Career Information

Exciting Career-Related Reasons to Consider WSU’s Agricultural and Food Systems:

More than 52,000 annual jobs in food, agriculture and natural resources are expected to open during 2005-2010
Only 49,300 qualified graduates are available for these positions each year
Provides graduates with a vast amount of job opportunities in rewarding fields such as management and business, scientific and engineering specialties, education, communication, governmental services, and agriculture and forestry production
The job placement rate for graduates of WSU’s College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences is nearly 100 percent for graduates seeking employment in an area related to their major

Note: Above information was obtained from the Food and Agricultural Education Information Systems publication "Employment Opportunities for College Graduates in the U.S. Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Systems 2005-2010."

Career Opportunities

Available for AFS Graduates in:

Agricultural Business and Technology Systems

Agricultural Education

Organic Agriculture

Pest Management Systems

Plant and Soil Systems

Agricultural Business and Technology Systems:

Agri-Food Business Management Option
- Technical sales representative
- Food broker
- Accountant
- Financial manager
- Forest products salesperson
- Fruit and vegetable marketing representative
- Sales manager
- Landscape manager
- International business specialist
- Business consultant
- Insurance representative
- Human resource consultant

Starting Salary Range: $30,000 to $45,000

Agri-Food Production Management Option
- Precision agriculture specialist
- Forest science specialist
- Plant and animal breeding specialist
- Food quality assurance executive
- Environmental scientist
- Entomologist
- Fisheries scientist
- Plant and animal nutritionist
- Farm manager
- Farmer
- Feedlot manager
- Forest manager
- Greenhouse manager
- Nursery operator
- Rancher
- Seed producer
- Landscape plant growers

Starting Salary Range: $30,000 to $45,000

Technology Option
- Precision agriculture specialist
- Agricultural mechanic
- Research technologist
- Quality assurance executive
- Agricultural engineer
- Biological engineer
- Irrigations technologist
- Environmental technologist
- Food technology specialist

Starting Salary Range: $30,000 to $45,000

Communications, Journalism Option
- Agricultural reporter
- Newspaper or magazine editor
- Work in USDA and state government agriculture departments
- Agricultural public relations
- Photographer
- Writer
- Web site designer

Starting Salary Range: $25,000 to $35,000

Communications, Public Relations Option
- Agricultural reporter
- Newspaper or magazine editor
- Agricultural public relations
- Marketing
- Work in USDA and state government agriculture departments
- Marketing research
- Advertising
- Admissions counselor
- Sales and promotion
- Media relations director
- Web site designer

Starting Salary Range: $35,000 to $45,000

Communications, Advertising Option
- Work in USDA and state government agriculture departments
- Advertising agencies
- Marketing
- Work in agricultural publication advertising
- Project coordinator
- Sales and promotion
- Web site designer

Starting Salary Range: $35,000 to $45,000

Agricultural Education:

Secondary and post-secondary agricultural educator
FFA advisor
High school career and technical education director
4-H youth or agricultural extension agent
Administrator of industry-based training/ information programs
Administrator of public relations programs
Work in government agencies
Sales and service
Peace Corps work

Starting Salary Range: $30,000 to $40,000

Organic Agriculture:

Organic farm/ranch assistant
Organic certification
Food Processing
Non-profit organization work
Government agency work
Organic crop salesperson
Organic seed salesperson
Greenhouse technician
Organic farm owner
Organic researcher
Organic chemist
Organic dairy production
Organic food processing
Organic agriculture marketing
Organic product development

Starting Salary Range: $25,000 to $45,000

Pest Management Systems:

Entomologist
Weed control officer
Greenhouse technician
Plant health supervisor
Parks ranger
Government advisor
Land protection advisor
Extension officer
Agrichemical specialist
Seed producer
Pest controller
Integrated pest management
Pest management research with universities and government agencies
Crop consultant
Chemical sales representative

Starting Salary Range: $25,000 to $45,000

Plant and Soil Systems:

Cropping Systems Option
- Plant breeder
- Plant nutrition specialist
- Crop researcher
- Farm owner
- Nursery operator
- Seed producer
- Weed scientist
- Farm manager
- Greenhouse manager
- Work in governmental agencies
- Crop consultant

Starting Salary Range: $25,000 to $45,000

Soils Management Option
- Soil chemist
- Soil researcher
- Plant nutritionist
- Soil microbiologist
- Farmer
- Work for governmental agencies
- Wetland specialist
- Soil conservationist
- Crop consultant
- Soil manager
- Planning practices such as crop rotation and reforestation

Starting Salary Range: $25,000 to $45,000

Horticulture Systems Option
- Greenhouse manager
- Plant nutritionist
- Plant breeder
- Nursery operator
- Seed producer
- Weed scientist
- Landscape manager or designer
- Horticultural salesperson