Agricultural Production Operations at Washington State University
Pullman, WA · Public · Bachelor's Degree
DegreeWorth Score (Base Case)
71
Optimistic
72
Base Case
70
Pessimistic
Earnings
$56,743/yr (43% vs median)
AI Risk
High (38% exposed)
Job Market
Very Large (132,800 openings/yr)
How AI Changes the Outlook
Three scenarios based on how aggressively AI disrupts the career paths available to Agricultural Production Operations graduates.
| Optimistic No Disruption |
Base Case Gradual AI |
Pessimistic Aggressive AI |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-Year Earnings | $622K | $541K | $449K |
| Earnings Multiple (In-State) | 12.0x | 10.4x | 8.6x |
| Earnings Multiple (Out-of-State) | 5.3x | 4.6x | 3.9x |
| Viable Career Paths | 10 of 10 | 10 of 10 | 10 of 10 |
| DegreeWorth Score | 71 | 72 | 70 |
10-Year Earnings Projection
*Year 1 uses actual reported earnings. Scenarios diverge as AI impact compounds over time.
4-Year Tuition (In-State)
$51,988
Out-of-state: $116,292
Median Debt at Graduation
$17,395
3.7 months of Year 1 earnings
Reported Earnings (5 Year)
$61,477
8% growth from Year 1
Career Paths
Where Agricultural Production Operations graduates typically work. Raw data — no blending. The scenarios above model how these factors interact. This field has roughly 132,800 combined openings per year.
| Career Path | Wage | Openings/yr | Growth | AI Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forestry and conservation science teachers, postsecondary | $100,830 | 100 | +4.0% | 48% |
| Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers | $87,980 | 85,500 | -1.3% | 37% |
| Agricultural sciences teachers, postsecondary | $86,350 | 800 | +4.1% | 50% |
| Animal scientists | $79,120 | 200 | +5.8% | 53% |
| Soil and plant scientists | $71,410 | 1,700 | +5.4% | 49% |
| Conservation scientists | $67,950 | 2,500 | +3.4% | 52% |
| First-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers | $59,330 | 8,500 | +2.5% | 28% |
| Farm and home management educators | $58,120 | 1,100 | -2.5% | 37% |
Compare & Explore
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DegreeWorth Score for Agricultural Production Operations at Washington State University?
This program scores 72/100 in the Base Case scenario, factoring in earnings, AI disruption risk, job market size, and earnings multiple. The score ranges from 71 (optimistic) to 70 (pessimistic) depending on AI's impact.
How does AI affect Agricultural Production Operations career prospects?
We model three scenarios: Optimistic (no disruption), Base Case (gradual AI adoption), and Pessimistic (aggressive AI displacement). In the base case, Agricultural Production Operations graduates retain 10 of 10 viable career paths. 10-year earnings range from $448,631 (pessimistic) to $621,988 (optimistic).
How many job openings are there for Agricultural Production Operations graduates?
The career paths mapped to Agricultural Production Operations have roughly 132,800 combined job openings per year nationally, making this a very large job market.
Is Agricultural Production Operations at Washington State University worth it?
In the Base Case, this degree earns 10.4x its in-state tuition over 10 years. Even in the Pessimistic scenario, the multiple is 8.6x. The spread between scenarios tells you how sensitive this degree is to AI disruption.
Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024-2034
(employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE.
Scenarios use a continuous weighting function combining AI exposure and BLS job growth projections.
"Earnings Multiple" is total 10-year projected earnings divided by tuition — not a discounted financial ROI.
Last updated 2025.