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Soil scientist education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a soil scientist. Soil scientists usually study environmental science, soil science, or plant sciences. 76% of soil scientists hold a bachelor's degree, and 13% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 325 real soil scientist resumes to see exactly what soil scientist education sections show.
The most common colleges for soil scientists are the Pennsylvania State University and the Pennsylvania State University.
There are also many online soil scientist courses to help get the education required to be a soil scientist.
What education do you need to become a soil scientist?
What degree do you need to be a soil scientist?
- Bachelor's, 76%
- Master's, 13%
- Associate, 6%
- Doctorate, 3%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a soil scientist?
- Soil Science, 23%
- Plant Sciences, 15%
- Geology, 7%
- Other Majors, 31%
Most common colleges for soil scientists
| Soil scientist common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Pennsylvania State University | 9.86% |
| North Carolina State University | 5.63% |
| Texas Tech University | 5.63% |
| The University of Tennessee - Knoxville | 5.63% |
| University of Rhode Island | 5.63% |
Best majors for soil scientists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Environmental Science | 23.9% |
| 2 | Soil Science | 23.4% |
| 3 | Plant Sciences | 15.4% |
| 4 | Geology | 7.4% |
| 5 | Biology | 4.8% |
Best colleges for soil scientists
The best colleges for soil scientists are Cornell University, Northwestern University, and Duke University.
A soil 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 soil 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 soil 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. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$9,816
Enrollment
21,047
4. University of California - Davis
Davis, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$14,402
Enrollment
30,698
5. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
6. University of Georgia
Athens, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,830
Enrollment
29,474
7. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Enrollment
33,495
8. University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, WI • Private
In-state tuition
$10,555
Enrollment
30,360
9. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$10,595
Enrollment
30,184
10. Texas A&M University
College Station, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$11,870
Enrollment
53,194
20 best online courses for soil scientists
Advertising disclosure
1. Population, Food, and Soil
This course explores the population-environment relationship. In this course, you will learn about the human population and the ways in which changes in the population affect the environment. Agriculture, soils, and the environmental implications of eating meat, vegetables, local, organic, sustainable, industrial, and other types of food are discussed too. We explore questions such as: 1. How many people live on Earth right now? 2. What is the carrying capacity of Earth? 3. What is the...
2. Education on climate change: water and soil
This course delves into the connection between water, climate change, and how living organisms adapt to these shifts. It also explores concepts related to agriculture, food, and food sovereignty. Additionally, it introduces a range of online games that enhance the integration and practical application of the developing conceptual knowledge...
3. OSHA Safety Pro: Trenching Excavation & Soil Mechanics
A quick yet detailed certification in OSHA safety with a focus on Trenching, Excavation, & Soil Mechanics...
4. Groundwater Potential Zones GIS - Complete Project ArcGIS
Also covers, Flood Risk Map, Drought Analysis, Fluctuation from Observed data, Watershed Delineation, Tutorial in depth...
5. Sports Turf Management: Best Practices
The Sports Turf Management: Best Practices course will cover the construction, management, and challenges in maintaining athletic fields intended for football, soccer, and baseball. You will learn the fundamental management practices for maintaining athletic fields, such as fertilization, irrigation, mowing, and pest control. An overview of athletic field construction, highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of native soil versus modified soil fields, will be provided. Lastly, you will...
6. Survey Data Collection and Analytics
This specialization covers the fundamentals of surveys as used in market research, evaluation research, social science and political research, official government statistics, and many other topic domains. In six courses, you will learn the basics of questionnaire design, data collection methods, sampling design, dealing with missing values, making estimates, combining data from different sources, and the analysis of survey data. In the final Capstone Project, you’ll apply the skills learned...
7. Growing Microgreens for Business and Pleasure
Get a healthy body and wallet - Vertical Farming techniques for Gardeners and Entrepreneurs (Hydroponics and Soil)...
8. ArcSWAT Model with ArcGIS - Run for any Study Area - GIS
Watershed Simulation using Arc SWAT. Get Discharge, Rainfall‐Runoff Modeling of Ungauged Catchments. This is advance GIS...
