Agriculture Colleges in Canada: Courses, Eligibility, Fees, Scholarships and Jobs

Agriculture colleges in Canada combine life sciences like biology and botany with economic and social sciences to provide quality education to students. Canada is also the 5th largest agricultural exporter in the world. Over 90% of Canada’s farmers are dependent on exports. Agriculture has a diverse sector and as a career, it provides the students with several opportunities. Canada’s international student population has tripled over the past decade to 642,000 in 2020. University of Toronto in Canada is popular among students pursuing Agriculture degrees.

Later, studying in Canada gives international students the opportunity to pursue careers in research, technological advancement, agricultural consultant, farm manager, rural practice surveyor, soil scientist, agronomist, and agricultural scientist.
The average salary for any agriculture graduate can range from mid- 30,000 CAD to 80,000 CAD or higher, depending on experience and position. The total cost of living in Canada for one person is 12,000 CAD per annum approximately.

Top Ranked Agriculture Colleges in Canada

The agricultural universities in canada provide students with innovative education and research opportunities. Following are the top universities of Canada for agriculture, according to QS rankings 2021 for Agriculture from Canadian universities/colleges:

University/College	QS Subject Ranking 2021	Agricultural Programs
University of British Columbia	17	11 undergraduate, 4 Masters and 6 Doctoral.
University of Guelph	21	6 Undergraduate, 12 Masters and 9 Doctoral.
McGill University	53	4 undergraduate, 7 Masters and 6 Doctoral.
University of Saskatchewan	82	4 undergraduate, 6 graduate and 8 Doctoral.
University of Toronto	97	3 Undergraduate, 2 Graduate and 1 Doctoral.
Dalhousie University	151-200	9 undergraduate, 1 Masters and 1 Doctoral.

Agriculture Courses in Canada: Specialization Offered

A student can choose from the various specializations offered by different universities from Canada. There are three-degree types:

Bachelors in Agriculture – BSc/BA/BSc Agr (Bachelor of Science in Agriculture)
Masters in Agriculture in Canada – MSc/MF (Master of Forestry)/MASC (Masters of Applied Science)/MFS (Masters of Food Science)/MFARE (Masters of Food, Agriculture and Resource Economics)/ M Agr (Masters of Agriculture).
Doctoral Degrees – PhD in Agriculture

There are various specializations in agriculture a student could choose from, some of them include:

Specialization
Animal Biology	Integrated Studies in Land and Food Science
Plant Science	Applied Animal Biology
Soil Science	Animal Biosciences
Sustainable Forest Management	Plant Agriculture
Forestry	Food, Agriculture and Resource Economics
Agriculture and Resource Economics	Agricultural Sciences.
Food Science	Animal Science
Agricultural Biology	Agricultural Economics
Agricultural Biotechnology	Sustainable Agricultural Systems

Agriculture Courses in Canada: Degree Types

Following universities offer these agriculture courses in Canada at different degree levels:

Program	Bachelors provided at	Masters provided at	Doctoral Provided at
Plant Science	University of Guelph, Dalhousie University	University of Saskatchewan, British Columbia, McGill University	McGill University
Soil Science	McGill University	-	-
Forestry	University of Alberta, Lakehead University, University of New Brunswick.	University of British Columbia, Lakehead University, University of Toronto.	University of Toronto, British Columbia, New Brunswick.
Animal Biology	University of Guelph	-	-
Animal Science	University of Guelph, Alberta, Saskatchewan	McGill University	McGill University
Sustainable Forest Management	-	University of British Columbia	-
Integrated Studies in Land and Food Systems	-	University of British Columbia	-
Applied Animal Biology	University of British Columbia	University of British Columbia	University of British Columbia
Animal Biosciences	University of Saskatchewan	University of Guelph	-
Plant Agriculture	-	-	University of Guelph
Food, Agriculture and Resource Economics	University of Guelph	University of Guelph	University of Guelph
Agricultural Sciences	-	-	Dalhousie University
Agricultural Economics	Dalhousie University	McGill University, University of Saskatchewan	-

Agriculture Colleges in Canada: Undergraduate Programs

Students wanting to pursue agriculture courses in Canada at the undergraduate level have numerous options and various fields in the same to choose from:

Program	University	Annual Fees in CAD
BSc in Applied Animal Biology	University of British Columbia	10,433
BSc in Plant Science	University of Guelph	24,256
BSc in Agricultural Economics	University of Saskatchewan	18,357
BSc in Agricultural Economics	McGill University	20,192
BSc. in Food, Agriculture and Resource Economics	University of Guelph	24,256
BSc in Forestry	University of Alberta	22,226
BSc in Agricultural Biotechnology	University of Lethbridge	18,627
BSc Agriculture - Animal Science	Dalhousie University	17,750

Fees and Duration for Bachelors at Agriculture Colleges in Canada

The annual average cost to study an undergraduate program at agricultural universities in canada is 24,256 CAD approximately. It may vary depending on the university. The duration of the undergraduate course is 4 years.

Eligibility for Bachelors at Agriculture Colleges in Canada

Students should have an aggregate of 60% in their 12th grade. It may vary depending on the University.
Minimum English proficiency requirement for undergraduate programs is an IELTS score of 6.5, TOFEL score of 90 or PTE score of 61.

Documents Required for Bachelors at Agriculture Colleges in Canada

Statement of Purpose (Varies Depending on the university)
Letter of Recommendation
The student must have their 10 and 12 qualifying certificates.
Academic Documents
Subjects Required – English, Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics.

