The field of agriculture is one of the most important fields you can go into. Agriculture produces the food everyone eats, enables commerce, and prevents hunger. Some individuals who are interested in agriculture go into the fields of farming or food production, while others become agricultural engineers. Agricultural engineers generally specialize in a specific discipline within the field: soil and water resources engineering, agricultural equipment engineering, renewable energy engineering, or food science engineering.

In a bachelor’s degree program in agricultural engineering, you’ll gain the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in this field. You’ll learn how to analyze soil and geological systems to advise farmers how to plant and plot for increased production; you study electrical and mechanical engineering concepts to develop new and innovative farming equipment and irrigation systems; and you’ll study the science of food, blending biological study with engineering concepts to develop pest-resistant seeds and other innovative plant life.

What Jobs Can You Get with a Degree in Agricultural Engineering?

The demand for agricultural engineers is expected to grow in coming years due to two major factors. First, as the price of natural resources like oil, gas, and water rise, agricultural engineers will be needed to design equipment that helps increase production while decreasing efforts—therefore minimizing costs. Second, as the population of the world grows, so does the demand for food, so agricultural engineers who specialize in increasing crop production through food science should be in high demand.

How Long does it take?

A bachelors in Agricultural Engineering will have a typical length of 4 years in a full time schedule. That said, there are many ways to speed up the timeframe by either taking more units via online coursework, community college, or taking free classes at OnlineDegree.com that could transfer to universities in the US.