Soil Sciences
Types of Degrees Soil Sciences Majors Are Getting
The following table lists how many soil sciences graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.
Education Level | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Bachelor’s Degree | 203 |
Master’s Degree | 117 |
Doctor’s Degree | 56 |
Basic Certificate | 27 |
Graduate Certificate | 27 |
Undergraduate Certificate | 8 |
Associate Degree | 1 |
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
Soil Sciences majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:
- 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
When studying soil sciences, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:
- Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
- Science - Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
- Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Abilities for Soil Sciences Majors
A major in soil sciences will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:
- 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 Bachelor’s Degree in Soil Sciences?
Racial-Ethnic Diversity
At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of soil sciences majors is as follows:
Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Asian | 1 |
Black or African American | 4 |
Hispanic or Latino | 12 |
White | 172 |
International Students | 1 |
Other Races/Ethnicities | 13 |
Geographic Diversity
Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Soil Sciences. About 0.5% of those with this major are international students.
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. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.
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
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) | 1 | 0 |
Associate’s Degree | 2 | 0 |
Bachelor’s Degree | 3 | 1 |
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 |
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Majors Related to Soil Sciences
You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to soil sciences.
Major | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Animal Science | 8,396 |
Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians | 8,257 |
Agricultural Economics & Business | 8,085 |
Horticulture | 3,932 |
Veterinary Medicine | 3,555 |
Agricultural Production | 3,522 |
Plant Sciences | 3,307 |
General Agriculture | 3,256 |
Food Science Technology | 2,181 |
Agricultural Mechanization | 1,402 |
Animal Services | 1,217 |
Veterinary Biomedical and Clinical Sciences | 954 |
Agricultural Public Services | 866 |
Other Agriculture | 700 |
Agriculture/Veterinary Preparatory Programs | 486 |
International Agriculture | 215 |
Food Processing | 198 |
Veterinary Administrative Services | 113 |
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.
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