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Major · Agricultural, Animal, Plant & Veterinary Sciences

Diesel, hydraulics, and the heavy iron of modern American agriculture

Agricultural Mechanics and Equipment Technology trains diesel and hydraulics technicians who service tractors, combines, and ag-machinery for dealerships, large farms, and equipment shops. About 373 completions are awarded annually across 36 colleges, almost entirely as associate’s degrees at community and technical colleges in the Corn Belt and Plains.

Schools offering
36
Annual completions
373
Typical degree level
Associate's
Median earnings (5yr)
$67k

About this major

Agricultural Mechanics and Equipment Technology is a trade-credential major aimed at the diesel, hydraulic, and electronic systems that keep modern ag machinery running. The CIP definition frames it as preparation for maintaining and repairing farm, ranch, and agribusiness power equipment — diesel and combustion engines, hydraulics, electrical and steam systems applied to tractors, combines, planters, sprayers, irrigation pumps, and dairy and feeding rigs. Coursework runs through diesel engines, fluid power and hydraulics, electrical and electronic diagnostics, welding fundamentals, and increasingly precision-agriculture electronics covering GPS, autosteer, and telematics. Lab and shop time on real John Deere, Case IH, AGCO, or Kubota equipment is standard, often supplied through dealer partnerships rather than just school inventory.

The major fits students who already gravitate toward hands-on diagnostic work and are comfortable with diesel engines, hydraulic systems, and the rural geography where ag-equipment work happens. Comfort with electronics and software diagnostics matters more each year as precision-ag systems and brand-specific telematics platforms reshape how technicians spend their time. Students who liked taking equipment apart on a family farm or in a high school ag-mechanics shop tend to find the major a natural fit.

About 373 students complete the program annually across 36 colleges, every one of the top ten awarding only associate’s degrees. The small national footprint reflects how trade-specific the credential is rather than weak demand — most graduates head into farm equipment mechanic ($52,080, 11% projected growth) or mobile heavy equipment mechanic ($63,980, 5.8% growth) roles, and OEM-sponsored programs like John Deere TECH, Case IH and New Holland service training, and AGCO Tech run at several of the top-completion schools as the wage-lifting credential layered on top of the AAS.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines $64k +5.8% High school diploma or equivalent
Aircraft mechanics and service technicians $79k +4.0% Postsecondary nondegree award
Farm equipment mechanics and service technicians $52k +11.0% High school diploma or equivalent
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$67k

Associate's vs Bachelor's — early-career earnings

Associate's

$64k

Bachelor's

$69k

Who this major is for

You may thrive here if you have spent meaningful time around farm or construction equipment and want a structured AAS route into the diesel and ag-machinery service trade, if your target role is a dealer-service technician at a John Deere, Case IH, AGCO, or Kubota shop earning toward $60K-$80K with experience, if you are drawn to the diagnostic side of modern equipment — hydraulics, electronics, and precision-ag telematics — as much as the wrench work, or if you want a credential that aligns with where the jobs actually are: rural Midwest, Plains, and ag-corridor states with active dealer networks.

Reconsider this path if you do not want a rural geography to constrain your job options, since dealer-service jobs cluster where ag equipment runs and mobility outside the Corn Belt and Plains is limited unless you pivot toward construction equipment or trucking diesel. The ROI math also deserves clear thought: the BLS lists a high school diploma as the typical entry credential for farm equipment mechanics and mobile heavy equipment mechanics, so the value of a two-year AAS hinges on the OEM-program access that comes with it. Without a John Deere TECH, CNH, AGCO Tech, or Caterpillar dealer track, an entry-level shop apprenticeship may open a similar door at lower upfront cost. If you want broader systems and precision-ag content rather than the dealer-service-technician track specifically, Agricultural Mechanization, General (CIP 01.0201) is the closer sibling.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Agricultural Mechanics and Equipment/Machine Technology/Technician

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
Southeast Community College Area Lincoln, NE 79 0 79
University of Northwestern Ohio Lima, OH 63 0 63
North Dakota State College of Science Wahpeton, ND 27 0 27
Reedley College Reedley, CA 21 0 21
Lake Land College Mattoon, IL 20 0 20
Illinois Central College East Peoria, IL 20 0 20
Rend Lake College Ina, IL 20 0 20
Fort Scott Community College Fort Scott, KS 17 0 17
Garden City Community College Garden City, KS 16 0 16
South Georgia Technical College Americus, GA 12 0 12
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Airframe Mechanics and Aircraft Maintenance Technology/Technician

