Employers

According to the Department of Labor, in May 2023, approximately 15,800 soil and plant scientists, 14,100 food scientists and technologists, and 2,460 animal scientists were employed in the United States. Agricultural scientists work primarily in education and manufacturing and for federal, state, and local governments. They work within the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency, regional extension agencies, and soil conservation departments. Scientists with doctorates may work on the faculty of colleges and universities. Researchers work for chemical and pharmaceutical companies, agribusiness, and consulting firms. Agricultural scientists also work in the food processing industry.

Starting Out

Agricultural scientists are often recruited before graduation. College and university career services offices offer job information, and students may arrange interviews with recruiters who visit the campus.

Direct application may be made to the personnel departments of colleges and universities, private industries, and nonprofit research foundations. People interested in positions with the federal government may contact the local offices of state employment services and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (https://www.usajobs.gov) or federal government one-stop career centers located in various large cities throughout the country. Private employment agencies are another method that might be considered. Large companies sometimes conduct job fairs in major cities and advertise them in local newspapers business sections.

Advancement in this field depends on education, experience, and job performance. Agricultural scientists with advanced degrees generally start in teaching or research and advance to administrative and management positions, such as research program supervisor. However, the number of such jobs is limited, and the route to advancement is often through specialization. The narrower specialties are often the most valuable.

People who enter this field with only a bachelors degree are much more restricted. After starting in testing and inspecting jobs or as technical sales and service representatives, they may progress to advanced technicians, particularly in medical research, or become high school biology teachers. In the latter case, they must have had courses in education and meet the state requirements for teaching credentials.

Read publications such as Biological Engineering Transactions (https://www.asabe.org/Publications-Standards) to learn more about the field.

Visit the following Web sites for job listings:

• https://www.sciencemag.org/careers
• https://asabe.careerwebsite.com/search/
• https://www.ift.org/career-development/job-postings

Visit https://innovatebio.org/biotech-employers on the National Biotechnology Education Center website for an overview of employers who hired biotechnology graduates from the InnovATEBIO program by institution and state.

Participate in internships or part-time jobs that are arranged by your college’s career services office. Also, visit https://www.careerplacement.org for information on internships.