Agriculture, General: is it worth it?
A 0–100 score blending this major’s national earnings, ROI and typical debt. How it’s scored.
National picture across 43 college programs, at a typical net price.
On these figures the cost and debt outweigh the earnings premium.
What Agriculture, General pays
Career outlook for Agriculture, General graduates
The job market for the occupations Agriculture, General graduates typically enter, projected through 2034 — from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. This is the demand side, complementing the IRS-verified graduate earnings above.
Top jobs for this major
| Occupation | U.S. jobs | Growth to 2034 | Median pay | Typical entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soil and plant scientists | 20,700 | +5.4% | $71,410 | Bachelor's degree |
| Agricultural technicians | 18,600 | +4.3% | $46,790 | Associate's degree |
| Food scientists and technologists | 15,200 | +6.5% | $85,310 | Bachelor's degree |
| Agricultural sciences teachers, postsecondary | 10,700 | +4.1% | $86,350 | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Animal scientists | 2,800 | +5.8% | $79,120 | Bachelor's degree |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections (2024–34) & the NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupation pay is the national median wage for the role — not the same as graduate earnings, which we draw from IRS records.
Agriculture, General vs similar majors
How Agriculture, General stacks up against the closest fields in Agriculture & Related Sciences on pay, debt, ROI and the DR Rating. The best figure in each row is highlighted.
| Agriculture, General Agriculture & Related Sciences · this major | Veterinary Medicine | Veterinary Biomedical and Clinical Sciences | Agricultural and Food Products Processing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR Rating | 30 F | 80 A | 76 B | 75 B |
| ROI verdict | Poor return | Strong return | Strong return | Strong return |
| Median earnings (5 yr) | $52,403 | $120,579 | $84,630 | $71,906 |
| Median earnings (1 yr) | $41,879 | $100,829 | $55,544 | $76,052 |
| ROI vs cost | -6% | +460% | +343% | +234% |
| Typical debt | $18,912 | $172,552 | $47,703 | $23,250 |
| Colleges offering it | 43 | 28 | 6 | 2 |
Agriculture, General earnings over time
National median earnings one year after graduating, by cohort year — the consistent measure available across the federal data’s history.
Best colleges for Agriculture, General
Ranked by the ROI of this major at each college — its graduate earnings against the cost.
| # | College | Credential | Earnings (5 yr) | Median debt | 10-yr ROI | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Black Hawk College Moline, IL | Certificate | $54,448 | — | +1,261% | Strong return |
| 2 | Southern Utah University Cedar City, UT | Associate's | $57,314 | — | +489% | Strong return |
| 3 | University of Maryland-College Park College Park, MD | Associate's | $63,445 | — | +488% | Strong return |
| 4 | Ivy Tech Community College Indianapolis, IN | Certificate | $50,727 | $7,250 | +479% | Strong return |
| 5 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA | Associate's | $68,350 | $21,903 | +465% | Strong return |
| 6 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Carbondale, IL | Associate's | $63,031 | $15,000 | +462% | Strong return |
| 7 | California State University-Chico Chico, CA | Associate's | $64,138 | $14,750 | +457% | Strong return |
| 8 | Illinois State University Normal, IL | Associate's | $64,041 | $15,750 | +328% | Strong return |
| 9 | Northwest Missouri State University Maryville, MO | Associate's | $61,046 | $17,250 | +314% | Strong return |
| 10 | Western Illinois University Macomb, IL | Associate's | $58,204 | $17,062 | +311% | Strong return |
| 11 | Texas State University San Marcos, TX | Associate's | $61,972 | $21,469 | +310% | Strong return |
| 12 | Texas A&M University-Kingsville Kingsville, TX | Associate's | $57,257 | $22,750 | +278% | Strong return |
| 13 | Tennessee Technological University Cookeville, TN | Associate's | $57,554 | $14,500 | +272% | Strong return |
| 14 | University of Missouri-Columbia Columbia, MO | Associate's | $58,852 | — | +242% | Strong return |
| 15 | West Texas A & M University Canyon, TX | Associate's | $59,749 | $13,000 | +237% | Strong return |
| 16 | Texas A&M University-College Station College Station, TX | Associate's | $61,337 | $17,375 | +234% | Strong return |
| 17 | Sam Houston State University Huntsville, TX | Associate's | $58,269 | $19,125 | +234% | Strong return |
| 18 | The University of Tennessee-Martin Martin, TN | Associate's | $52,293 | $19,400 | +156% | Strong return |
| 19 | East Texas A&M University Commerce, TX | Associate's | $52,593 | $19,181 | +148% | Strong return |
| 20 | McNeese State University Lake Charles, LA | Associate's | $52,104 | $18,000 | +125% | Strong return |
| 21 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO | Certificate | $63,434 | $25,108 | +96% | Strong return |
| 22 | Cornell University Ithaca, NY | Associate's | $56,857 | $13,109 | +91% | Strong return |
| 23 | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred Alfred, NY | Certificate | $47,508 | — | +67% | Strong return |
| 24 | Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX | Associate's | $52,441 | $25,000 | +58% | Break-even |
| 25 | Oregon State University-Cascades Campus Bend, OR | Associate's | $50,564 | $23,500 | +25% | Break-even |
Related majors
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard. ROI is computed by Degree Return — see how. Read the methodology. Data as of 2024.