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Biological & Agricultural Engineering

Colleges offering this major Rankings Trends

What you'll do in college

This major applies engineering principles to living systems—plants, animals, microbes, ecosystems, and farms. Core classes cover biology, chemistry, fluid mechanics, and machine design, with electives in irrigation, food processing, bioenergy, or precision agriculture. Hands-on work might involve building irrigation systems, designing greenhouse climate controls, or using drones to monitor crops.

Many programs are based at land-grant universities with their own research farms, so field work is built into the curriculum.

What you'll do after college

Grads work for agribusinesses, food companies, equipment makers (like John Deere), government agencies (like the USDA), and consulting firms—designing efficient irrigation systems, sustainable food processing plants, biofuels operations, or smart-farming tools. The work blends time outdoors with engineering analysis and computer modeling.

Demand is steady because the world keeps needing food, and the field is increasingly relevant to climate adaptation and sustainability.

Famous graduates

  • George Washington Carver — Revolutionary agricultural scientist and inventor; B.S. in Agriculture from Iowa State University
  • Jay Keasling — Synthetic biology pioneer; B.S. in Agricultural Engineering and Biology from University of Nebraska

Selectivity vs. earnings

By acceptance rate

$79,932
281
100–75%
$84,399
571
75–40%
$86,989
276
35–0%
Acceptance rate · bar = degree-weighted earnings

By SAT median

$78,038
244
400–1240
$81,820
516
1270–1400
$92,507
258
1400–1600
Combined SAT composite median (submitters + non-submitters) · bar = degree-weighted earnings

Earnings vs. selectivity rank

$73,007p10 $91,284p90 STEM Non-Research Public University Religious University Private University Public University 1–25 Private University 1–20 Wentworth Institute of Technology · $85,894 Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo · $89,957 Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University · $74,517 Clemson University · $88,318 North Carolina A&T State University · $70,055 University of California, Davis · $90,845 Pennsylvania State University · $80,397 Mississippi State University · $76,196 SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry · $77,128 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities · $86,218 Oklahoma State University · $81,847 University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff · $64,199 Oregon State University · $79,056 University of Arkansas · $76,786 University of Idaho · $77,287 University of Missouri · $77,295 University of Nebraska, Lincoln · $74,029 Michigan State University · $81,288 Western Michigan University · $100,769 Iowa State University · $77,659 South Dakota State University · $77,736 University of Arizona · $79,117 University of Wisconsin - River Falls · $66,809 University of Hawaii at Manoa · $77,990 University of Kentucky · $90,188 University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point · $97,633 North Dakota State University · $86,932 Utah State University · $73,007 Kansas State University · $79,748 Brigham Young University - Idaho · $80,370 Hawaii Pacific University · $78,893 University of Florida · $75,981 University of Georgia · $90,904 Purdue University · $85,404 University of Maryland, College Park · $106,061 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign · $87,830 Rutgers University - New Brunswick · $93,505 University of Wisconsin - Madison · $78,773 Texas A&M University - College Station · $81,198 Auburn University · $75,397 University of Tennessee, Knoxville · $83,438 Virginia Tech · $80,460 Ohio State University · $72,572 North Carolina State University · $85,625 Cornell University · $91,284 STEM Non-Research: mean $85,894 Public University: mean $80,465 Religious University: mean $80,370 Private University: mean $78,893 Public University 1–25: mean $84,396 Private University 1–20: mean $91,284 All colleges: p10 $73,007 All colleges: p90 $91,284
Each dot = a college · y = degree-weighted earnings

Majors in this category

Major Colleges Degrees ▼ Male/Female Intl Earnings Employment
Biological & Agricultural Engineering 46 1,128 55% / 45% 5% $81,782 98%
Agricultural and Biological Engineering 22 521 52% / 48% 2% $83,106 98%
Biological Systems Engineering 5 152 55% / 45% 5% $82,593 99%
Biological Engineering 7 99 51% / 49% 3% $79,678 96%
Biological and Agricultural Engineering 2 62 58% / 42% 2% $83,412 94%
Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering 3 58 72% / 28% 5% $80,776 99%
Biosystems Engineering 2 56 45% / 55% 0% $77,257 98%
Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering 1 43 53% / 47% 2% $72,572 97%
Forest Engineering 1 42 81% / 19% 2% $78,198 97%
Biological and Ecological Engineering 1 36 44% / 56% 3% $80,057 97%
Bioprocess Engineering 1 26 42% / 58% 81% $77,072
Paper Science and Engineering 2 22 55% / 45% 5% $99,201 100%
Paper and Bioprocess Engineering 1 9 89% / 11% 0% $77,290
Biotechnology Engineering 1 2 50% / 50% 0% $78,893