Bachelor [Crop and Weed Sciences] From North Dakota State University

North Dakota is consistently the nation's leader for production of hard red spring wheat, durum wheat, barley, flax, dry edible beans, canola, dry peas, lentils and sunflower. North Dakota also ranks in the top 10 states for production of several other agronomic crops, including oat, rye, sugarbeet, and grass hay, and usually ranks third in total acreage of crops harvested. Income from sales of crops accounts for more than half of the North Dakota farmers’ annual cash income. Crops utilized as livestock feed account for much of the cash income credited to livestock sales. Thus, North Dakota State University offers a setting well-suited for the study of crop and weed sciences.

Career Opportunities

Usually, more employment opportunities are available in CWS than there are qualified graduates. Producers require annual inputs such as seed, fertilizers and herbicides, so they seek assistance in sales or service areas such as crop consulting, chemical application and soil testing each year. Therefore, opportunities for CWS graduates usually have been more stable than in employment areas where inputs can be deferred when income is low. Also, salaries for CWS graduates are at or near the top among all graduates in agriculture due to the high demand for agronomists by many companies.
The employment opportunities in CWS can best be summarized by the jobs that our graduates have accepted. Our graduates have been employed as crop production consultants (agronomists); marketing experts for herbicides, fertilizers and other agricultural chemicals; managers of farm service centers for cooperatives and elevators; agents in the production and marketing of certified seeds; research technicians for private companies and universities; natural resources conservationists and agents for other governmental agencies; county agricultural extension agents; field representatives for sugarbeet or food processing companies; farm managers; farm insurance agents; research associates with private plant breeding companies; and persons involved in the reclamation of strip-mined land.
Only 15 percent of the CWS graduates at NDSU return to farming or ranching, and another 15 percent continue their studies to receive graduate degrees. The average starting salary for a CWS graduate with a bachelor’s degree was $48,000 in 2014, and some students received as much as $60,000. In addition, many employers provide health and retirement benefits, and some provide a vehicle and cell phone.
Many employers hire undergraduate students as interns for the summer months, and some hire for spring-summer semester or summer-fall semester periods. The department also hires summer interns with an expressed interest in graduate school. The opportunities for summer interns, beginning with students between their freshman and sophomore years, have exceeded the supply of students for several years. The salary for interns often exceeds the income for alternative summer jobs. An internship provides excellent work experience and often results in a graduating senior being hired earlier and with a higher salary than students without comparable experience.