Top Agriculture Courses in India: BSc, MSc, Diploma & More

Agriculture courses include a range of subjects which are studied by students who want to make career in this field. Institutes offer different courses in Agriculture at every level, undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral level. Various short term certificate and diploma courses are also offered by colleges in Agriculture.

Due to advancement in technology and innovation, Agriculture offers good employment scope to students. After finishing courses in Agriculture, graduates or postgraduates are easily employed in government sectors such as Food Corporation of India (FCI), National Bank of Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), and National Dairy Development Board.

Types of Agriculture Courses 

Students who have interest in Agriculture can opt for courses at diploma, certificate or degree courses in Agriculture. Different types of Agriculture courses have been tabulated below:

DFP-Banner

Certificate Courses in Agriculture

Certificate courses are short term courses which can be managed easily by students along with the job. Those who want to gain a little expertise in different subtopics of Agriculture can do these courses. These courses of Agriculture are available both in online and offline mode. Online websites offer online certificate courses in Agriculture as per the requirements of students. Some of the top institutes offering certificate courses in Agriculture are IHM Bhubaneswar, Pioneer Institute of Hotel Management, Hyderabad, and Mohanlal Sukhadia University, Rajasthan. Average course fee ranges for certificate Agriculture courses ranges from INR 10,000 to 50,000. Some of these courses have been listed below:

Diploma Courses in Agriculture

Diploma courses in Agriculture can be done either after 10^th or 12^th. The course duration is 1-2 years. No entrance exam is conducted and admission is given on the basis of marks. Institutes offer diploma courses in different specialisations including Agri-Business Management, Agricultural Management, Natural Resources, Livestock Production, etc. Some of the Agriculture diploma courses are given below:

Also Read

• B.Sc. in Agriculture
• Forestry: Courses, Syllabus, Career Prospects

Bachelor’s Courses in Agriculture

Candidates can do BSc, BTech or BBA courses at Bachelor’s level in Agriculture. The average course fee ranges from INR 50,000 to 3,00,000. Some of the top colleges offering B.SC Agriculture are Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, and Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University, Guntur. Candidates will have to appear for the entrance test to seek admission to Bachelor’s courses in Agriculture. The eligibility criteria for admission is 12^th pass with 50% marks.

DFP-Banner

Master’s Courses in Agriculture

Those who want to go for higher studies can opt for Master’s courses in Agriculture. They can do MTech, Msc, or MBA courses in different specialisations in Agriculture. University of Calcutta and Tamil Nadu Agriculture University offer MSc courses in Agriculture. Candidates can also do an MBA course in Agriculture and Food Business from IIM Ahmedabad or IIM Lucknow. The duration of the courses is 2-3 years.

Entrance Exams for Agriculture Courses

Those who seek admission to Bachelor’s or Master’s courses need to appear for the different entrance test. Some of the entrance exams for degree courses are as follows:

BSc Agriculture

• ICAR AIEEA

• TS EAMCET

• MP PAT

• JCECE

• AP EAMCET

MSc Agriculture

• ICAR AIEEA

• CUCET

• GATE Exam

• PAU MET

Scope in Agriculture

There is a huge scope in Agriculture as it is the largest source of livelihoods in India. Almost 70 percent of rural households still depend on Agriculture. Due to certain factors such as lack of awareness and access of knowledge, shortage of trained professionals, hiccups in using technology, natural vagaries, the yield is becoming low in Agriculture.

After doing courses in Agriculture, candidates can do jobs or start something of their own in the Agriculture sector. Trained professionals who have knowledge of technology and novel practices can help people to increase the production of crops. These professionals can check the quality of soil and suggest to grow those crops only which can be best for such soil types. They can also make people aware about natural vagaries and how to adapt to increase the yield. 

Agriculture Courses: Career Prospect

The Agriculture field offers a bright career to candidates as they have an option to choose from a range of specialisations. There are plenty of job opportunities for candidates who finish courses in Agriculture. They can go for government as well as private jobs. Graduates in Agriculture are eligible to apply for Indian Forest Services, Staff Selection Commission, IBPS Specialists Officer (AO) etc. In the Private sector, they can make a career in management, research, marketing fields. The average salary of fresh graduates in Agriculture is INR 10,000 to 20,000.

Job Profiles in Agriculture

Some of the job profiles in the field of Agriculture have been enlisted below:

• Agricultural Scientist

• Agriculture Officer

• Production Manager

• Food Researcher

• Fertilizer Sales Representative

• Plant Geneticist

• Soil Surveyor

Upcoming Trends in Agriculture

Upcoming trends include technological advancements and innovative practices in Agriculture to increase the yield. The Agriculture production needs to be increased due to increasing population worldwide. Adopting upcoming trends, there can be a significant increase in yield which will lead to revolution in the whole production process. Some of the upcoming trends in the Agriculture sector have been mentioned below:

• Regenerative agriculture
• Indoor vertical farming
• Cover crops
• Use of AI, Robotics and IoT to increase the production