An agricultural scientist is a professional who studies crops and livestock, and then works to improve them. This type of individual can work in a wide range of areas, such as environmental studies or even the management of animals. Potential employment sites include private agriculture agencies, government agencies, and colleges. If you want to become an agricultural scientist, you should complete four years of post-secondary education and get hands-on experience in the industry.
A person who desires to become an agricultural scientist should complete a bachelor’s degree in areas such as animal science or horticulture. To get into this type of program, you have to submit your high school diploma or the equivalent certification, as well as provide a copy of your transcript of past courses and fill out your potential college’s admissions application. Some schools will request copies of your scores from standardized tests as well.
To become an agricultural scientist, you should complete a mix of business and science courses, as well as basic liberal arts classes. Classes in life science and physical science will be the foundation for your program, as well as those in biology and chemistry. Also, other science courses related to the specialized area of agricultural science include the management of farm products and the use of ecology to manage agricultural systems. On the other side, business and economics classes will help to prepare you for the other side of this job. As with most degrees, you also should be prepared to complete college math and communications courses.
Laboratory work is an important part of a training program for someone who wants to become an agricultural scientist as well. You have the opportunity to experiment with a variety of different aspects of agriculture while in the laboratory and to work with other students and professionals in the same area. While in the lab setting, you should practice as many skills as possible, including using the wide array of equipment available to you. The lab will give you the chance to explore industry topics, such as how to control insects effectively using different products.
If you wish to become an agricultural scientist, you should look for an internship in this field and consider going to graduate school. Practical work experience opportunities will expose you to real-world situations, such as working to make crop yields grow. You also can consider completing a two-year master’s degree or a three- to four-year doctoral degree, which is required if you want to fill a research or university teaching role in the agricultural science field. At the graduate level, you have the chance to select a specialty area of agricultural science to study, such as the breeding of animals. You then must complete a thesis research project at the master's level or a dissertation project at the doctoral level.
