-

The rural and agricultural development are closely correlated to the degree of commitment of the personnel who serve as specialists and extension
agents in agriculture-related organizations. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the factors influencing organizational commitment of
agricultural graduates of Shiraz University. The design of study was survey research method. The population consisted all graduates from 1370 to 1374 (1991-1994), who completed bachelor's degree in agriculture at Shiraz
University. A sample of 450 graduates of all agriculture majors, was selected by stratified random sampling. So, at least 40 graduates of every field were included in the sample. The instrument in this study was a 7 part
questionnaire. The questionnaire was examined by five specialists and the face
validity was confirmed. A pilot study was conducted with 30 graduates who were not members in the sample, to determine the reliability of the
instrument. Data was analysed using SPSSIPC computer program. Analysis of data was done using the following statistics: t-test, one-way analysis of variance and Pearson correlation coefficient. The results revealed that several factors
were significantly correlated with organizational commitment of the graduates. Employment success had a positive significant commitment. No significant correlation was observed between academic success and organizational
commitment of graduates. Finally, it is recommended to investigate organizational commitment of agricultural graduates from other universities, as
well as to include other level such as master and doctorate graduates.