Occupation · SOC 25-1041
Agricultural Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary
Teach courses in the agricultural sciences. Includes teachers of agronomy, dairy sciences, fisheries management, horticultural sciences, poultry sciences, range management, and agricultural soil conservation. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
Median wage
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Projected growth
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—
Annual openings
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per year
Employed (US)
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Job Zone 5
Typical preparation
Extensive preparation
Stackable credential programs
1,403 mapped
Core skills
InstructingLearning StrategiesReading ComprehensionSpeakingActive ListeningWritingCritical ThinkingActive Learning
Knowledge areas
BiologyEducation and TrainingEnglish LanguageAdministration and ManagementCustomer and Personal Service
Technology & tools
Computer based training softwareCalendar and scheduling softwareWord processing softwareData base user interface and query softwareInformation retrieval or search software
Representative tasks
Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.Advise students on academic and vocational curricula and on career issues.Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work.Supervise laboratory sessions and field work and coordinate laboratory operations.Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media.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.Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, and course materials and methods of instruction.Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.Participate in student recruitment, registration, and placement activities.Select and obtain materials and supplies, such as textbooks and laboratory equipment.Act as advisers to student organizations.Write grant proposals to procure external research funding.Serve on academic or administrative committees that deal with institutional policies, departmental matters, and academic issues.Participate in campus and community events.Provide professional consulting services to government or industry.Compile bibliographies of specialized materials for outside reading assignments.Perform administrative duties, such as serving as department head.
Competency framework
Skill expectations by proficiency level.
emerging
Course syllabi and instructional handouts — draft and organize under faculty mentorship for undergraduate agricultural sciences courses.Assigned readings and current journal articles — review and synthesize to stay current with developments in an agricultural specialty field.Undergraduate laboratory sessions — assist in supervising equipment use and safety protocols under direction of a lead faculty member.Introductory lectures on topics such as crop production or soil chemistry — deliver to small class sections using prepared slide decks and faculty-provided materials.Student academic questions — respond to and refer to appropriate advising resources within a postsecondary institutional setting.Word processing and office suite software — use to prepare course documents, assignment sheets, and basic instructional materials.Professional conference sessions and departmental seminars — attend and document key findings relevant to assigned teaching areas.Graduate research assistants — observe and provide initial feedback on laboratory procedures under senior faculty oversight.Collaborative teaching discussions — participate in departmental meetings to share observations on instructional challenges.Database and information retrieval tools — apply to locate peer-reviewed literature supporting course content development.
developing
Weekly lecture series on plant genetics, food production systems, or soil chemistry — prepare and deliver independently to undergraduate or graduate cohorts in a postsecondary classroom.Course materials including syllabi, homework assignments, and grading rubrics — develop and revise routinely to align with program learning outcomes.Undergraduate and graduate student researchers — supervise field work and laboratory operations with reduced reliance on departmental oversight.Academic and career advising sessions — conduct for students navigating agricultural sciences curricula, internship placements, and graduate school options.Research findings in a defined agricultural specialty — compile, analyze, and submit as manuscripts to peer-reviewed professional journals.Learning management and calendar scheduling software — use to organize course schedules, assignment deadlines, and student communications efficiently.Interdisciplinary teaching and research challenges — collaborate with departmental colleagues to develop coordinated solutions within familiar academic contexts.Laboratory operations and field experiment protocols — coordinate and monitor to ensure data integrity and student safety across a semester.Current agricultural science literature — read critically and integrate emerging findings into course content updates on a regular cycle.Inductive reasoning and systems evaluation skills — apply when assessing student mastery and adapting instructional strategies mid-semester.
proficient
Graduate student teaching and research programs — supervise autonomously across internship placement, thesis development, and independent research phases within a research university.Peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, and electronic media — produce independently to disseminate original research findings across the full scope of an agricultural sciences specialty.Non-routine student academic or career challenges — assess and resolve using judgment grounded in deep knowledge of postsecondary education pathways and agricultural industry trends.Advanced seminars on complex topics such as molecular plant genetics or precision agriculture systems — design and deliver to graduate students with high content rigor.Field research sites and laboratory facilities — coordinate operations, allocate resources, and troubleshoot complex procedural problems across multiple concurrent projects.Professional conferences and disciplinary networks — participate as presenter and peer reviewer to maintain currency and contribute to knowledge in the field.Complex problem-solving in research design — apply inductive and deductive reasoning to guide graduate students through methodological challenges in agricultural science investigations.Interdisciplinary research collaborations with colleagues across departments or institutions — lead and manage communication, task coordination, and shared deliverables.Course assessment data and student performance metrics — analyze systematically to evaluate instructional effectiveness and implement evidence-based improvements.Emerging agricultural technologies and computational tools — evaluate and integrate selectively into both research programs and undergraduate or graduate course content.
advanced
Departmental curriculum frameworks for agricultural sciences degree programs — design, champion, and continuously improve to reflect field advances and workforce needs at institutional scale.Early-career faculty and postdoctoral researchers — mentor in teaching effectiveness, research productivity, and professional development within a research-intensive academic environment.Multi-year externally funded research programs — lead as principal investigator, setting scientific direction and ensuring compliance with sponsor and institutional requirements.Institutional academic policies affecting graduate education and research in agricultural sciences — shape through faculty governance participation, committee leadership, and strategic advocacy.National and international professional conferences — serve in leadership roles such as session chair, keynote presenter, or program committee member to advance disciplinary knowledge.Cross-institutional research consortia and extension partnerships — establish and direct to link university agricultural science expertise with government, industry, and community stakeholders.Departmental hiring, promotion, and tenure processes — lead as evaluator and decision-maker, applying deep judgment to assess scholarly impact and teaching excellence.Strategic vision for research themes and instructional innovation — articulate and execute at the department or college level, aligning resources to long-term disciplinary priorities.Discipline-wide knowledge gaps and societal challenges such as food security or climate adaptation — identify and mobilize collaborative research agendas that span institutions and sectors.Doctoral student academic trajectories from admission through career placement — oversee and guide, drawing on extensive professional networks and mastery of the agricultural sciences field.
Also known as
67 alternate job titles map to this occupation.
ProfessorEducation And Training Superintendent (Air Force 3F291)Aquaculture ProfessorAnimal Nutrition TeacherHorticulture ManagerSoil Biology TeacherInstructorAgriculture ProfessorAnimal Husbandry ProfessorSoil Science TeacherAssociate ProfessorAgronomy TeacherSoil Conservation TeacherSoil Science ProfessorFaculty MemberDairy Science TeacherAgriculture TeacherFaculty Member, College or UniversityHorticulture InstructorAgribusiness InstructorCollege ProfessorHorticulture TeacherAnimal Pathology TeacherAgriculture InstructorAgricultural Education ProfessorUSMA, Professor of Geography and Environmental Engineering (Army 47P)Animal Physiology TeacherAgricultural Science ProfessorFisheries InstructorEducation And Training Apprentice (Air Force 3F231)Poultry Husbandry TeacherAgronomy ProfessorFarm Crops TeacherAnimal Science ProfessorAgricultural Economics ProfessorFloriculture ProfessorEducation And Training Helper (Air Force 3F211)Silviculture TeacherFarm Management ProfessorEducation and Training Journeyman (Air Force 3F251)