Agricultural engineer
Agricultural engineers design, develop and service agricultural, horticultural and forestry machinery and equipment.
Also known as: Land-based engineer
- Starter salary£28,000 a year
- Experienced£50,000 a year
- Typical hours38 to 42 a week
What you'll do
As an agricultural engineer, you could:
- assess the environmental impact of agricultural production methods
- supervise projects like land drainage, reclamation and irrigation
- solve engineering problems, like designing vehicles for all ground and weather conditions
- inspect and diagnose equipment faults and fix them
- test and install new machinery, like harvesters and crop sprayers
- plan service and repair programmes for machinery and equipment
- use GPS, weather data and computer modelling to advise farmers on land use
Working environment
You could work in an office, on a farm or in a workshop.
Your working environment may be outdoors in all weathers.
Skills and knowledge you'll need
You'll need:
- knowledge of engineering science and technology
- complex problem-solving skills
- design skills and knowledge
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- analytical thinking skills
- concentration skills
- the ability to work well with others
- maths knowledge
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently
How to become a agricultural engineer
You can get into this job through:
- a university course
- a college course
- an apprenticeship
- working towards this role
University
You can do a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree in:
- agricultural engineering
- agricultural technology
- mechanical, electrical or electronic engineering
These courses are offered by land-based engineering institutions .
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- at least 1 A level, or equivalent, for a foundation degree
- between 1 and 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a higher national diploma or degree
College
You could do a college course to learn some of the skills and knowledge you'll need to find a trainee engineer role.
Courses include:
- agricultural engineering
- land-based technology
- T Level in Agriculture, Land Management and Production
Entry requirements
Entry requirements for these courses vary.
- 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths for a T Level
Apprenticeship
You may be able to apply for a place on a Land-Based Service Engineering Technician Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship.
This takes around 2 years to complete and combines on-the-job training and time spent with a learning provider.
Once working, you would go on to further training to become an engineer.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
Work
You could work as an agricultural engineering technician and train on the job to become a qualified engineer.
Restrictions and requirements
You'll usually need a driving licence to travel between sites in your region.
Career path and progression
With experience, you could move into project management or specialist technical research and development with equipment manufacturers.
You could also register for chartered engineer status through the Institution of Agricultural Engineers . This demonstrates your skills and expertise within the industry.
You could also move into technical sales, business development, teaching or consultancy work.
Career tips
As well as traditional engineering and design skills, agricultural engineers often use newer technologies to improve farming sustainability like:
- development of robotic systems and machinery
- GPS data and satellite imaging
- artificial intelligence tools
Guides for this industry
Related roles
- Job roleAgricultural engineering technician
- Job roleAgricultural contractor
- Job roleFarmer
- Job roleAgronomist
- Job roleConstruction plant mechanic
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0