The philosophy behind the kind of teacher education one receives affects the preparedness of beginning agricultural education teachers. The purpose of this philosophical study was to examine and summarize the professional knowledge, technical knowledge, and general knowledge competencies needed in a comprehensive teacher education program to prepare beginning school-based agricultural education teachers. Sixteen professional knowledge competencies, three technical knowledge competencies, and 16 general knowledge competencies were derived from the literature. The authors hope the competencies complied in this inquiry will spur philosophical discussions regarding the coursework and experiences provided by an agricultural teacher education program.