Program Description

The Agronomy Technician Embedded Technical Diploma program prepares learners with underlying understanding of crop agronomy to apply principles of precision agriculture and equipment operation. Learners will utilize the latest agronomic technologies to implement precision applications in soil sampling, planting, fertilizing, utilizing variable rate technology, data monitoring and recording. These are important roles in modern agricultural cropping systems. As an Embedded Technical Diploma, this program ladders fully into the Agronomy Associate Degree program.

Found in These Career Fields:

Approximate Program Cost

$4,450
Tuition & Fees: $4,221
Books & Supplies: $229

Starting Salary

$19,968–$33,696
Average, based on the NTC Graduate Outcomes Report

Financial Aid

May Be Available
Total financial aid offered may not exceed the estimated Cost of Attendance (COA).
An aerial view of NTC's Wausau Campus main entrance on a sunny summer day. Trees and greenery frame the spacious side walks that lead up to the light-brown brick building.

Take a Look Around

Explore our campuses to get an idea of what it’s like to be a student at NTC.

Get Started

The application takes just a few minutes to complete.

Availability

Courses for this program may be available at a variety of campus locations through multiple modes of delivery if you meet the admission requirements and prerequisites.

100%
at Wausau

* Campus and online availability of courses and programs may be subject to change.

Outcomes

Graduates will be able to…

  • Complete soil sampling
  • Complete nutrient testing
  • Safely operate and set up agronomy equipment
  • Prepare field, plant and harvest crops
  • Summarize agricultural field data for cost of production
  • Complete a flight with a drone
  • Complete planting operation with tractor guidance system
  • Plan nutrient applications for optimum growth of crops
  • Summarize, identify and record growth stages of Wisconsin crops
  • Examine fields and record the condition of growing crop

Careers

Some of the potential careers graduates can pursue are:

  • Precision Agriculture Technician
  • Crop Insurance Professional
  • Crop Research Assistant
  • Agriculture Sales Representative
  • Custom Applicator
  • Pesticide Application Specialist
  • Agricultural Equipment Operator
  • Field Supervisor

Courses

The Agronomy Technician Technical Diploma is a 30 Credit program. The following is a typical semester breakdown of the courses within the program.

First Term

College 101 1.00
Orientation To Agronomy 1.00
Introduction To Soils 2.00
Agriculture Equipment Safety 2.00
Introduction To Precision Agriculture 3.00
GIS Applications & Resource Management 3.00

Second Term

Agronomy Data Technology 2.00
Plant Science Basics 3.00
Pesticide/Fertilizer Applications 2.00
Precision Drone Applications 3.00
Precision Agriculture Applications 3.00

Third Term

Principles Of Crop Production 3.00
Nutrient Management 2.00

Credit for Prior Learning Available

View All Detailed Course Information

Pathways

Pathways are a series of connected programs that enable you to advance over time to better jobs and higher levels of education and training. By earning one degree, you could also be completing several courses of a related program in a pathway, bringing you one step closer to an advanced degree.

If you begin with one of the following programs, you will earn significant credit towards this Agronomy Technician Technical Diploma:

  • The Agronomy Associate Degree will provide you with 100% (65 of 65 credits) of the total credits in this Agronomy Technician Technical Diploma

Cost of Attendance

2023-2024 Estimated Academic Year Budgeted Cost of Attendance

The estimated Cost of Attendance (COA) is a budget that includes categories of expenses that a student can expect to incur while attending college. The COA does not reflect actual charges. It is an average based on the estimated living costs typical of our region. In determining the cost of attendance, Northcentral Technical College uses the budget established by the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) Financial Aid Budget Work Group. This budget is used to determine financial need for all students who apply for financial aid. A student's cost of attendance is composed of all educational expenses that can be included for financial aid purposes that a student may accrue while pursuing their education for the year (or semester, if enrolled less than a year). A student's financial aid cannot exceed their cost of attendance. Schools are required to provide a fuller picture of what it may cost students to pursue their degree, not just what they will owe in tuition/fees and books/supplies.

Please Note: this COA budget estimate assumes full-time attendance for two semester Fall 2023 and Spring 2024.
ExpensesStudent Living With Parents (Home)Student Living on Own (Other)
Full-time Tuition (based on a total of 30 credits, 15 credits fall and 15 credits spring)

In-State Tuition & Fees

$4,713*

Out-of-State Tuition & Fees

$6,900*

In-State Tuition & Fees

$4,713*

Out-of-State Tuition & Fees

$6,900*

Living Expenses (Housing & Food)$4,052$9,614
Books / Supplies$2,061$2,061
Transportation$2,007$2,007
Personal Expenses$2,245$2,245
Loan Fees$83$83
Total Estimated Cost Of Attendance

In-State

$15,161

Out-of-State

$17,348

In-State

$20,723

Out-of-State

$22,910

* Tuition listed is based on approved rates for the 2023-2024 academic year with a projected base increase of 1.65%. Rates are approved each March by the Wisconsin Technical College System Board and estimated budgets are updated at that time.

Students with dependent care, computer or study abroad expenses should contact the Financial Aid Office to document allowable expenses which may serve to increase their COA.

Students awarded Federal Direct Loan(s) also have an average of the mandatory loan fees automatically added to their COA.

Students with disability-related expenses may contact the Financial Aid Office to have their additional expenses considered. Disability-related expenses include but are not limited to: personal assistance, equipment, and supplies. The Financial Aid Office may potentially include disability expenses in the COA that are not provided by other assisting agencies.

NTC also offers a Net Price Calculator to help estimate costs.

For more information regarding billed tuition and fees visit https://www.ntc.edu/admissions/tuition-fees

We’re happy to answer any questions you may have about how the financial aid process works. Please feel free to reach out for more information.

NTC Financial Aid Office

715.803.1647

financialaid@ntc.edu

Admissions Process

Our application process takes just a few minutes to complete, but we want to make sure you have the things you’ll need on hand to complete the application. We’re here to help if you have any questions while submitting your application.

Fill out our application

The application can be submitted online and takes just a few minutes to complete. There is no fee to apply.

Apply Now

What’s Next?

We’ll review your application and let you know if we need anything else. If you’re all set, your acceptance letter will be emailed to you.