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Agricultural Engineers

Typical education: Bachelor's degreeModerate pressure Bright Outlook

What they do

Apply knowledge of engineering technology and biological science to agricultural problems concerned with power and machinery, electrification, structures, soil and water conservation, and processing of agricultural products.

Kinds of work

  • Realistic: Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.
  • Investigative: Science, research, figuring out how things work and solving complex problems.
  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.

Moderate pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $98,590 Median per year · $47.40/hr Most earn $68,060–$166,460

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Conduct educational programs that provide farmers or farm cooperative members with information that can help them improve agricultural productivity.
  • Prepare reports, sketches, working drawings, specifications, proposals, and budgets for proposed sites or systems.
  • Design agricultural machinery components and equipment, using computer-aided design (CAD) technology.
  • Visit sites to observe environmental problems, to consult with contractors, or to monitor construction activities.
  • Supervise food processing or manufacturing plant operations.
  • Prepare reports, sketches, working drawings, specifications, proposals, and budgets for proposed sites or systems.

Job outlook

Bright Outlook Rapid Growth

United States
7% more jobs by 2035, faster than average · about 100 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Federal government, excluding postal service21.0%
  • Colleges, universities, and professional schools16.8%
  • Management of companies and enterprises7.5%
  • State government, excluding education and hospitals6.7%
  • Grain and oilseed milling3.8%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 1 to 2 years

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: Bachelor's degreeExperience before this job: 1 to 2 years

Agricultural engineering usually requires a bachelor's degree, and most people also get 1 to 2 years of related work before they are in this role. Counting school and that experience, expect roughly 5 to 6 years from high school.

  1. High school diploma with strong math and science

    4 years

    Strong math, physics, chemistry, and biology prepare you for an engineering degree and show colleges you are ready for the work.

  2. Bachelor's degree in agricultural or biological systems engineering

    4 years

    This degree combines engineering with biology and soil and water science, and most employers look for it first.

  3. Field Engineer

    1-2 years

    You work on farms, equipment, or irrigation and drainage projects, learning how real agricultural systems behave in the field.

  4. Agricultural Engineer

    You design and improve farm machinery, buildings, water systems, and food processing equipment, using the engineering skills and field experience you built earlier.

Where it can lead

  1. Senior Agricultural Engineer

    3-5 years of experience first

    You take on bigger projects, lead small teams, and make design decisions with less supervision, usually after proving reliable on several projects.

  2. Agricultural Engineering Manager

    8+ years of experience first

    You manage engineers, budgets, and client or company projects, and spend less time on hands-on design.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take physics, chemistry, and the highest math class you canThese courses are the foundation for every engineering degree, including agricultural engineering.
  • Join a FFA chapter or a similar agriculture clubMany schools have FFA or 4-H groups where you can learn about farming, animals, and machinery while building leadership skills.
  • Enter a science fair or engineering competitionDesigning and testing a project, such as a simple irrigation or soil sensor, shows the kind of problem-solving engineers do every day.
  • Get a summer job on a farm or at a farm equipment shopWorking with tractors, pumps, or fencing gives you hands-on experience with the systems you would later design.

In college

  • Major in agricultural or biological systems engineeringThis major is the most direct route to the job, and it covers machinery, water, soil, and structures together.
  • Pursue an internship with a farm, equipment company, or government agriculture officeInternships show employers you can apply classroom knowledge to real farm problems and often lead to a first job.
  • Join a student engineering or agriculture clubClubs such as an ag engineering society or a student design team build teamwork and practical skills that employers value.
  • Take a campus job in a lab, workshop, or research farmHelping with equipment testing or soil and water research gives you experience and professor references for later jobs.
  • Learn CAD and basic data or GPS toolsMany agricultural engineering jobs use computer design and precision farming technology, so these skills make you more competitive.

Tips for getting started

  • Look for summer or part-time jobs on farms, at equipment dealers, or at grain elevators to see how agricultural machinery and systems work up close.
  • Take the strongest math and science courses you can, and practice writing clearly, since engineers write many reports and explain designs to farmers and clients.
  • Check out what engineering pay looks like near you on your career results page, and compare it with the full range shown on this career's page.

Related jobs that often lead here

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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