Options with agriculture
Over the course of your agriculture degree you will develop a wide mix of subject-specific and technical skills. This may include land use and food production and how it relates to farming practice. On some courses you have the option to study agriculture with an additional specialist route, such as mechanisation, crops, environment, animals, business management or marketing. You also study the links between agriculture and its environment and how changes in government and European Union (EU) policies affect the management and production of food.
Transferable skills are also developed such as IT skills, organisational skills and the ability to manage projects. Project work and assignments also teach you about working in teams.
Practical work that is carried out, either on a university placement or in a vacation period, gives you essential knowledge and experience of working with a variety of people as well as providing an opportunity to put the theory you have learnt into practice.
It is important to gain work experience to accompany your degree as this will increase your chances of getting a job once you have graduated. If you do not have the opportunity to complete a placement year as part of your course, try to find relevant work in your vacation periods. This may involve going to local farms and asking if they have any extra work that you could carry out for them, or seeing if you could shadow someone who works in farm management. There may also be local voluntary projects that involve some sort of agricultural or environmental work which may also be relevant. Volunteering abroad is also an option as agriculture projects in farms, forests and nature reserves are all quite popular. Check websites such as Volunteer Abroad for opportunities.
Although some of the jobs listed here might not be first jobs for many graduates, they are among the many realistic possibilities with your degree, provided you can demonstrate you have the attributes employers are looking for. Bear in mind that it’s not just your degree discipline that determines your options. Remember that many graduate vacancies don't specify particular degree disciplines, so don't restrict your thinking to the jobs listed here. Look at your degree... what next? for informed advice on career planning and graduate employment, or login/register with My Prospects to find out what jobs would suit you, a helpful starting point for self-analysis.
Explore types of jobs to find out more about the above options and related jobs.
A 2011 HESA survey of 2010 graduates indicates that six months after graduation around 63% of agriculture graduates had gone into employment in the UK, with almost a further 3% in work overseas.
Of these, around 22% were working as commercial, industrial or public sector managers. Almost 13% went into professional or technical occupations, while around 6% went into marketing, sales and advertising. Other sectors entered were clerical and secretarial, scientific research and analysis, and business and finance.
The major employment opportunities within agriculture are not just in farm management. Other opportunities exist with commercial ancillary companies both in the UK and abroad. Common employers of agriculture students include British Sugar, Frontier Agriculture, Soil Association, National Farmers Union, HGCA, Velcourt Farms, Co-Operative Group, Grant Thornton and HSBC Bank. Opportunities and vacancies can be viewed at Harper Adams Careers Service .
Relevant and associated sectors to agriculture include:
See industry insights for further information on possibilities in other employment areas.
Statistics are collected every year to show what HE students do immediately after graduation. These can be a useful guide but, in reality, because the data is collected within six months of graduation, many graduates are travelling, waiting to start a course, paying off debts, getting work experience or still deciding what they want to do. For further information about some of the areas of employment commonly entered by graduates of any degree discipline, check out What Do Graduates Do? and your degree...what next?
Destination figures published in 2011 indicate that around 9% of agriculture graduates continued in further study with around another 12% combining work and study. This could include those students who are studying further professional qualifications that are a legal requirement for their job.
Some students may study for a related Masters or other postgraduate qualification in a related area such as crop science and management, animal technology and agricultural technology. Others may go on to a different undergraduate degree course such as veterinary science. Some candidates may decide they would like to teach in agriculture or a related topic and will complete a postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE), or professional graduate diploma in education (PGDE) in Scotland.
These trends show only what previous graduates in your subject did immediately upon graduating. Over the course of their career - the first few years in particular - many others will opt for some form of further study, either part time or full time. If further study interests you, start by thinking about postgrad study and search courses and research to identify your options.
Look at funding my further study for details relating to finance and the application process.
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