Best Agricultural Technician programs in South Dakota, 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.
10 schools in South Dakota run programs that feed this job, graduating 466 people a year. The job pays a median of $41,420 in South Dakota across about 350 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in South Dakota that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
5 programs in South Dakota that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in South Dakota (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 South Dakota page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 26.0101In South Dakota → | 217 | 46.6% | 9 | $32,152 | $25,000 |
| 2 | CIP 01.0901In South Dakota → | 89 | 19.1% | 1 | $33,926 | $21,748 |
| 3 | CIP 01.1102In South Dakota → | 77 | 16.5% | 2 | $42,861 | $20,500 |
| 4 | Agriculture, Generalmain feeder CIP 01.0000In South Dakota → | 75 | 16.1% | 1 | $39,350 | $20,340 |
| 5 | CIP 01.0905In South Dakota → | 8 | 1.7% | 1 | $33,926 | $21,748 |
Top 10 schools in South Dakota
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 4 of the 10 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Dakota State University Brookings, SD Public · 5 feeder programs | 242 | Animal Sciences, General | $44,844 | 62% | — | 98% |
| 2 | Black Hills State University Spearfish, SD Public · 1 feeder programs | 70 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $33,518 | 43% | — | 96% |
| 3 | Augustana University Sioux Falls, SD Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 55 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 73% | $23,011 | 68% |
| 4 | University of South Dakota Vermillion, SD Public · 1 feeder programs | 28 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $30,167 | 60% | — | 99% |
| 5 | Mitchell Technical College Mitchell, SD Public · 1 feeder programs | 22 | Agronomy and Crop Science | — | 76% | — | — |
| 6 | Northern State University Aberdeen, SD Public · 1 feeder programs | 21 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 49% | — | 93% |
| 7 | University of Sioux Falls Sioux Falls, SD Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 13 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $46,229 | 63% | $19,439 | 83% |
| 8 | South Dakota School of Mines and Technology Rapid City, SD Public · 1 feeder programs | 11 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 53% | — | 80% |
| 9 | Dakota Wesleyan University Mitchell, SD Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 48% | $17,608 | 73% |
| 10 | Mount Marty University Yankton, SD Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 52% | $22,972 | 43% |
All 10 schools in South Dakota
Every school in South Dakota 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Dakota State University | Brookings | Public | 242 | 5 |
| Black Hills State University | Spearfish | Public | 70 | 1 |
| Augustana University | Sioux Falls | Private not-for-profit | 55 | 1 |
| University of South Dakota | Vermillion | Public | 28 | 1 |
| Mitchell Technical College | Mitchell | Public | 22 | 1 |
| Northern State University | Aberdeen | Public | 21 | 1 |
| University of Sioux Falls | Sioux Falls | Private not-for-profit | 13 | 1 |
| South Dakota School of Mines and Technology | Rapid City | Public | 11 | 1 |
| Dakota Wesleyan University | Mitchell | Private not-for-profit | 2 | 1 |
| Mount Marty University | Yankton | Private not-for-profit | 2 | 1 |
What agricultural technicians earn in South Dakota
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $49,630. South Dakota pays below the national figure.
Concentrated here: South Dakota employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.
Metro areas in South Dakota
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 South Dakota
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 South Dakota.
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 217 degrees in South Dakota in 2024-25, 46.6% 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, Plant Sciences, Agriculture. Together they graduate about 466 people a year in South Dakota.
How much do agricultural technicians earn in South Dakota?+
The median is $41,420 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 16.5% 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 South Dakota?+
10 institutions in South Dakota 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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