by our College Data Analytics TeamIn the latest year, 243 U.S. colleges awarded 3,822 degrees and certificates in Agricultural Production. Master’s degrees are the most popular award, at 36% of graduates. College Factual ranks 101 schools in its 2027 Best Agricultural Production Schools ranking and compares their cost in a Best Value ranking. Graduates earn a median $38,195 one year after completing, rising to $50,144 after four years.
Are you interested in both the labor and management side of agriculture? Agricultural Production gives you the ability to have a hand in all aspects of farming operations.
A degree in Agricultural Production Operations will prepare you to be both a manager and a laborer. You will study operating systems, quality management, product design, supply chain management, and inventory control along with how to operate equipment and manage facilities and information. Some of your courses will cover accounting, human resources management, marketing, and business planning to prepare you to act as an operations manager. You will learn how to evaluate problems and risks and alleviate those in order to build a strong business.
This is a broad topic and, although it is possible to major in general Agricultural Production, often a school will offer different specialties that a student may concentrate on. Possible concentrations include Animal/Livestock Husbandry and Production, Aquaculture, Crop Production, Dairy Husbandry and Production, Horse Husbandry/Equine Science and Management, Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture, and Viticulture and Enology.
A degree in Agricultural Production involves the study of Agricultural Production Operations.
Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; BLS; O*NET; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.
Across the country, agricultural production draws strong interest, with 3,822 degrees awarded annually. 243 colleges award agricultural production degrees, an average of 16 graduates per school; the largest program awarded 148.
By level, the 3,822 awards include 529 certificates, 1,259 associate degrees, 643 bachelor’s degrees, 1,357 master’s degrees and 20 doctorates.
Women earned 59% of agricultural production degrees and certificates in the latest year (2,241 of 3,822). The largest groups of graduates by race and ethnicity are White (2,616) and Hispanic or Latino (688), and international students earned 79.
College Factual ranks 101 schools in its 2027 Best Agricultural Production Schools ranking, including 40 for associate degrees, 22 for bachelor’s degrees and 9 for master’s degrees. It also ranks agricultural production schools within 28 states. In all, 243 colleges offer agricultural production programs; compare them by degree level below or in the Best Value Agricultural Production Colleges ranking, which weighs quality against cost.
The most common agricultural production credential is the master’s degree: 1,357 of the 3,822 awarded in the latest year. Jobs related to agricultural production call most for Active Listening, Speaking and Reading Comprehension, and for knowledge of Education and Training, English Language and Biology, according to O*NET. The most important abilities are Oral Expression, Oral Comprehension and Written Comprehension.
As an Agricultural Production manager, you must understand all aspects of the farm, determine how to best raise crops or livestock, purchase supplies, maintain facilities, and keep financial, production, and employee records. This career requires a solid understanding of business and strong communication and customer service skills. You must be able to communication effectively with laborers and workers as well as customers. If you choose to work with livestock, you must have a background in animal science. Multi-tasking is also a required skill because you must be able to split your time between outdoor labor and office tasks.
Since this career requires work all over the farm, hours can be long. During planting and harvesting seasons, work days last from sun up to sun down. Other times of the year, days are spent maintaining the farm and repairing equipment. Work on livestock farms is consistent since the animals constantly need caring for. As a manager or supervisor, you will be expected to work long days to ensure everything on the farm is running smoothly.
Agricultural Production Operations managers typically gain experience working on a farm before rising to a management position. It is recommended that you gain experience through a summer job, internship, Co-op or work abroad program before pursuing a management position.
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How long an agricultural production degree takes:
| Degree | Typical Program Length | Graduates Annually |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate | Varies | 529 |
| Associate Degree | 2 years | 1,259 |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 4 years | 643 |
| Master’s Degree | 1-3 years | 1,357 |
| Doctorate | At least 4 years | 20 |
Master’s degree is the most common level of education among workers in jobs related to agricultural production, at 46.2%.
| Level of Education | Percentage of Workers |
|---|---|
| Master’s degree | 46.2% |
| Doctoral degree | 17.3% |
| Bachelor’s degree | 13.6% |
| Post-doctoral training | 6.8% |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 4.7% |
| Postsecondary certificate | 3.2% |
| Less than a high school diploma | 2.9% |
| Post-baccalaureate certificate | 2.5% |
| Some college courses | 1.3% |
| Associate’s degree (or other 2-year) | 1.0% |
| Post-master’s certificate | 0.3% |
| First professional degree | 0.1% |
Source: O*NET Online.
12 occupations are related to Agricultural Production, with an average median salary of $65,084; the strongest outlook belongs to Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers, at 14.7% projected job growth. Typical job titles include Adjunct Instructor, Agriculture Consultant, Home Demonstration Agent and Resource Management Specialist.
Studying Agricultural Production will prepare you to manage and oversee all types of farming operations. Some people will choose to be self-employed and run their own farm while others work as managers or supervisors. Due to the ability of farms to increase output with fewer workers, this career is moderately declining and is expected to continue this trend, possibly making it difficult to find jobs.
The occupation related to agricultural production with the most projected jobs is Farm and Home Management Educators, at 1,304,119.
| Occupation | Projected Jobs | Expected Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Farm and Home Management Educators | 1,304,119 | 14.0% |
| Forestry and Conservation Science Teachers, Postsecondary | 497,622 | 4.3% |
| Agricultural Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary | 297,433 | 4.5% |
| Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals | 232,282 | -1.5% |
| Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers | 231,384 | 14.7% |
| Conservation Scientists | 208,826 | 13.4% |
| Range Managers | 175,572 | 1.3% |
| Soil and Plant Scientists | 172,528 | 3.7% |
Agricultural Production graduates earn a median $38,195 one year after completing their program, $50,144 after four years and $47,551 after five years, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard.
| Years Out | Median Earnings |
|---|---|
| 1 year | $38,195 |
| 4 years | $50,144 |
| 5 years | $47,551 |
Source: College Scorecard.
The highest-paying occupation related to agricultural production is Animal Scientists, with a median salary of $93,823.
| Occupation | Median Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Animal Scientists | $93,823 |
| Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers | $84,680 |
| Conservation Scientists | $81,436 |
| Forestry and Conservation Science Teachers, Postsecondary | $79,966 |
| Park Naturalists | $76,516 |
| Agricultural Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary | $66,903 |
| Range Managers | $59,935 |
| Soil and Plant Scientists | $59,587 |
Agricultural Production includes 8 concentrations that together award 3,822 degrees a year; by graduates, the largest are Agricultural Production Operations, General (970), Animal/Livestock Husbandry and Production (862) and Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture (774). It has 18 similar majors in the Agriculture field, which together award 50,311 degrees a year; the largest are Agricultural Business and Management (8,920), Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians (8,916) and Animal Sciences (8,777). Browse all Agriculture majors or the full list of college majors.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Agricultural Business and Management | 8,920 |
| Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians | 8,916 |
| Animal Sciences | 8,777 |
| Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services | 4,242 |
| Veterinary Medicine | 3,882 |
| Plant Sciences | 3,510 |
| Agriculture, General | 3,002 |
| Food Science and Technology | 2,250 |
| Agricultural Mechanization | 1,491 |
| Agricultural and Domestic Animal Services | 1,217 |
More about our data sources and methodologies.
