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Other Soil Sciences

Types of Degrees Other Soil Sciences Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Other Soil Sciences may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	31
Master’s Degree	14
Doctor’s Degree	10

What Other Soil Sciences Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Other Soil 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

The skill set built by a Other Soil 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.
• Active Learning — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Other Soil 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.
• Written Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Other Soil 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 Soil Sciences professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Collaborative editing software	Word processing software	—
DOC Cop	Information retrieval or search software	—
iParadigms Turnitin	Information retrieval or search software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Sakai CLE	Computer based training software	—
Web page design software	Web page creation and editing software	—
Learning management system LMS	Computer based training software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Other Soil Sciences graduates include:

• Soil Science Professor
• Silviculture Teacher
• Floriculture Professor
• Animal Science Professor
• Floriculture Teacher
• Agricultural Education Professor
• Soil Science Teacher
• Agricultural Science Professor
• Agricultural Soil Conservation Professor
• Animal Physiology Teacher
• Assistant Professor
• Animal Husbandry Teacher
• Poultry Husbandry Teacher
• Agribusiness Professor
• Horticulture Professor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Other Soil 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%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.8%
Postsecondary certificate	1.8%
First professional degree	1.8%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Other Soil Sciences?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 70.9% of Other Soil Sciences degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	39	70.9%
Men	16	29.1%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	37	67.3%
Asian	4	7.3%
Hispanic or Latino	4	7.3%
Black or African American	2	3.6%
Two or More Races	4	7.3%
Race Unknown	1	1.8%
International Students	3	5.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Other Soil Sciences Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Other Soil 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	$51,851
4 years	$52,838
5 years	$61,652

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $61,652 — roughly 19% above the 1-year mark.

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

Is a Degree in Other Soil Sciences Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Other Soil Sciences graduates earn a median of $52,838 four years after completion — roughly 39% 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
Soil Sciences	01.12
Soil Chemistry and Physics	01.1202
Soil Microbiology	01.1203
Soil Science and Agronomy, General	01.1201
Agricultural and Horticultural Plant Breeding	01.1104
Agriculture, General	01.0000
Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture	01.0308
Agronomy and Crop Science	01.1102
Horticultural Science	01.1103
Plant Protection and Integrated Pest Management	01.1105
Plant Sciences, General	01.1101
Plant Sciences, Other	01.1199

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.