisors
- Agricultural and food science technicians
- Farm, ranch, and other agricultural managers
- Landscape architects (Best salary!)
Salaries are highly dependent on how skilled one is at negotiation, years of related experience, your employer, area, and more besides. The estimates we show on these pages are just that: estimates. Your individual experience will likely vary.
Where does this come from?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics, a unit of the US government, classifies all workers into some 800-odd occupational categories. We paid a army of freelancers to solicit their view on what type of degree a holder of each type of job would likely have majored in. For pairs which had a high degree of consensus, we created a link between the degree and the job.
From this, we calculated the average salary for Agriculture degrees and converted it into a lifetime value. We then compared it against other degrees at the same level of schooling (such as associate's, bachelor's, or master's), so that you can make informed educational and employment decisions.
Why Have Agricuture Degees Become More Poular?
During the tough economic times, many people are choosing to take the opportunity to focus on re-evaluating their situations due to the fact that many people have lost their employment. Because of this, the United States has seen a record number of people going back to school in order to gain the edge on the competition ensuing in the search for employment. Almost all categories of academia are seeing an increase in applicants and many people are attending universities and community colleges at a record level.
Many people are looking into jobs that will possibly have a high need in the future such as jobs that may coincide with green technology. One of the areas that has seen an uptrend in applications is the area of agricultural degrees. While some people may think that agricultural degrees should be in decline, they may not realize that much of the up and coming green technology will revolve around agriculture. The production of corn and soy beans for ethanol has become huge over the last ten years and many people who have traditionally been agriculturists of other crops are looking to gain an edge when it comes to the production of these new and possible future fuels.
In addition to the above trends, some astute investors like Jim Rogers have stated that they believe aggricultural production has been under-valued for a great deal of time and expect it to rebound.
Agriculture & Rural Areas
People who live in (or want to live in) rural areas may have the most to gain from an agricultural degree. For those who live in largely populated cities, land can be hard to find unlike in areas that are rural. Also, for those people who live in rural areas, jobs in agriculture are more plentiful, and a degree in agriculture could open up more opportunities than just general labor. One should always research his or her choices and when searching for a degree in agriculture be sure to find a school that best fits his or her needs.
Education Options
There are many routes one can take when looking to obtain an agricultural degree. For those seeking an associate's degree, the local community college should be sufficient for his or her needs although those that are seeking more specialized four year degrees will have to attend a university. Another option on the table for everyone to consider is distance learning or online courses, which can be convenient for almost anyone who is not located near a college or has schedule conflicts due to work or children.
For many people, college can seem like a frightening possibility, especially for those who are older and have little education other than high school. However, one may be surprised to find out that many people no matter what age, ethnicity, or gender, are attending college at record levels. This is evident when one steps into any community college or four year university across the United States as he or she will find an array of ages, races, and genders within the classroom. That being said, one of the hardest parts of attending academia is deciding where to go.
Community Colleges
If one is seeking a non-specialized degree, community college may be the best possible decision. Community colleges offer flexible class times, the opportunity to reach the associate's level, and the possibility of transferring to a four year school. For those looking at agricultural degrees, community college is a great place to start. Many community colleges are also offering specialized classes on new and emerging agricultural technologies that revolve around alternative energy. These courses can help one get the training he or she needs to grow crops that will be in high demand such as corn and soy beans that will be turned into fuel.
Campus-based Colleges & Universities Offering Agriculture Degrees
However, there are those who are seeking specialized degrees that may not be offered at community colleges. For those people, a four year university may be the best choice to make. At a four year university, one will get the tools and training that he or she needs to start their own agricultural business or go to work for a company that needs qualified and educated agriculturalists to run their company. Four year universities also offer one the ability to seek higher level degrees where one could go on to teach classes as well. It is best for one to think about his or her needs and make a choice that best fits those needs when it concerns community college or a four year university.
There are also many universities that specialize in agricultural degrees. For those on the East Coast, North Carolina State University has a number of degrees specializing in agriculture. For those in the Midwest, Michigan State may be the most popular agricultural school. However, one thing everyone should keep in mind is the fact that many classes will transfer from community colleges to four year universities, and the community colleges will be much cheaper.
Online Schools Offering Accredited Agriculture Distance Learning Degree Programs
With the advent of the internet, many people are able to enjoy the fact that they can attend school from the privacy of their own home. Through distance learning programs, many four year and community colleges offer students the ability to use the internet to complete coursework instead of coming into an actual brick and mortar classroom. From the internet, students can be assigned homework, take tests, and even engage in classroom discussions. Many community colleges as well as four year universities offer distance learning and 
online classrooms for students although there are schools such as Kaplan University and the University of Phoenix, which are exclusively online schools. If one decides to choose to attend an online university, he or she should make sure that the school is considered accredited. If the online school is not accredited, classes may not transfer to other schools and employers may not consider credits earned to be valid.
Oregon State University offers what is perhaps the most popular online aggriculture program, with their OSU Bachelor of Science in General Agriculture.
Famous Agriculturalists
Although some may not think that agriculturalists are very famous, there are many people who have earned international acclaim for their work in this particular natural science. George Washington Carver may be one of the most famous agriculturalists in history with his works on the peanut where he invented one of the most popular food of the present, peanut butter. During his time, Carver would find over three hundred uses for the peanut.
