Agricultural Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary

Career Description: Teach courses in the agricultural sciences. Includes teachers of agronomy, dairy sciences, fisheries management, horticultural sciences, poultry sciences, range management, and agricultural soil conservation.

Industry: Education, Training, and Library

Other Job Titles for Agricultural Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary:

• Realistic: Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
• Investigative: Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
• Artistic: Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
• Social: Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
• Enterprising: Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
• Conventional: Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
• First Interest High-Point: Primary-Rank Descriptiveness
• Second Interest High-Point: Secondary-Cutoff/Rank Descriptiveness
• Third Interest High-Point: Tertiary-Cutoff/Rank Descriptiveness

• Prepare course materials such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
• Evaluate and grade students' class work, laboratory work, assignments, and papers.
• Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
• Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as crop production, plant genetics, and soil chemistry.
• Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
• Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media.
• Supervise laboratory sessions and field work and coordinate laboratory operations.
• Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work.
• Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
• Advise students on academic and vocational curricula and on career issues.
• Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, and course materials and methods of instruction.
• Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.
• Write grant proposals to procure external research funding.
• Collaborate with colleagues to address teaching and research issues.
• Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students.
• Participate in student recruitment, registration, and placement activities.
• Select and obtain materials and supplies such as textbooks and laboratory equipment.
• Act as advisers to student organizations.
• Participate in campus and community events.
• Serve on academic or administrative committees that deal with institutional policies, departmental matters, and academic issues.
• Provide professional consulting services to government or industry.
• Perform administrative duties such as serving as department head.
• Compile bibliographies of specialized materials for outside reading assignments.
• Attend professional meetings, conferences, and workshops to maintain and improve professional competence.
• Prepare for assigned classes and show written evidence of preparation upon request of immediate supervisors.
• Prepare reports on students and activities as required by administration.
• Select, order, and issue books, materials, and supplies for courses or projects.
• Collaborate with other teachers and professionals in the development of instructional programs.
• Participate in publicity planning, community awareness efforts, and student recruitment.
• Attend staff meetings and serve on committees, as required.
• Plan and supervise class projects, field trips, visits by guest speakers, contests, or other experiential activities, and guide students in learning from those activities.
• Advise students on internships, prospective employers, and job placement services.
• Select and schedule class times to ensure maximum attendance.
• Write grants to obtain program funding.
• Provide disabled students with assistive devices, supportive technology, and assistance accessing facilities such as restrooms.
• Train and assist tutors and community literacy volunteers.
• Confer with leaders of government and community groups to coordinate student training or to find opportunities for students to fulfill curriculum requirements.
• Observe and evaluate the performance of other instructors.
• Write instructional articles on designated subjects.

Emerging Tasks

• n/a

• Analyzing Data or Information: Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
• Assisting and Caring for Others: Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
• Coaching and Developing Others: Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills.
• Communicating with Persons Outside Organization: Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates: Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• Controlling Machines and Processes: Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
• Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others: Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.
• Developing and Building Teams: Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
• Developing Objectives and Strategies: Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
• Documenting/Recording Information: Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
• Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment: Providing documentation, detailed instructions, drawings, or specifications to tell others about how devices, parts, equipment, or structures are to be fabricated, constructed, assembled, modified, maintained, or used.
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships: Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information: Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity.
• Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards: Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
• Getting Information: Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates: Providing guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.
• Handling and Moving Objects: Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events: Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
• Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material: Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
• Interacting With Computers: Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
• Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others: Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
• Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People: Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems: Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings: Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
• Monitoring and Controlling Resources: Monitoring and controlling resources and overseeing the spending of money.
• Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment: Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or water craft.
• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work: Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
• Performing Administrative Activities: Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork.
• Performing for or Working Directly with the Public: Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
• Performing General Physical Activities: Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials.
• Processing Information: Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
• Provide Consultation and Advice to Others: Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.
• Repairing and Maintaining Electronic Equipment: Servicing, repairing, calibrating, regulating, fine-tuning, or testing machines, devices, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of electrical or electronic (not mechanical) principles.
• Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment: Servicing, repairing, adjusting, and testing machines, devices, moving parts, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of mechanical (not electronic) principles.
• Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others: Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
• Scheduling Work and Activities: Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
• Selling or Influencing Others: Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions.
• Staffing Organizational Units: Recruiting, interviewing, selecting, hiring, and promoting employees in an organization.
• Thinking Creatively: Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
• Training and Teaching Others: Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge: Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

Detailed Work Activities

• advise governmental or industrial personnel
• advise students
• collect academic research data
• compile bibliographies of specialized materials
• conduct field research or investigative studies
• conduct laboratory research or experiments
• conduct research on work-related topics
• convert information into instructional program
• design classroom presentations
• develop course or training objectives
• develop instructional materials
• direct and coordinate scientific research or investigative studies
• encourage group participation
• evaluate student performance
• maintain educational records, reports, or files
• make education presentations
• organize educational material or ideas
• prepare educational reports
• record student progress
• research human or animal disease
• teach college level courses
• use computers to enter, access or retrieve educational data
• use library or online Internet research techniques
• use oral or written communication techniques
• use public speaking techniques
• use teaching techniques
• write descriptions of agricultural products
• write research or project grant proposals
• write scholarly or technical research papers
• schedule student field trips
• select method of instruction
• select teaching materials to meet student needs
• supervise student extra-curricular activities
• teach post high school non-college courses
• use computers to enter, access or retrieve educational data
• use interpersonal communication techniques
• use inventory control procedures
• use library or online Internet research techniques
• use motivational techniques in education
• use oral or written communication techniques
• use public speaking techniques
• use teaching techniques
• write public sector or educational grant proposals
• write research or project grant proposals

Overall Experience
Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.

Job Training
Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.

Education
A bachelor's degree is the minimum formal education required for these occupations. However, many also require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).

Examples
These occupations often involve coordinating, training, supervising, or managing the activities of others to accomplish goals. Very advanced communication and organizational skills are required. Examples include librarians, lawyers, aerospace engineers, physicists, school psychologists, and surgeons.

• Average annual wage (2007) - $78,460.00

• n/a

• Biological Technicians
• Dietitians and Nutritionists
• Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education
• Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary
• Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists
• Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary
• Pharmacists
• Psychiatrists
• Veterinarians