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Plant Sciences

Types of Degrees Plant Sciences Majors Are Earning

Those studying Plant Sciences have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	42
Associate’s Degree	162
Bachelor’s Degree	1,949
Master’s Degree	794
Doctor’s Degree	305

What Plant Sciences Majors Need to Know

Programs in Plant Sciences develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Plant Sciences graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Plant Sciences emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Food Production — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set developed in a Plant Sciences program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Plant Sciences careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Plant Sciences graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.2 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7
Scheduling Work and Activities	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Plant Sciences professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
ESRI ArcGIS software	Geographic information system	✓
Geographic information system GIS software	Geographic information system	—
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Microsoft SharePoint	Document management software	—
Adobe Experience Manager (AEM)	Web page creation and editing software	—
Microsoft Internet Explorer	Internet browser software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Plant Sciences graduates include:

• Adjunct Instructor
• County Extension Agent
• Agriculture Consultant
• Home Services Advisor
• Community Educator
• Cooking Instructor
• Agricultural Extension Agent
• Agricultural Extension Educator
• County Agricultural Agent
• Farm Advisor
• Extension Agent
• 4-H Youth Educator
• 4-H Club Agent
• Feed Management Advisor
• Program Management Advisor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Plant Sciences graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	45.8%
Doctoral degree	18.1%
Bachelor’s degree	15.6%
Post-doctoral training	6.8%
Postsecondary certificate	3.3%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.9%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	2.4%
Less than a high school diploma	2.2%
High school diploma or equivalent	1.5%
Post-master’s certificate	0.7%
First professional degree	0.5%
Some college courses	0.3%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Plant Sciences?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 48% women and 52% men among Plant Sciences graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	1,565	48.0%
Men	1,696	52.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Plant Sciences graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	2,212	67.8%
Asian	60	1.8%
Hispanic or Latino	378	11.6%
Black or African American	60	1.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	11	0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	2	0.1%
Two or More Races	95	2.9%
Race Unknown	87	2.7%
International Students	356	10.9%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Plant Sciences Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Plant Sciences graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$45,321
4 years	$49,331
5 years	$56,395

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $56,395 — roughly 24% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Plant Sciences Programs

Distance learning is tracked by IPEDS for Plant Sciences. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	1	3
Bachelor’s	6	4
Master’s	7	10
Doctoral (Research)	1	2

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Plant Sciences Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Plant Sciences graduates earn a median of $49,331 four years after completion — roughly 30% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Agriculture Ag Operations	01
Agricultural and Domestic Animal Services	01.05
Agricultural and Food Products Processing	01.04
Agricultural Business and Management	01.01
Agricultural Mechanization	01.02
Agricultural Production Operations	01.03
Agricultural Public Services	01.08
Agricultural/Animal/Plant/Veterinary Science and Related Fields, Other	01.99
Agriculture, General	01.00
Agriculture/Veterinary Preparatory Programs	01.13
Animal Sciences	01.09
Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services	01.06

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.