Agriculture Colleges in Canada: Postgraduate Programs

International students interested to pursue postgraduate agriculture courses in Canada can apply for apply programs:

Program	University	Annual Fees (in CAD)
MSc in Agriculture Economics	University of Saskatchewan	6,717
MSc in Forestry	University of British Columbia	8,936
MSc in Food, Agriculture and Resource Economics	University of Guelph	13,650
MSc in Agricultural Studies	University of Lethbridge	10,030
MSc in Plant Agriculture	University of Guelph	13,649
MSc in Sustainable Forest Management	University of British Columbia	8,935
MSc in Animal Biosciences	University of Guelph	13,649
MSc in Agricultural Biotechnology	University of Lethbridge	10,030
MSc Integrated Studies in Land and Food Systems	University of British Columbia	8,935
MSc Food Science and Agricultural Chemistry	McGill University	18,076
MSc in Applied Animal Biology	University of British Columbia	8,935
M.A. in Agricultural Studies	University of Lethbridge	10,030

Fees and Duration for Masters at Agriculture Colleges in Canada

The annual average course fee is 27,896.49 CAD approximately. It may vary depending on the university. The duration of the postgraduate course in agriculture in Canada is of 2 years.

Eligibility for Masters at Agriculture Colleges in Canada

Minimum English proficiency requirement is: IELTS – 7, TOEFL iBT – 92, and PTE – 65.
Minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 (B average) in the last 60 credit hours of study is required.

Documents Required for Masters at Agriculture Colleges in Canada

Applicants should have a 4 years bachelor's degree.
Academic transcripts, two academic reference letters.

Agriculture Colleges in Canada: Doctoral Programs

Students who want to pursue PhD agriculture courses in Canada have several options to choose from:

Program	University	Years	Annual Fees (in CAD)
PhD in Forestry	University of British Columbia	5 years	13,704
PhD in Plant Science	McGill University	4 years	19,047
PhD in Food, Agriculture and Resource Economics	University of Guelph	4 years	10,242
PhD in Forest Science	Lakehead University	3-4 years	29,666
PhD in Animal Science	McGill University	3 years	19,047
PhD in Applied Animal Biology	University of British Columbia	5 years	13,704

Fees and Duration for PhD at Agriculture Colleges in Canada

The annual average course fee is 19,109 CAD approximately. It may vary depending on the university. The duration of the doctoral course in agriculture in Canada is of 2 years or 4 years depending on the university.

Eligibility for PhD in Agriculture Colleges in Canada Admission

GRE or GMAT is optional for the students to apply for a Ph.D. in Canada. It may also vary according to different Universities.
Minimum English proficiency required for doctoral agriculture courses in Canada is IELTS – 6.5 TOEFL iBT – 86, TOEFL PBT – 567.

Documents Required for PhD at Agriculture Colleges in Canada

The foremost requirement for a Ph.D. in Canada is a Master’s degree related to the field of their interest.
Students are required to send their documents and thesis/proposal to the University or professor and wait for acceptance.
Documents required are admission in doctoral agriculture courses in Canada – proof of scholarship/finance, writing samples, portfolio, CV, copy of passport, and testing scores.

Agriculture Colleges in Canada: Scholarships Available

International Students can choose from the different scholarships offered in Canada:

Scholarship	Provided By	Provided To	Funding
Dalhousie University Faculty of Agriculture Graduate Scholarship	Dalhousie University	Graduate Students	Varies
University of Guelph Scholarships	University of Guelph	Undergraduates/Post Graduate Students	Varies
Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships	Government of Canada	Doctoral Students	50,000 CAD
York University International Student Scholarships	York University	International Students with Academic Excellence	60,000 CAD – 100,000 CAD
University of British Columbia Scholarship for International Students	University of British Columbia	Undergraduate Students	1,00,00,000 CAD of Awards, Scholarships and other forms of Financial Assistance
Carleton University Entrance Scholarships for International Students	Carleton University	Undergraduate Students with Admission Average Criteria of 80% and above	4000 CAD – 16000 CAD (Partial Scholarships)

Agriculture Colleges in Canada: Career Scope

Canada is one of the largest suppliers of agricultural products in the world. As part of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Canada practices fair trading and ensures that whatever is put on the market agriculturally doesn’t have any influence on the price of crops in other countries.

Canada’s Agricultural sector is steadily growing every year and accounts for 8% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The total employment percentage in Agriculture in Canada, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, is 1.487%.
A graduate from agricultural universities in Canada earns around 113,000 CAD each year.

Some of the key occupations in the Agriculture industry in Canada are:

Managers in Agriculture.
Managers in Horticulture.
Agricultural Representatives, Consultants, and Specialists.
Agricultural Service Contractors, Farm Supervisors, and Specialized Livestock Workers.
General farmworkers.
Nursery and Greenhouse workers.
Harvesting laborers.

A Ph.D. or Masters in agriculture course in Canada allows students to explore various types of avenues and ways to minimize cost and maximize productivity.

Agriculture Colleges in Canada: Jobs and Salaries

Following are the jobs available in Canada after pursuing an agriculture course:

Job Title	Annual Average Salary (in CAD)
Agricultural and Food Science Technician	112,000
Agricultural and Food Scientist	159,000
Agricultural Manager	196,000
Agronomist	160,000
Forestry and Logging Worker	78,800
Agricultural Consultant	158,000
Agricultural Inspector	137,000
Animal Nutritionist	148,000
Animal Attendant	115,000
Commercial Horticulturist	126,000
Farm Manager	163,000
General Farm Assistant	83,200
Horticulture Worker	82,700

In Canada, men working in agriculture earn 6% more than women. The average annual salary women earn is 110,000 CAD approximately whereas men earn 6% more ie. 116,000 CAD.

Agriculture is more or less the most important aspect of any economy in the world as a lot depends on the raw material it produces for several activities. Agriculture as a field is always in search of some new information or processes it can use to increase productivity. Canadian universities give students ample opportunities to research in this field and come up with new and innovative ideas.