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Plant Physiology

Types of Degrees Plant Physiology Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Plant Physiology have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Master’s Degree	2
Doctor’s Degree	13

What Plant Physiology Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

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

• Biology — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Chemistry — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.3 / 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 built by a Plant Physiology program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Plant Physiology careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

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

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Working with Computers	4.4 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.4 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Processing Information	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Plant Physiology professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
R	Object or component oriented development software	✓
SAS	Analytical or scientific software	—
IBM SPSS Statistics	Analytical or scientific software	—
The MathWorks MATLAB	Analytical or scientific software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Python	Object or component oriented development software	✓

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Plant Physiology graduates include:

• Clinical Project Manager
• Clinical Trials Manager
• Research Coordinator
• Scientist
• Research Scientist
• Clinical Trial Coordinator
• Clinical Program Coordinator
• Clinical Research Coordinator
• Clinical Data Coordinator
• Clinical Program Manager
• Clinical Study Manager
• Clinical Manager
• Clinical Coordinator
• Clinical Research Manager
• Postdoctoral Associate

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	32.2%
Master’s degree	18.8%
Post-doctoral training	18.4%
Doctoral degree	15.9%
Postsecondary certificate	4.0%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	3.2%
Some college courses	2.8%
High school diploma or equivalent	2.1%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.2%
Post-master’s certificate	1.0%
First professional degree	0.5%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Plant Physiology?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 66.7% of Plant Physiology degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	10	66.7%
Men	5	33.3%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	5	33.3%
Asian	1	6.7%
International Students	9	60.0%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Plant Physiology Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Plant Physiology 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	$32,663
4 years	$39,154
5 years	$38,098

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $38,098 — roughly 17% above the 1-year mark.

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

Is a Degree in Plant Physiology Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Plant Physiology graduates earn a median of $39,154 four years after completion — roughly 3% 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
Botany/Plant Biology	26.03
Botany/Plant Biology, Other	26.0399
Botany/Plant Biology	26.0301
Plant Molecular Biology	26.0308
Plant Pathology/Phytopathology	26.0305
Anatomy	26.0403
Animal Genetics	26.0804
Animal Physiology	26.0707
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology	26.0210
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology, Other	26.0299
Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other	26.9999
Biology/Biological Sciences, General	26.0101

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.