Impact-Site-Verification: 42f761f7-4229-44d2-9ac6-d8d6a156889e
Career Finder Skills Finder Home Careers Highest Paying Best Careers Compare Comparisons AI Rankings Career Health Training Blog Demand Report
Login Sign Up
← Back to Careers

Agricultural Scientist

Science AI-Augmented

Researches ways to improve the efficiency and safety of agricultural crops and products.

B
🔵 Stable
Agricultural Scientist has a positive outlook with moderate hiring activity. A reliable path with room to grow.
70
/ 100
See all grades →

Work Profile

Stress
5/10
Work-Life
7/10
Future Outlook
7/10
Hours / Week
40

Salary Growth

Starting
$62,000
Year 5
$88,000
Year 10
$112,000
Top Earners
$160,000
Promotion Path: Research Assistant -> Scientist -> Senior Scientist -> Research Director.

Thinking about college for this career?

Will this salary actually cover your expenses, loans, and lifestyle? Most people never calculate this — and it can cost them years.

Use our Financial Reality tool to see: • Real take-home income • Loan impact • Cost of living by city • Whether this path actually works financially

🔒 Unlock Financial Reality

Core Skills and Tools

These are the practical tools, systems, math, and AI skills used in Agricultural Scientist roles.

AI & Automation

Ag Tech Innovation

Core Skills

Field Trial Management
Experimental Design
Variety Performance Evaluation
Crop Protection Research
Project Planning
Research Data Collection
Technical Recommendation Development
Cross Functional Collaboration

Industry Knowledge

Agronomic Research Methods
Breeding Program Support
Sustainable Agriculture Research
Crop Science Research

Math & Analysis

Experimental Data Analysis
Variety Trial Analysis
Efficacy Data Analysis

Requirements

Bachelor's degree requirement
Master's degree requirement
Degree field requirement

Systems & Software

Ag Tech Platforms
Field Trial Data Systems
Research Analytics Tools
Laboratory Data Software

About to graduate?

Are you ready for that first position?

Career Accelerator helps you build a portfolio of skills that validates you are ready for the hiring company. We even give you the bullet points you need to add to your resume.

🚀 Open Career Accelerator

Thinking about switching into Agricultural Scientist?

Answer a few skill questions and see your personalized skill gap, recommended projects, and a step-by-step plan to get closer to this role.

Build My Pivot Plan →

Other Potential Career Pivot Paths

Pivot paths coming soon for this career.

How to Get Hired

This section focuses on practical readiness: what skills matter, what tools or certifications may help, and what you can do now to become more employable.

Unlock the Full Getting Hired Plan

See the exact skills, certifications, projects, and step-by-step plan to break into Agricultural Scientist.

  • Certifications that actually help
  • Real projects to build experience
  • A 30–60 day action plan
Unlock Full Getting Hired Plan

AI Impact & Task Breakdown

AI-Augmented

AI is revolutionizing genomics and predictive modeling for crop yields.

How to Stay Valuable

  • Develop judgment, communication, and problem-solving skills
  • Learn how AI tools can support this career instead of ignoring them
  • Move toward strategy, interpretation, and higher-value work over time

AI Scores

Automation Risk: 4.8/10 Human Value: 8.2/10 AI Leverage: 7.4/10

Based on 5 analyzed tasks

More likely automated

  • Analyze Research Data
  • Design Agricultural Studies

Still requires human judgment

  • Publish and Present Findings
  • Design Agricultural Studies

How AI Affects This Job

This career includes a mix of tasks. Some are becoming more automated, while others are becoming more valuable because they require human expertise.

Design Agricultural Studies

Plan experiments on crops soil nutrients or production methods to answer research questions

Moderate Automation High Human Value High AI Leverage
Automation: 5/10 • AI Leverage: 8/10 • Human Value: 8/10

Likely adoption: 3-5 years

Analyze Research Data

Interpret trial results and statistical outputs to identify practical findings

Moderate Automation High Human Value High AI Leverage
Automation: 6/10 • AI Leverage: 8/10 • Human Value: 8/10

Likely adoption: 0-2 years

Develop Improved Practices

Recommend cultivation or management methods based on experimental evidence

Moderate Automation High Human Value High AI Leverage
Automation: 4/10 • AI Leverage: 7/10 • Human Value: 8/10

Likely adoption: 3-5 years

Publish and Present Findings

Share research results with industry groups academic peers and producers

Moderate Automation High Human Value High AI Leverage
Automation: 5/10 • AI Leverage: 7/10 • Human Value: 9/10

Likely adoption: 3-5 years

Coordinate Field Trials

Work with farms labs and technicians to carry out studies under real conditions

Moderate Automation High Human Value High AI Leverage
Automation: 4/10 • AI Leverage: 7/10 • Human Value: 8/10

Likely adoption: 0-2 years

Compare Careers