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Cooperative extension agent education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a cooperative extension agent. Cooperative extension agents usually study business, plant sciences, or biology. 69% of cooperative extension agents hold a bachelor's degree, and 20% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 78 real cooperative extension agent resumes to see exactly what cooperative extension agent education sections show.

The most common colleges for cooperative extension agents are the Prairie View A & M University and the Prairie View A & M University.

There are also many online cooperative extension agent courses to help get the education required to be a cooperative extension agent.

What education do you need to become a cooperative extension agent?

What degree do you need to be a cooperative extension agent?

The most common degree for cooperative extension agents is bachelor's degree, with 69% of cooperative extension agents earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 20% and master's degree degree at 7%.
  • Bachelor's, 69%
  • Master's, 20%
  • Associate, 7%
  • High School Diploma, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a cooperative extension agent?

You should major in business to become a cooperative extension agent. 11% of cooperative extension agents major in business. Other common majors for a cooperative extension agent include plant sciences and biology.

Most common colleges for cooperative extension agents

Cooperative extension agents often get their degrees at Prairie View A & M University, West Virginia University, and University of Kentucky. Here are the most common colleges for cooperative extension agents in the US based on their resumes.
Cooperative extension agent common collegePercentages
Prairie View A & M University12.90%
West Virginia University9.68%
University of Kentucky9.68%
University of North Carolina at Greensboro6.45%
New Mexico State University6.45%

Best majors for cooperative extension agents

RankMajorPercentages
1Business10.5%
2Plant Sciences10.5%
3Biology7.9%
4Agriculture7.9%
5Public Administration5.3%

Best colleges for cooperative extension agents

The best colleges for cooperative extension agents are Cornell University, Northwestern University, and University of California, Berkeley.

A cooperative extension agent with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for cooperative extension agents. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become cooperative extension agents.

1. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

2. University of Georgia

Athens, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,830

Enrollment

29,474

3. University of Wisconsin - Madison

Madison, WI • Private

In-state tuition

$10,555

Enrollment

30,360

4. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Enrollment

33,495

5. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$10,595

Enrollment

30,184

6. Ohio State University

Columbus, OH • Private

In-state tuition

$10,726

Enrollment

45,769

7. University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Lincoln, NE • Private

In-state tuition

$9,242

Enrollment

20,592

8. North Carolina State University

Raleigh, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$9,101

Enrollment

23,708

9. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$9,816

Enrollment

21,047

10. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

20 best online courses for cooperative extension agents

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1. Program Communications Management in ClickUp

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Windows Service Tutorial: How to Create Windows Services in C# .Net/Visual Studio, Windows Service debugging techniques...

5. Object Oriented Programming

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In this 5-course specialisation, you will develop various C++ programming skills. Rather than building many small programs as you will in other courses, we have taken a different approach: you will create a single, extensive program through the five courses. The program will be a simplified cryptocurrency exchange platform. We will cover the following learning objectives:\n\nUse control flow to build interactive, multi-branched, iterated programs\n\nSelect appropriate data types to model the...

6. Nutrition Education for the Consumer

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Top 10 most affordable universities for cooperative extension agents

The most affordable schools for cooperative extension agents are University of Florida, california state university - bakersfield, and suny farmingdale.

If the best universities for cooperative extension agents are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for cooperative extension agents.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

4. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

5. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

8. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

9. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Pomona, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,353

Cost of attendance

21,302

10. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for cooperative extension agents

The hardest universities for cooperative extension agents to get into are Cornell University, Northwestern University, and University of California, Berkeley.

Some great schools for cooperative extension agents are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for cooperative extension agents based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

3. University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,448

4. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

5. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, CA • Private

Admissions rate

30%

SAT average

1,339

6. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

8. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

Admissions rate

47%

SAT average

1,390

9. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

10. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

Admissions rate

39%

SAT average

1,367

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for cooperative extension agents

The easiest schools for cooperative extension agents to get into are University of the Incarnate Word, mount saint mary's university, and texas a&m; university - kingsville.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a cooperative extension agent without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for cooperative extension agents.

1. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

2. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

3. Texas A&M University - Kingsville

Kingsville, TX • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,035

4. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

5. Texas Woman's University

Denton, TX • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,059

6. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

7. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

8. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

9. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

10. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

Average cooperative extension agent salary by education level

According to our data, cooperative extension agents with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $65,388 annually. Cooperative extension agents with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $60,384.
Cooperative extension agent education levelCooperative extension agent salary
Master's Degree$60,384
Bachelor's Degree$48,072
Doctorate Degree$65,388

Cooperative extension agent education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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