Soil Sciences

Types of Degrees Soil Sciences Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many soil sciences graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	99
Doctor’s Degree	47
Graduate Certificate	12

What Soil Sciences Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to soil sciences were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Soil Sciences Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in soil sciences should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Skills for Soil Sciences Majors

A major in soil sciences prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Science - Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Abilities for Soil Sciences Majors

Soil Sciences majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a Soil Sciences Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with soil sciences:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Agricultural Sciences Professors	7.9%	$84,640
Microbiologists	8.2%	$71,650
Soil and Plant Scientists	9.0%	$63,950

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Soil Sciences?

Roughly 53% of the graduates are women, and 47% are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of soil sciences majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	2
Black or African American	2
Hispanic or Latino	4
White	60
International Students	26
Other Races/Ethnicities	5

Geographic Diversity

Soil Sciences appeals to people across the globe. About 26.3% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• China
• India
• Brazil
• Nepal
• Libya

How Much Do Soil Sciences Majors Make?

Master’s Degree Starting Salary

Data from the U.S. Department of Education shows that soil sciences students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a master’s degree made a median starting salary of $47,734 per year. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $47,734 (25th percentile) and $47,734 (75th percentile).

Note that some of these people may have jobs that are not directly related to a soil sciences degree.

Salaries According to BLS

Soil Sciences majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $70,630 to $90,890 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Soil Sciences

Some degrees associated with soil sciences may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for soil sciences careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	1.8%
Bachelor’s Degree	21.0%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	5.5%
Master’s Degree	18.1%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	1.6%
Doctoral Degree	35.2%
Post-Doctoral Training	16.7%

Online Soil Sciences Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 40 schools offered some type of soil sciences program. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	1	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	3	0
Bachelor’s Degree	2	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	23	1
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	23	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Soil Sciences Worth It?

The median salary for a soil sciences grad is $81,150 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 103% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $825,000 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Soil Sciences

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to soil sciences.

Major	Number of Grads
Plant Sciences	912
Food Science Technology	692
Animal Science	596
Agricultural Economics & Business	410
General Agriculture	353
Agricultural Public Services	179
Agricultural Production	163
Other Agriculture	104
International Agriculture	46
Horticulture	15
Animal Services	8
Food Processing	2
Agricultural Mechanization	0
Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians	0

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Bdx under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.