UGA Specific Information for Agricultural Engineering

Engineering is about creating new solutions to existing or future problems. Engineers are problem solvers who employ science, math, analysis and synthesis to design unique and practical solutions to everyday problems. They must accomplish this often under the constraints of time, budgets, and safety and health issues. Engineers also must be concerned about the environmental, political and social impact their answers will create.

The agricultural engineering discipline applies engineering science and technology to agricultural production and processing. This degree is a General Engineering degree program and students have alternatives in computer systems engineering, electrical/electronic systems, engineering physics, mechanical systems, natural resource management, process operations and structural systems. 



Class of 2022 Career Outcomes for Agricultural Engineering*

** Includes Self-Employed


Campus Resources


Additional UGA Career Center Recommendations/Considerations

Possible Career Paths in Agricultural Engineering

  • Irrigation Engineer: Work or large or complicated landscape irrigation projects or in states that require construction plans be approved by an engineer or landscape architect. Analyze existing site surveys, conduct research, and identify potential structural and environmental problems. 

  • Stormwater Engineer: Determine how to build infrastructure and drainage systems to best manage, direct, and utilize stormwater. 

  • Water Resources Engineer: Design new systems and equipment that help manage human water resources, including in water treatment facilities, underground wells, and natural spring. Increase the effectiveness and efficiency of water treatment and aquatic resource management. 

  • Industrial Engineer: Design, develop, and evaluate integrated systems for managing industrial production processes, including human work factors, quality control, inventory control, logistics and material flow, cost analysis, and production coordination. 

  • Logistics Engineer: Design or analyze operational solutions for projects, such as transportation optimization, network modeling, process and methods analysis, cost containment, capacity enhancement, routing and shipment optimization, or information management. 

  • Agricultural Engineer: Apply knowledge of engineering technology and biological science to agricultural problems concerned with power and machinery, electrification, structures, soil and water conservation, and processing and agricultural products. 

  • Project Engineer: Plan, organize, and oversee the construction of civil engineering projects. Direct the construction of roads, bridges, dams, pipelines, airports and other structures, and gas, water, and sewer systems. 

  • Geospatial Engineer: Use modern mapping technologies, such as GIS and GPS, to map, collect, and analyze geographic data. Create 2D or 3D maps of building sites, national parks, or other locations of interest. 

  • Field Engineer: Manage technical functions, test equipment, handle repairs, manage engineering projects, and conduct site inspections. Maintain infrastructure outside of centralized operations center. 

  • Engineers in Natural Resources/Environmental Systems: Determine crop water requirements, design irrigation systems; agricultural hydrology principles (controlling drainage, soil erosion, effects of sediment on stream quality); water control structures (reservoirs, floodways, channels). 

  • Engineers in Power Systems & Machinery Design: Design advanced equipment (food processing, crop spraying, agricultural commodity/waste transport, turn and landscape maintenance) that makes it more efficient and less damaging of natural resources. 

  • Engineers in Structures & Environment: Design animal housing, storage structures, greenhouses with ventilation systems, temperature and humidity controls, structural strength appropriate for climate and purpose; systems for storing, reusing, recovering, and transporting waste products. 

  • Food and Bioprocess Engineers: versatile career path that applies to virtually all other engineering specialty areas (ex. Geographic information systems, global positioning systems, machine instrumentation and controls, electromagnetics, “bioinformatics”). 

  • Engineers in Forest Engineering: Solve natural resource and environment problems in forest production systems and related manufacturing industries. 

  • Engineers in Energy Systems: Identify and develop viable energy sources – biomass, methane, vegetable oil, etc.; develop energy conservation strategies to reduce costs and protect the environment. 

  • Engineers in Aquacultural Engineering: Design farm systems for raising fish and shellfish; specialize in water quality, biotechnology, machinery, natural resources, feeding and ventilation systems, sanitization 

  • Engineers in Nursery & Greenhouse Engineering: Design equipment for transplantation, control systems for temperature, humidity, and ventilation; plant biology issues (hydroponics, tissue culture, seedling propagation methods). 

Other Job Titles: production engineer, physical science technician 

Supplemental Career Research Dashboard

Additional Career Research Resources

  • O*NET: The O*NET database includes information on skills, abilities, knowledges, work activities, and interests associated with over 900 occupations.
  • Occupational Outlook Handbook: The OOH can help you find career information on duties, education and training, pay, and outlook for hundreds of occupations.
  • Firsthand: Explore a library of guides, articles, and other resources to help you explore careers, plan your job search, and learn about different work environments. Create a free account with your UGA email.
  • Candid Career: Watch recorded informational interviews of professionals in specific careers. Filter videos by career title, college major, industry, and more. Scroll down our Resources page to access Candid Career for free through UGA.
  • Interstride: View jobs/internship in other countries and country career guides. Scroll down our Resources page to access Interstride for free through UGA.
  • UGA Mentor Program: Networking with your Bulldog family can help you get ahead in life and career, and the UGA Mentor Program connects students to alumni mentors for personal and professional development.
  • Glassdoor: Glassdoor is a free jobs and career community that offers the world an inside look at jobs and companies. What sets us apart is our "employee generated content" – anonymous salaries, company reviews, interview questions, and more – all posted by employees, job seekers, and sometimes the companies themselves. Now with nearly 3 million salaries and reviews, you have all the information you might need to make your next career decision/.
  • Big Interview: Online practice interview platform. Practice basic interview questions or questions based on your industry interests or competencies! Also provides practice interview questions for graduate/professional schools. Scroll down our Resources page to access Big Interview for free through UGA.
  • Career Cornerstone Center: Career planning resources for STEM field.

Employment Websites

GENERAL:

  • Handshake - Login with your UGA myID and password to view thousands of jobs/internships from employers looking for UGA students
  • LinkedIn - Network with professionals and view job openings
  • Interstride - Job/internship openings in countries abroad as well as country career guides providing information about finding employment in other countries
  • Specialized - Check out Idealist for jobs in the Nonprofit sector and USAJobs for opportunities in the federal government

MAJOR/ENGINEERING-SPECIFIC, OPEN TO ALL:


Professional Associations/Resources

Employers/Position Title Reported by Class of 2022 Agricultural Engineering majors

The information below represents employers and position titles from the Class of 2022 Career Outcomes Survey. To view historical Career Outcomes for this major, click here and select "Historical Data" from the navigation menu.

Employer Position Title(s)
BM&K Construction & Engineering Assistant Project Engineer
Carter Engineering Consultants Design Engineer
Georgia Transmission Corporation Substation Designer
JBT FoodTech Customer Care Project Manager
Kalera Horticulturist 3
Newcomb & Boyd, LLP Commissioning Engineer
* denotes no responses received.
*Source: Areas above marked with an Asterisk (*) have been created utilizing data taken from the UGA Career Outcomes Survey. The "Employers Hiring...," "Job Titles of...," "Career Outcomes for...," and "Graduate/Professional Schools and Programs..." information listed above represent UGA Class of 2022 Graduates. The lists are not exhaustive and therefore do not represent all potential career options. Click here for more detailed Career Outcomes information regarding this major.

Graduate/Professional Schools attended by Class of 2022 Agricultural Engineering majors

The information below represents graduate/professional schools and programs reported through the Class of 2022 Career Outcomes Survey. To view historical Career Outcomes for this major, click here and select "Historical Data" from the navigation menu.

Graduate School Program(s)
* denotes no responses received.