by our College Data Analytics TeamAre you interested in farming, ranching or another agricultural field? Would you find it fulfilling to manage your own farm, raise livestock, grow crops or manage an agricultural business?
While it's true that a major in agricultural economics and business will include classes related to agricultural science, there is a lot more to it than that. Many students will aspire to go into their own business, and classes will include business management, economics, human resource management, finance, planning, marketing, retail and much more.
Concentrations in this major include such fields as Agribusiness, Agricultural Economics, Farm and Ranch Management, Farm Supplies Retail & Wholesaling and Agricultural Business Technology among others. Make sure your concentration of interest is available at the college you choose.
In 2020-2021, agricultural economics and business was the 101st most popular major nationwide with 8,098 degrees awarded. This represents a 5.0% reduction in agricultural business degrees awarded over the prior year's total of 8,504.
Our 2023 Best Agricultural Economics & Business Schools ranking analyzes 93 of these schools to determine the best overall colleges for agricultural economics and business students. Continue reading to check out one of our many unbiased rankings of agricultural business programs later in this article.
Many people are attracted to this field because they have a passion for farming, producing food from the land and working outdoors. Depending on your role in the organization, this field may require strenuous physical labor and may not follow a traditional schedule of a 40-hour work week. Many people in this field are self-employed. Some are hired as managers for larger companies. Not only does this field require extensive knowledge of farming, whether crops or livestock, it also requires strong business skills. Farmers and Agricultural managers will often have a hand in multiple areas, including managing payroll and taxes, hiring employees, determining sales opportunities, marketing their product and planning the future of the business.
This field will require a strong science background, business training and good communication skills. This is a varied and exciting job for those with a driving interest in the growing, producing, selling and marketing of food.
Work experience is an important aspect to finding a job in this field. Students who are interested in pursuing this major should find opportunities to get first-hand experience through a summer job, internship, Co-op or work abroad program.
New students will need to have completed high school or a GED program and each school will have their own minimum GPA and SAT/ACT test requirements. In addition to these basic agricultural economics and business program qualifications, to serve in some agricultural business careers, special certification may be required outside of your degree.
There are various different levels of agricultural business degrees. You can spend many years getting as high as a in agricultural economics and business to something that takes less time like a . Different agricultural economics and business degrees vary in how long they take.
| Degree | Credit Requirements | Typical Program Length |
|---|---|---|
| Associate Degree | 60-70 credits | 2 years |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 120 credits | 4 years |
| Master’s Degree | 50-70 credits | 1-3 years |
| Doctorate | Program required coursework including thesis or dissertation | At least 4 years |
A bachelor's degree is the most common level of education achieved by those in careers related to agricultural business, with approximately 26.9% of workers getting one. Find out other typical degree levels for agricultural business workers below.
| Level of Education | Percentage of Workers |
|---|---|
| Bachelor’s Degree | 27.7% |
| High School Diploma | 15.8% |
| Doctoral Degree | 12.9% |
| Master’s Degree | 10.3% |
| Some College Courses | 9.1% |
Most workers in agricultural business have at least a bachelor's degree. See the chart below for the most common degree level workers in agricultural economics and business have received.
This of course varies depending on which agricultural business career you choose.
A degree in agricultural economics and business provides students with a broad set of skills. Students would be well poised to run their own farm or business, or work as a manager in an agricultural field. Students will also have the ability to specialize in areas of particular interest to them.
Want a job when you graduate with your agricultural business degree? Agricultural Economics & Business careers are expected to grow 3.6% between 2016 and 2026.
The following options are some of the most in-demand careers related to agricultural economics and business.
| Occupation Name | Projected Jobs | Expected Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Office and Administrative Support Worker Supervisors | 1,557,400 | 3.4% |
| Farmers, Ranchers, and Agricultural Managers | 1,020,700 | -0.8% |
| Computer User Support Specialists | 708,700 | 11.3% |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Worker Supervisors | 49,700 | 2.1% |
| Agricultural Products Graders and Sorters | 42,500 | -0.9% |
Recently graduated agricultural economics and business students earned an average of $42,360 in 2019-2020. Earnings can range from as low as $25,593 to as high as $78,005. As you might expect, salaries for agricultural business graduates vary depending on the level of education that was acquired.
Salaries for agricultural economics and business graduates can vary widely by the occupation you choose as well. The following table shows the top highest paying careers agricultural business grads often go into.
| Occupation Name | Median Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Economists | $116,020 |
| Agricultural Sciences Professors | $90,890 |
| Farmers, Ranchers, and Agricultural Managers | $79,940 |
| Office and Administrative Support Worker Supervisors | $59,340 |
| Computer User Support Specialists | $55,050 |
With over 748 different agricultural business degree programs to choose from, finding the best fit for you can be a challenge. Fortunately you have come to the right place. We have analyzed all of these schools to come up with hundreds of unbiased agricultural business school rankings to help you with this.
Agricultural Economics & Business is one of 16 different types of Agriculture & Agriculture Operations programs to choose from.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Agribusiness/Agricultural Business Operations | 3,108 |
| Agricultural Business | 2,150 |
| Agricultural Economics | 1,912 |
| Farm/Farm & Ranch Management | 537 |
| Agricultural/Farm Supplies Retailing and Wholesaling | 204 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians | 8,646 |
| Animal Science | 8,294 |
| General Agriculture | 3,370 |
| Horticulture | 3,234 |
| Plant Sciences | 3,175 |