1,506 completions/yr

Industrial Mechanics and Maintenance Technology/Technician

1,277 completions/yr

Agricultural Mechanization, General

365 completions/yr

Agricultural Power Machinery Operation

61 completions/yr

Small Engine Mechanics and Repair Technology/Technician

29 completions/yr

Agricultural Mechanization, Other

26 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What do Agricultural Mechanics and Equipment Technology majors actually study day-to-day?
The CIP definition centers the major on diesel, combustion, electrical, hydraulic, and mechanical systems applied to tractors, planting and harvesting equipment, irrigation, dairy and feeding systems, and crop-spraying rigs. In practice, that translates to coursework in diesel engines, hydraulics and fluid power, electrical and electronic systems, precision-agriculture electronics, and welding fundamentals. Most programs run heavy shop and lab time alongside classroom instruction, often on real John Deere, Case IH, or AGCO equipment supplied through dealer partnerships. Coursework is closer to applied diesel mechanics than to crop science or animal husbandry.
Do I need a bachelor’s, or is an associate’s enough for this field?
An associate’s is the dominant credential here, and the data packet lists only associate’s as the degree level offered. All ten of the top programs by completions award only associate’s degrees, including Southeast Community College (79), University of Northwestern Ohio (63), and North Dakota State College of Science (27). Earnings split modestly between credential levels in the dataset: $64,306 for associate’s completers at five years and $68,553 for bachelor’s completers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a high school diploma as the typical entry credential for farm equipment mechanics and mobile heavy equipment mechanics, so the AAS functions as a structured trade-prep route rather than a strict gate.
What kinds of jobs do graduates end up in?
Three BLS occupations cover most graduates. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics earn a $63,980 median wage with 5.8% projected growth, working on construction-grade equipment, ag machinery, and earth-moving rigs. Farm equipment mechanics earn $52,080 with 11% growth, the highest of the three, working primarily at John Deere, Case IH, AGCO, and Kubota dealerships. Aircraft mechanics ($78,680, 4% growth) is listed as a name-token related path but is a different specialty in practice. The realistic destinations are dealer service shops, independent repair shops, on-farm maintenance staff at large operations, and increasingly precision-ag service techs working on GPS, autosteer, and telematics systems.
What lifts wages from entry-tech pay to master-tech pay?
OEM-sponsored training is the clearest wage lifter. Programs like John Deere TECH, Case IH and New Holland (CNH) service training, AGCO Tech, and Caterpillar dealer programs run as 2-year AAS tracks at partnering colleges with a sponsoring dealer, and graduates often advance to brand-certified or master technicians. Several top-completion schools — Southeast Community College, North Dakota State College of Science, Lake Land College, Illinois Central College — host one or more of these dealer programs. With OEM certification and three to five years of bench experience, technician wages typically move from the $40K-$50K entry band toward $60K-$80K, and master techs at busy dealerships can reach $80K-$95K. Without an OEM track, wage progression depends more on independent shop or fleet experience.
How is this different from Diesel Mechanics, Auto Body, or Agricultural Mechanization?
All four sit in the same trade-credential neighborhood but point at different machines. Diesel Mechanics Technology (CIP 47.0605) and Medium and Heavy Vehicle Technology (47.0613) train techs for over-the-road trucks and bus fleets — overlapping skills, different employers. Auto Body Collision (47.0603) is a body-and-paint specialty that does not overlap with diesel or hydraulics work. The closest sibling is Agricultural Mechanization, General (CIP 01.0201, 365 completions), which sits at the same four-digit CIP family but tilts toward broader ag-systems and precision-agriculture content rather than the dealer-service technician track. Agricultural Power Machinery Operation (01.0204, 61 completions) is the operator-side cousin. Choose 01.0205 specifically if you want a dealer-service technician credential rather than a generalist or operator role.
Where are the largest programs located, and does geography matter?
Programs concentrate in production-ag states, and the data packet shows a tight cluster across the Corn Belt and Plains. Southeast Community College in Lincoln, Nebraska leads with 79 associate’s completions, followed by University of Northwestern Ohio (63), North Dakota State College of Science (27), and three Illinois community colleges — Lake Land, Illinois Central, and Rend Lake — at 20 completions each. Reedley College in California, Fort Scott and Garden City Community Colleges in Kansas, and South Georgia Technical College round out the top ten. Geography matters more here than in most majors: dealer service jobs cluster where ag equipment runs, so Midwest, Plains, and rural-South locations carry the bulk of hiring. Mobility outside ag-corridor states is more limited unless you pivot toward construction equipment or trucking diesel work.