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Plant breeder scientist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a plant breeder scientist. Plant breeder scientists usually study plant sciences, chemistry, or biology. 61% of plant breeder scientists hold a bachelor's degree, and 17% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 28 real plant breeder scientist resumes to see exactly what plant breeder scientist education sections show.

The most common colleges for plant breeder scientists are the City College of New York of the City University of New York, The and the City College of New York of the City University of New York, The.

There are also many online plant breeder scientist courses to help get the education required to be a plant breeder scientist.

What education do you need to become a plant breeder scientist?

What degree do you need to be a plant breeder scientist?

The most common degree for plant breeder scientists is bachelor's degree, with 61% of plant breeder scientists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 17% and master's degree degree at 9%.
  • Bachelor's, 61%
  • Master's, 17%
  • Doctorate, 9%
  • Associate, 9%
  • Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become a plant breeder scientist?

You should major in plant sciences to become a plant breeder scientist. 27% of plant breeder scientists major in plant sciences. Other common majors for a plant breeder scientist include chemistry and biology.

Most common colleges for plant breeder scientists

Plant breeder scientists often get their degrees at City College of New York of the City University of New York, The, Colorado State University, and Clarkson University. Here are the most common colleges for plant breeder scientists in the US based on their resumes.
Plant breeder scientist common collegePercentages
City College of New York of the City University of New York, The14.29%
Colorado State University14.29%
Clarkson University7.14%
Temple University7.14%
Rice University7.14%

Best majors for plant breeder scientists

RankMajorPercentages
1Plant Sciences27.3%
2Chemistry18.2%
3Biology13.6%
4Biotechnology9.1%
5Sociology4.5%

Best colleges for plant breeder scientists

The best colleges for plant breeder scientists are Cornell University, Harvard University, and Northwestern University.

A plant breeder scientist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for plant breeder scientists. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become plant breeder scientists.

1. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

2. North Carolina State University

Raleigh, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$9,101

Enrollment

23,708

3. University of Georgia

Athens, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,830

Enrollment

29,474

4. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Enrollment

33,495

5. University of Wisconsin - Madison

Madison, WI • Private

In-state tuition

$10,555

Enrollment

30,360

6. University of California - Davis

Davis, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$14,402

Enrollment

30,698

7. Texas A&M University

College Station, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$11,870

Enrollment

53,194

8. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Enrollment

34,564

9. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

10. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

20 best online courses for plant breeder scientists

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1. Plant Bioinformatics Capstone

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The past 15 years have been exciting ones in plant biology. Hundreds of plant genomes have been sequenced, RNA-seq has enabled transcriptome-wide expression profiling, and a proliferation of "-seq"-based methods has permitted protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions to be determined cheaply and in a high-throughput manner. These data sets in turn allow us to generate hypotheses at the click of a mouse or tap of a finger. In Plant Bioinformatics on Coursera.org, we covered 33 plant-specific...

2. Plant Bioinformatic Methods

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The past 15 years have been exciting ones in plant biology. Hundreds of plant genomes have been sequenced, RNA-seq has enabled transcriptome-wide expression profiling, and a proliferation of "-seq"-based methods has permitted protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions to be determined cheaply and in a high-throughput manner. These data sets in turn allow us to generate hypotheses at the click of a mouse or tap of a finger.The Plant Bioinformatics Specialization on Coursera introduces core...

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Empowering Professionals in the Pharmaceutical Industry: A Comprehensive Online Course in Drug Regulatory Affairs...

5. Plant Bioinformatics

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The past 15 years have been exciting ones in plant biology. Hundreds of plant genomes have been sequenced, RNA-seq has enabled transcriptome-wide expression profiling, and a proliferation of "-seq"-based methods has permitted protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions to be determined cheaply and in a high-throughput manner. These data sets in turn allow us to generate hypotheses at the click of a mouse. For instance, knowing where and when a gene is expressed can help us narrow down the...

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Top 10 most affordable universities for plant breeder scientists

The most affordable schools for plant breeder scientists are University of Florida, hunter college of the city university of new york, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for plant breeder scientists are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for plant breeder scientists.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

5. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

6. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

7. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

8. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

9. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Cost of attendance

25,527

10. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Pomona, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,353

Cost of attendance

21,302

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for plant breeder scientists

The hardest universities for plant breeder scientists to get into are Cornell University, Harvard University, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for plant breeder scientists are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for plant breeder scientists based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

2. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

4. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

5. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

6. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

7. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

8. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

9. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

10. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,517

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for plant breeder scientists

The easiest schools for plant breeder scientists to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, wayland baptist university, and barry university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a plant breeder scientist without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for plant breeder scientists.

1. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

2. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

3. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

4. Texas A&M University - Kingsville

Kingsville, TX • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,035

5. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

6. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

7. Clarke University

Dubuque, IA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

1,058

8. Thomas More University

Crestview Hills, KY • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,099

9. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

10. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

Average plant breeder scientist salary by education level

According to our data, plant breeder scientists with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $81,306 annually. Plant breeder scientists with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $70,455.
Plant breeder scientist education levelPlant breeder scientist salary
Master's Degree$81,306
Bachelor's Degree$70,455

Plant breeder scientist education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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