Agricultural Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary
Overview
Salary
Demand
Core Tasks
Technology Skills
Tools Used
Top 10 Knowledge Required
Top 10 Skills
Top 10 Abilities
Top 10 Work Activities
Detailed Work Activities
Work Context
Education
Majors
Interests
Top 10 Work Styles
Work Values
Related Careers
Overview
Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
Experience
Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Education
Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Job Training
Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
Examples
These occupations often involve coordinating, training, supervising, or managing the activities of others to accomplish goals. Very advanced communication and organizational skills are required. Examples include pharmacists, lawyers, astronomers, biologists, clergy, neurologists, and veterinarians.
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.
Salary Salary
Salary at 10th Percentile: $47K
Salary at 25th Percentile: $65K
Median Salary: $90K
Salary at 75th Percentile: $120K
Salary at 90th Percentile: $157K
Demand
Core 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 laboratory sessions and field work and coordinate laboratory operations.
Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work.
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.
Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.
Perform administrative duties, such as serving as department head.
Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, and course materials and methods of instruction.
Participate in student recruitment, registration, and placement activities.
Act as advisers to student organizations.
Select and obtain materials and supplies, such as textbooks and laboratory equipment.
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.
Compile bibliographies of specialized materials for outside reading assignments.
Provide professional consulting services to government or industry.
Technology Skills
Technology
Example
Hot Technology
Tools Used
Tool
Example
Top 10 Knowledge Required
Biology
87%
Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
Education and Training
83%
Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
English Language
80%
Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Administration and Management
79%
Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Customer and Personal Service
72%
Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Food Production
71%
Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
Communications and Media
68%
Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
Geography
66%
Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
Mathematics
66%
Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Computers and Electronics
65%
Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Top 10 Skills
Instructing
88%
Teaching others how to do something.
Learning Strategies
83%
Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Reading Comprehension
83%
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Speaking
83%
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Active Learning
80%
Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Active Listening
80%
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Critical Thinking
80%
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Writing
80%
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Monitoring
78%
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Judgment and Decision Making
75%
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Top 10 Abilities
Oral Expression
90%
The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Oral Comprehension
83%
The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Speech Clarity
83%
The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Written Comprehension
83%
The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Deductive Reasoning
80%
The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Inductive Reasoning
80%
The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Written Expression
80%
The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Problem Sensitivity
75%
The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Speech Recognition
75%
The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Fluency of Ideas
68%
The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
Top 10 Work Activities
Training and Teaching Others
94%
Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
92%
Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
Getting Information
91%
Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
88%
Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
Making Decisions and Solving Problems
88%
Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
88%
Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
87%
Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
Coaching and Developing Others
85%
Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills.
Communicating with Persons Outside Organization
85%
Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others
85%
Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
Detailed Work Activities
Stay informed about current developments in field of specialization.
Attend training sessions or professional meetings to develop or maintain professional knowledge.
Advise students on academic or career matters.
Supervise student research or internship work.
Supervise laboratory work.
Research topics in area of expertise.
Write articles, books or other original materials in area of expertise.
Teach physical science or mathematics courses at the college level.
Develop instructional materials.
Evaluate student work.
Guide class discussions.
Evaluate effectiveness of educational programs.
Develop instructional objectives.
Administer tests to assess educational needs or progress.
Prepare tests.
Maintain student records.
Promote educational institutions or programs.
Perform student enrollment or registration activities.
Select educational materials or equipment.
Order instructional or library materials or equipment.
Write grant proposals.
Serve on institutional or departmental committees.
Plan community programs or activities for the general public.
Advise educators on curricula, instructional methods, or policies.
Compile specialized bibliographies or lists of materials.
Direct department activities.
Work Context
Electronic Mail
How often do you use electronic mail in this job?
Structured versus Unstructured Work
To what extent is this job structured for the worker, rather than allowing the worker to determine tasks, priorities, and goals?
Face-to-Face Discussions
How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job?
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions?
Freedom to Make Decisions
How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?
Work With Work Group or Team
How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job?
Public Speaking
How often do you have to perform public speaking in this job?
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?
Level of Competition
To what extent does this job require the worker to compete or to be aware of competitive pressures?
Contact With Others
How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?
Education
Majors
Major
Interests
Social
96%
Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
Investigative
86%
Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
Realistic
67%
Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Artistic
48%
Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
Conventional
43%
Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
Enterprising
34%
Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
Top 10 Work Styles
Dependability
93%
Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Leadership
93%
Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.
Adaptability/Flexibility
92%
Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
Analytical Thinking
92%
Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
Integrity
92%
Job requires being honest and ethical.
Cooperation
91%
Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Achievement/Effort
90%
Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
Attention to Detail
89%
Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Independence
89%
Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
Initiative
89%
Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
Work Values
Working Conditions
86%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.
Achievement
81%
Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
Independence
81%
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
Recognition
81%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status.
Relationships
72%
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
Support
53%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.
