ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES
Is a associate's degree in Agricultural Production Operations worth it?
Compare cost, debt and earnings across 18 college programs with reportable data.
Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Negative payoff
−$149,348 over 10 years
National scenario across reporting associate's degree programs, using median year-4 earnings, their institutions’ average net prices and a typical 2-year duration.
Not availableTime to earn back the modeled cost
−127%Estimated return after 10 years
$41,868Observed earnings · year 4
Not reachedHighest annual price before payoff reaches $0
Start with your decision
What do you need to compare?
PRICE SENSITIVITY
The price can change the verdict.
Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.
← Negative payoff$0Positive payoff →
$0Annual price−$121,320
$8,000Annual price−$137,320
$14,000Current college-wide context−$149,320
$16,000Annual price−$153,320
$24,000Annual price−$169,320
$32,000Annual price−$185,320
$40,000Annual price−$201,320
Outcomes at a glance
$41,868Typical earnings four years after completion
$42,172Average earnings five years after completion
$11,629Typical federal student debt
30thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
Not availableDegrees awarded in 2024–25
18College programs reporting earnings
Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 0 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.
Four useful answers about Agricultural Production Operations
How much do Agricultural Production Operations associate's degree graduates earn?
The national median is $41,868 four years after completion across reportable associate's degree programs in this federal field.
How much federal debt do graduates have?
The median reported federal debt is $11,629. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.
Does the college matter for Agricultural Production Operations?
Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $35,518 to $46,669 in observed year-4 earnings.
What careers are related to Agricultural Production Operations?
DegreeVerdict links this field to 10 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.
More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.
Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.
OPEN PROFILE
Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma
- Year-4 earnings
- $46,904
- Federal debt
- $11,000
- Programs in the comparison
- 4
Associate's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $41,868
- Federal debt
- $11,629
- Programs in the comparison
- 18
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $52,516
- Federal debt
- $22,123
- Programs in the comparison
- 19
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $52,419
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 1
Where the middle half of programs lands
Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.
Median
25th percentile$35,518National median$41,86875th percentile$46,669
18 programs report year‑4 earnings.BEFORE YOU CHOOSE
Compare price, debt and earnings together
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION
Three useful places to start
Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.
Highest observed earnings
Northeast Community College
$71,726 four years after completionNorfolk, NE · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debtNorthcentral Technical College
$9,000 among completer borrowersWausau, WI · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating classNebraska College of Technical Agriculture
45 reported awards in 2024–25Curtis, NE · inspect the full program →PRICE × EARNINGS MAP
Where colleges sit for this exact degree
Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.
$61,118Observed year-4 earnings$13,731
Northeast Community College$8,544 price · $71,726 earningsKirkwood Community College$9,705 price · $61,118 earningsOhio State University Agricultural Technical Institute$17,809 price · $56,234 earningsOhio State University-Main Campus$17,339 price · $56,234 earningsMitchell Technical College$13,460 price · $49,700 earningsVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State University$24,953 price · $46,669 earningsNortheastern Junior College$13,801 price · $44,537 earningsEllsworth Community College$11,451 price · $43,863 earningsNorth Carolina State University at Raleigh$17,303 price · $43,361 earningsPiedmont Technical College$11,366 price · $40,375 earningsSouthern Maine Community College$11,086 price · $40,025 earningsUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln$17,747 price · $39,559 earningsNebraska College of Technical Agriculture$14,639 price · $39,559 earningsNiagara County Community College$6,876 price · $35,518 earningsVermont State University$18,212 price · $34,308 earningsNorthcentral Technical College$10,303 price · $33,350 earningsUniversity of Puerto Rico-Utuado$13,648 price · $13,731 earnings
$6,876Annual college-wide average net price$18,212
Choose colleges offering this exact degree
Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.
18 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 18 shown
Search every reporting program →
See the spread, not just the national number.
1Northeast Community College$71,7262Kirkwood Community College$61,1183Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute$56,2344Ohio State University-Main Campus$56,2345Mitchell Technical College$49,7006Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University$46,6697Northeastern Junior College$44,5378Ellsworth Community College$43,8639North Carolina State University at Raleigh$43,36110Piedmont Technical College$40,375Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking
Jobs this degree may lead to
Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.
Pay and projected demand
Related careers do not share one outlook
Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection
Higher median wage ↑
-7%Projected employment growth →12%
Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.
Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers$89,900 median wage6,500 jobs nationwide-3.4% projected growth through 2035 · 70,800 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$54,320–$160,020 typical wage rangeFirst-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers$59,320 median wage27,960 jobs nationwide+3.8% projected growth through 2035 · 7,200 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$38,990–$91,770 typical wage rangeAgricultural Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary$98,700 median wage8,920 jobs nationwide+2.9% projected growth through 2035 · 800 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$50,870–$163,150 typical wage rangeFarm and Home Management Educators$60,220 median wage8,220 jobs nationwide-3.2% projected growth through 2035 · 800 openings a yearTypical entry education: Master's degree$37,650–$85,060 typical wage rangeAnimal Breeders$51,130 median wage1,330 jobs nationwide+3.0% projected growth through 2035 · 1,000 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$38,480–$90,550 typical wage rangeForestry and Conservation Science Teachers, Postsecondary$101,420 median wage1,520 jobs nationwide+2.8% projected growth through 2035 · 100 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$50,100–$148,920 typical wage rangeSoil and Plant Scientists$78,850 median wage15,730 jobs nationwide+6.7% projected growth through 2035 · 1,400 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$48,680–$138,120 typical wage rangeConservation Scientists$73,010 median wage25,950 jobs nationwide+5.3% projected growth through 2035 · 2,100 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$47,550–$110,410 typical wage rangeAnimal Scientists$68,940 median wage3,100 jobs nationwide+5.8% projected growth through 2035 · 200 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$44,350–$166,000 typical wage rangeFarmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals$36,670 median wage32,810 jobs nationwide-3.2% projected growth through 2035 · 26,600 openings a yearTypical entry education: No formal educational credential$27,360–$54,080 typical wage range
BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.
This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.