9. Biosphere 2 Science for the Future of Our Planet
Are you ready to take an incredible journey around Planet Earth and beyond? In this course, you will delve into a world of innovative science and learn from a team of Biosphere 2 and University of Arizona researchers. From plants and soils, to oceans and rainforests, the Moon, Mars, and more, this course is an exciting opportunity for anyone interested in science and Earth stewardship. Learn how a unique research station in the Arizona desert is used to investigate big ideas, such as how Earth...
10. Introduction to Environmental Science
To understand current environmental problems, we need to consider physical, biological & chemical processes that are often the basis of those problems. This course will give you the skills necessary to address the environmental issues we are facing today by examining scientific principles and the application of those principles to natural systems. This course surveys some of the many environmental science topics at an introductory level, ultimately considering the sustainability of human...
11. Statistics / Data Analysis: Survey Data and Likert Scales
How to Process Survey Data and Analyze Likert Scales In SPSS...
12. Essential Non Technical Skills of Effective Data Scientists
Boost your Data Science Career by developing these crucial Non Technical Skills & become a Successful Data Scientist...
13. The Data Scientist’s Toolbox
In this course you will get an introduction to the main tools and ideas in the data scientist's toolbox. The course gives an overview of the data, questions, and tools that data analysts and data scientists work with. There are two components to this course. The first is a conceptual introduction to the ideas behind turning data into actionable knowledge. The second is a practical introduction to the tools that will be used in the program like version control, markdown, git, GitHub, R, and...
14. Der Werkzeugkasten des Data Scientist
In this course you will get an introduction to the main tools and ideas in the data scientist's toolbox. The course gives an overview of the data, questions, and tools that data analysts and data scientists work with. There are two components to this course. The first is a conceptual introduction to the ideas behind turning data into actionable knowledge. The second is a practical introduction to the tools that will be used in the program like version control, markdown, git, GitHub, R, and...
15. Data Entry Skills: A Complete Data Entry Course from Scratch
A Complete Guide to Data Entry Skills: Learn Data Entry Skills and become a Data Entry Pro & Get a Online Data Entry Job...
16. Statistics/Data Analysis with SPSS: Descriptive Statistics
Increase Your Descriptive Data Analytic Skills – Highly Valued And Sought After By Employers...
17. Introduction to Machine Learning for Data Science
A primer on Machine Learning for Data Science. Revealed for everyday people, by the Backyard Data Scientist...
18. Data Science:Data Mining & Natural Language Processing in R
Harness the Power of Machine Learning in R for Data/Text Mining, & Natural Language Processing with Practical Examples...
19. Complete Data Entry Skills Course - Learn Data Entry Skills
Learn Essential Data Entry Skills Now To Enhance Your Career -Word - Excel - Database - Data Entry Jobs...
20. New Home Construction - 2 of 8
From Architectural Plans To foundations...
Top 10 most affordable universities for soil scientists
The most affordable schools for soil scientists are University of Florida, brigham young university, and university of puerto rico - mayaguez.
If the best universities for soil 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 soil scientists.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
3. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
14,302
4. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
5. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
6. California State University - Fresno
Fresno, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,587
Cost of attendance
16,915
7. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Pomona, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,353
Cost of attendance
21,302
8. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
9. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Cost of attendance
25,275
10. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for soil scientists
The hardest universities for soil scientists to get into are Cornell University, Northwestern University, and Duke University.
Some great schools for soil 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 soil 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. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
3. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
4. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,448
5. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
6. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
7. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, CA • Private
Admissions rate
30%
SAT average
1,339
8. Colby College
Waterville, ME • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,437
9. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
Admissions rate
47%
SAT average
1,390
10. Amherst College
Amherst, MA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,449
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for soil scientists
The easiest schools for soil scientists to get into are Saint Joseph's College of Maine, texas a&m; university - kingsville, and clarke university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a soil 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 soil scientists.
1. Saint Joseph's College of Maine
Standish, ME • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,069
2. Texas A&M University - Kingsville
Kingsville, TX • Private
Admissions rate
89%
SAT average
1,035
3. Clarke University
Dubuque, IA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
1,058
4. Thomas More University
Crestview Hills, KY • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
1,099
5. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
6. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
7. Centenary University
Hackettstown, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
67%
SAT average
987
8. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
9. Sam Houston State University
Huntsville, TX • Private
Admissions rate
79%
SAT average
1,075
10. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
Average soil scientist salary by education level
| Soil scientist education level | Soil scientist salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $99,773 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $88,580 |
Soil scientist education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025