Agricultural Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary

Salary Overview

Job Outlook (2024–2034)

Key Skills

Knowledge Areas

What They Do

• Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
• Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work.
• Supervise laboratory sessions and field work and coordinate laboratory operations.
• Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as crop production, plant genetics, and soil chemistry.
• Collaborate with colleagues to address teaching and research issues.
• Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
• Evaluate and grade students' class work, laboratory work, assignments, and papers.
• Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students.

Tools & Technology

★ = Hot Technology (in-demand)

Education Requirements

Typical entry-level education: Related Work Experience

Related Careers

Featured In

Careers with the highest skill compatibility from Agricultural Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary.

A Day in the Life

A typical day for a tenure-track agricultural sciences professor might begin with reviewing data from a field trial — perhaps a soybean variety study being conducted at the university research farm. At 9 AM, there's a graduate student committee meeting to review a master's thesis on precision agriculture adoption patterns. Mid-morning brings an undergraduate lecture on soil chemistry to 85 students, incorporating recent research on nutrient cycling in cover crop systems. Lunch might be a faculty meeting discussing curriculum revisions to address emerging topics like regenerative agriculture and agricultural data science. Afternoon work includes writing a USDA NIFA grant proposal for a multi-year study on drought-resistant crop genetics, responding to peer review requests for a journal manuscript, and holding office hours for undergraduate students. Extension faculty might instead spend their afternoon visiting a county agent who needs help diagnosing a cattle nutrition issue or presenting at a farmer field day.

Work Environment

Work divides between classrooms, laboratories, offices, research farms, and field sites. University settings offer intellectual freedom, flexible schedules, and collegial environments. The academic calendar provides summer periods with reduced teaching obligations, allowing focused research time. However, research crops and animals require year-round attention regardless of academic calendars. Field research involves outdoor work in variable weather conditions. Travel to conferences, field sites, collaborator meetings, and stakeholder events is regular. The tenure pressure creates significant stress during the pre-tenure years — the expectation to simultaneously publish, secure grants, teach effectively, mentor graduate students, and contribute to university service is demanding. Post-tenure, the pace moderates but expectations for continued productivity remain.

Career Path & Advancement

A PhD in an agricultural science discipline (agronomy, animal science, plant pathology, agricultural economics, food science, etc.) is required for tenure-track positions at research universities. The path typically involves a bachelor's degree, followed by an MS and PhD (4-6 years combined), then one or more postdoctoral research positions (1-3 years). Assistant professor positions are highly competitive, with dozens of applicants per opening. The tenure clock runs 5-7 years, during which productivity in research (publications, grants), teaching (evaluations, course development), and service (committees, outreach) is evaluated. Associate professor comes with tenure, and full professor status follows continued distinguished contributions. Community college positions require a master's degree and emphasize teaching over research.

Specializations

Agronomy and crop science faculty focus on crop production systems, genetics, and soil management. Animal scientists specialize in nutrition, reproduction, genetics, or welfare for livestock and poultry. Horticulture faculty study fruit, vegetable, ornamental, and turf production. Soil scientists examine soil chemistry, physics, biology, and conservation. Agricultural economists analyze agricultural markets, policy, farm management, and rural development. Food science faculty work on food safety, processing, nutrition, and product development. Agricultural engineers address mechanization, precision agriculture, and biological systems. Entomologists, plant pathologists, and weed scientists address crop pest management. Extension specialists focus on translating research into practical applications for farmers and communities.

Pros & Cons

Industry Insight

Agricultural sciences education faces pressure from declining enrollment in traditional agricultural programs at some institutions while growing in interdisciplinary areas like food systems, sustainability, and agricultural data science. Federal research funding from USDA NIFA, NSF, and DOE supports agricultural research but is highly competitive. Land-grant universities maintain the unique tripartite mission of teaching, research, and extension — connecting research directly to farmers and communities. The growing emphasis on One Health, climate change adaptation, food security, and environmental sustainability is creating new interdisciplinary opportunities. Universities are investing in precision agriculture laboratories, agricultural robotics, and data analytics facilities. Industry-academic partnerships with agricultural companies provide supplementary research funding.