Biological & Agricultural Engineering
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
By SAT median
Majors in this category
| Major | Colleges | Degrees ▼ | Male/Female | Intl | 5yr Earn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biological & Agricultural Engineering | 45 | 1,128 | 55% / 45% | 5% | $85,369 |
| Agricultural and Biological Engineering | 22 | 521 | 52% / 48% | 2% | $87,551 |
| Biological Systems Engineering | 5 | 152 | 55% / 45% | 5% | $81,305 |
| Biological Engineering | 7 | 99 | 51% / 49% | 3% | $83,042 |
| Biological and Agricultural Engineering | 2 | 62 | 58% / 42% | 2% | $87,400 |
| Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering | 3 | 58 | 72% / 28% | 5% | $92,466 |
| Biosystems Engineering | 2 | 56 | 45% / 55% | 0% | $83,774 |
| Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering | 1 | 43 | 53% / 47% | 2% | $78,883 |
| Forest Engineering | 1 | 42 | 81% / 19% | 2% | $74,474 |
| Biological and Ecological Engineering | 1 | 36 | 44% / 56% | 3% | |
| Bioprocess Engineering | 1 | 26 | 42% / 58% | 81% | |
| Paper Science and Engineering | 2 | 22 | 55% / 45% | 5% | |
| Paper and Bioprocess Engineering | 1 | 9 | 89% / 11% | 0% | |
| Biotechnology Engineering | 1 | 2 | 50% / 50% | 0% |