Maine·Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations·SOC 19-4012

Best Agricultural Technician programs in Maine, ranked by enrollment

Work with agricultural scientists in plant, fiber, and animal research, or assist with animal breeding and nutrition. Set up or maintain laboratory equipment and collect samples from crops or animals.

15 schools in Maine run programs that feed this job, graduating 394 people a year. The job pays a median of $47,410 in Maine across about 50 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledAgronomistSeed AnalystCrop SpecialistPrecision AgronomistAgriculture AssistantAgricultural Technician (Agricultural Tech)Precision Agriculture Specialist (Precision Ag Specialist)Agricultural Research Technician (Agricultural Research Tech)
Graduates / yr
394
in Maine
Median pay · Maine
$47,410
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
50
people employed
Schools
15
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
55%
across those schools
Median net price
$18,839
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Maine that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

4 programs in Maine that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Maine (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Maine page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 26.0101In Maine
311
78.9%
14$32,152$25,000
2
CIP 01.0901In Maine
79
20.1%
2$33,926$21,748
3
CIP 01.1101In Maine
3
0.8%
1$42,861$20,500
4
CIP 01.0000In Maine
1
0.3%
1$39,350$20,340

Top 15 schools in Maine

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 6 of the 15 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1University of Maine
Orono, ME Public · 3 feeder programs
100Biology/Biological Sciences, General$34,02955%97%
2Bates College
Lewiston, ME Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
57Biology/Biological Sciences, General$30,61390%$18,20313%
3Bowdoin College
Brunswick, ME Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
49Biology/Biological Sciences, General95%$15,4547%
4University of Southern Maine
Portland, ME Public · 1 feeder programs
43Biology/Biological Sciences, General$43,72240%79%
5Unity Environmental University
New Gloucester, ME Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
38Animal Sciences, General29%$19,316
6Colby College
Waterville, ME Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
34Biology/Biological Sciences, General$43,59789%$15,6967%
7University of New England
Biddeford, ME Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
12Biology/Biological Sciences, General$34,91068%$34,67392%
8University of Maine at Augusta
Augusta, ME Public · 1 feeder programs
11Biology/Biological Sciences, General27%
9University of Maine at Farmington
Farmington, ME Public · 1 feeder programs
11Biology/Biological Sciences, General$33,30052%97%
10Kennebec Valley Community College
Fairfield, ME Public · 1 feeder programs
10Biology/Biological Sciences, General39%
11Husson University
Bangor, ME Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
9Biology/Biological Sciences, General59%$18,83981%
12Saint Joseph's College of Maine
Standish, ME Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
8Biology/Biological Sciences, General66%$31,04584%
13Central Maine Community College
Auburn, ME Public · 1 feeder programs
4Biology/Biological Sciences, General30%
14University of Maine at Fort Kent
Fort Kent, ME Public · 1 feeder programs
4Biology/Biological Sciences, General39%98%
15University of Maine at Presque Isle
Presque Isle, ME Public · 2 feeder programs
4Biology/Biological Sciences, General52%100%

All 15 schools in Maine

Every school in Maine with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.

All schools in Maine that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
University of MaineOronoPublic1003
Bates CollegeLewistonPrivate not-for-profit571
Bowdoin CollegeBrunswickPrivate not-for-profit491
University of Southern MainePortlandPublic431
Unity Environmental UniversityNew GloucesterPrivate not-for-profit381
Colby CollegeWatervillePrivate not-for-profit341
University of New EnglandBiddefordPrivate not-for-profit121
University of Maine at AugustaAugustaPublic111
University of Maine at FarmingtonFarmingtonPublic111
Kennebec Valley Community CollegeFairfieldPublic101
Husson UniversityBangorPrivate not-for-profit91
Saint Joseph's College of MaineStandishPrivate not-for-profit81
Central Maine Community CollegeAuburnPublic41
University of Maine at Fort KentFort KentPublic41
University of Maine at Presque IslePresque IslePublic42

What agricultural technicians earn in Maine

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in Maine
$47,410
Mean annual
$46,170
Jobs in state
50
What the range looks like
10th pct$33,390Median$47,41090th pct$59,500
Versus the national median
-4.5%

U.S. median $49,630. Maine pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
0.81×

1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+4.3%
About as fast as average
Openings per year
2,900
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
800
18,600 → 19,400
Typical entry education
Associate's degree
Plus moderate-term on-the-job training

Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.

How to get in

The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Agricultural Technicians page.

How to become a Agricultural Technician

Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0
Typical entry education
Associate's degree
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training

Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Top skills

Reading ComprehensionActive ListeningCritical ThinkingSpeakingWritingActive Learning

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in Maine

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 9 majors mapped to Agricultural Technicians9 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 01.0000Agriculture, General
  • 01.0901Animal Sciences, General
  • 01.0905Dairy Science
  • 01.0907Poultry Science
  • 01.1101Plant Sciences, General
  • 01.1102Agronomy and Crop Science
  • 01.1201Soil Science and Agronomy, General
  • 01.1399Agriculture/Veterinary Preparatory Programs, Other
  • 26.0101Biology/Biological Sciences, General

Common questions

Answers for people weighing agricultural technicians programs in Maine.

What degree do you need to become an Agricultural Technician?+

Associate's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Biology/Biological Sciences, General, which awarded 311 degrees in Maine in 2024-25, 78.9% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming an Agricultural Technician?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 4 programs to this occupation. The largest are Biology, Animal Sciences, Plant Sciences, Agriculture. Together they graduate about 394 people a year in Maine.

How much do agricultural technicians earn in Maine?+

The median is $47,410 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 4.5% below the U.S. median of $49,630. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for agricultural technicians growing?+

BLS projects a +4.3% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 2,900 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career in Maine?+

15 institutions in Maine reported graduates from at least one of the 4 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do agricultural technicians work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Agronomist, Seed Analyst, Crop Specialist, Precision Agronomist, Agriculture Assistant, Agricultural Technician (Agricultural Tech) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 19-4012.

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

  • BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics

    May 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.

  • IPEDS Completions

    2024-25 (provisional)

    Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.

  • College Scorecard, Field of Study

    2020-21 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.

    Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

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