Best Agricultural Technician programs in Michigan, 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.
40 schools in Michigan run programs that feed this job, graduating 2,573 people a year. The job pays a median of $42,780 in Michigan across about 450 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Michigan that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
5 programs in Michigan that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Michigan (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 Michigan page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 26.0101In Michigan → | 2,348 | 91.3% | 39 | $32,152 | $25,000 |
| 2 | CIP 01.0901In Michigan → | 177 | 6.9% | 2 | $33,926 | $21,748 |
| 3 | CIP 01.1201In Michigan → | 39 | 1.5% | 1 | $50,408 | $22,424 |
| 4 | CIP 01.0905In Michigan → | 8 | 0.3% | 1 | $33,926 | $21,748 |
| 5 | Agriculture, Generalmain feeder CIP 01.0000In Michigan → | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | $39,350 | $20,340 |
Top 25 schools in Michigan
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 24 of the 40 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan State University East Lansing, MI Public · 4 feeder programs | 819 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $26,435 | 81% | — | 85% |
| 2 | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 350 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $26,888 | 93% | — | 16% |
| 3 | University of Detroit Mercy Detroit, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 191 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $19,882 | 67% | $16,109 | 75% |
| 4 | Northern Michigan University Marquette, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 130 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $26,818 | 52% | — | 84% |
| 5 | Oakland University Rochester Hills, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 115 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $27,497 | 58% | — | 88% |
| 6 | Wayne State University Detroit, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 112 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $21,716 | 58% | — | 81% |
| 7 | Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 87 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $40,959 | 67% | — | 83% |
| 8 | University of Michigan - Dearborn Dearborn, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 84 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $20,671 | 58% | — | 56% |
| 9 | Mott Community College Flint, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 82 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $28,480 | 32% | — | — |
| 10 | Eastern Michigan University Ypsilanti, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 79 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $32,586 | 46% | — | 80% |
| 11 | Kalamazoo College Kalamazoo, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 58 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $24,211 | 76% | $19,279 | 75% |
| 12 | Ferris State University Big Rapids, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 54 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $27,334 | 47% | — | 91% |
| 13 | Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 43 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $35,955 | 58% | — | 85% |
| 14 | Hope College Holland, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 39 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $35,430 | 80% | $21,746 | 79% |
| 15 | Albion College Albion, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 34 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $20,713 | 62% | $16,537 | 81% |
| 16 | University of Michigan - Flint Flint, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 34 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $26,707 | 40% | — | 70% |
| 17 | Hillsdale College Hillsdale, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 31 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 90% | — | 21% |
| 18 | Henry Ford College Dearborn, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 25 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 17% | — | — |
| 19 | Adrian College Adrian, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 24 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 48% | $20,357 | 73% |
| 20 | Lake Superior State University Sault Ste Marie, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 24 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 51% | — | — |
| 21 | Calvin University Grand Rapids, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 23 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $29,996 | 74% | $22,391 | 71% |
| 22 | Michigan Technological University Houghton, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 18 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $17,541 | 68% | — | 92% |
| 23 | Andrews University Berrien Springs, MI Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 14 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 72% | $17,800 | 82% |
| 24 | Alma College Alma, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 12 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 63% | $22,790 | 57% |
| 25 | Siena Heights University Adrian, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 12 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 39% | $17,015 | 69% |
All 40 schools in Michigan
Every school in Michigan 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.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan State University | East Lansing | Public | 819 | 4 |
| University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | Ann Arbor | Public | 350 | 1 |
| University of Detroit Mercy | Detroit | Private not-for-profit | 191 | 1 |
| Northern Michigan University | Marquette | Public | 130 | 1 |
| Oakland University | Rochester Hills | Public | 115 | 1 |
| Wayne State University | Detroit | Public | 112 | 1 |
| Grand Valley State University | Allendale | Public | 87 | 1 |
| University of Michigan - Dearborn | Dearborn | Public | 84 | 1 |
| Mott Community College | Flint | Public | 82 | 1 |
| Eastern Michigan University | Ypsilanti | Public | 79 | 1 |
| Kalamazoo College | Kalamazoo | Private not-for-profit | 58 | 1 |
| Ferris State University | Big Rapids | Public | 54 | 1 |
| Western Michigan University | Kalamazoo | Public | 43 | 1 |
| Hope College | Holland | Private not-for-profit | 39 | 1 |
| Albion College | Albion | Private not-for-profit | 34 | 1 |
What agricultural technicians earn in Michigan
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $49,630. Michigan pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Michigan
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
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
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Michigan
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 Michigan.
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 2,348 degrees in Michigan in 2024-25, 91.3% 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 5 programs to this occupation. The largest are Biology, Animal Sciences, Soil Sciences, Agriculture. Together they graduate about 2,573 people a year in Michigan.
How much do agricultural technicians earn in Michigan?+
The median is $42,780 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 13.8% 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 Michigan?+
40 institutions in Michigan reported graduates from at least one of the 5 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 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected 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 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, 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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