Soil Sciences
Agriculture & Natural Resources
Median earnings by degree level
| Degree | Median earnings | Typical range | Schools | Clear the bar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's Degree | $64,858 | $58,766 to $72,436 | 6 | 100% |
"Clear the bar" is the share of programs whose graduates out-earn a typical high-school graduate (the federal earnings-premium test). Typical range is the 25th to 75th percentile of program medians.
Job outlook
Projected employment growth +6% (2025 to 2035), about 6,500 openings a year across the occupations this field commonly leads to.
| Occupation | Median pay | Growth | Openings/yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agricultural Technicians | $49,630 | +5.4% | 2,800 |
| Microbiologists | $87,990 | +6.2% | 1,500 |
| Soil and Plant Scientists | $78,850 | +6.7% | 1,400 |
| Agricultural Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary | $98,700 | +2.9% | 800 |
Occupation pay and outlook: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS wages, Employment Projections). A field maps to several occupations, and the same occupations serve many majors, so these are the jobs this major commonly leads to, not positions reserved for its graduates; the openings should not be added up across majors.
Where this is studied
The 8 colleges where the most students complete a soil sciences program, of 34 that report one. Ordered by number of completions only: this is where people study it, not a judgement about where to.
- University of Florida
- Brigham Young University
- The University of Tennessee-Knoxville
- Colorado State University-Fort Collins
- Michigan State University
- Oklahoma State University-Main Campus
- North Carolina State University at Raleigh
- Iowa State University
Earnings source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (release 2026-06-10), median earnings of graduates measured up to four years after completing. Figures describe past graduates and are never a promise. Method: methodology. Report an error.