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Other Plant Sciences

Types of Degrees Other Plant Sciences Majors Are Earning

Those studying Other Plant Sciences may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Master’s Degree	64
Doctor’s Degree	43

What Other Plant Sciences Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Other Plant Sciences emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Biology — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 5.6 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills built by a Other Plant Sciences program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Active Learning — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Other Plant Sciences careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

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

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.4 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.3 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.3 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.2 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.2 / 7
Working with Computers	4.2 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Other Plant Sciences professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Epic Systems	Medical software	—
Desire2Learn LMS software	Computer based training software	—
Spreadsheet software	Spreadsheet software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Blackboard Learn	Computer based training software	—
Sakai CLE	Computer based training software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Other Plant Sciences graduates include:

• Animal Physiology Teacher
• Agronomy Professor
• Pomology Teacher
• Fisheries Instructor
• Horticulture Professor
• Aquaculture Professor
• Animal Nutrition Teacher
• Instructor
• Olericulture Teacher
• Farm Management Professor
• Viticulture Teacher
• Horticulture Manager
• Agronomy Instructor
• Farm Crops Teacher
• Animal Science Instructor

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	41.9%
Master’s degree	19.4%
Post-doctoral training	18.8%
Bachelor’s degree	9.7%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	2.6%
Post-master’s certificate	2.3%
Postsecondary certificate	1.8%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.8%
First professional degree	1.8%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Other Plant Sciences?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 47.7% women and 52.3% men among Other Plant Sciences graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	51	47.7%
Men	56	52.3%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	50	46.7%
Asian	4	3.7%
Hispanic or Latino	8	7.5%
Black or African American	1	0.9%
Two or More Races	4	3.7%
International Students	40	37.4%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Other Plant Sciences Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Other Plant Sciences graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow 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 Other Plant Sciences Programs

Fully online options is reported by IPEDS for Other 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
Master’s	1	0

^{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 Other Plant Sciences Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Other 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
Plant Sciences	01.11
Agricultural and Horticultural Plant Breeding	01.1104
Agronomy and Crop Science	01.1102
Horticultural Science	01.1103
Plant Protection and Integrated Pest Management	01.1105
Plant Sciences, General	01.1101
Range Science and Management	01.1106
Reserved	01.1180
Agriculture, General	01.0000
Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture	01.0308
Soil Chemistry and Physics	01.1202
Soil Microbiology	01.1203

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.