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Plant Sciences Degree

50 schools compared · Average earnings $42,710/yr

Students study plant biology, genetics, pathology, breeding techniques, and crop improvement for agricultural and environmental applications. Graduates typically pursue careers in seed companies, agricultural biotech firms, research institutions, and government agencies like the USDA. Advances in plant genomics and sustainable agriculture are driving strong demand for plant scientists.

What Plant Sciences Graduates Do

You’ll find your career at the intersection of biology, technology, and business. Many graduates become soil and plant scientists, spending their days in labs and fields developing hardier crops or diagnosing plant diseases to improve yields. Others apply this expertise on a larger scale as agricultural managers, making critical decisions about crop selection, resource allocation, and harvesting logistics for commercial farms. An entry-level path often starts as an agricultural technician, collecting soil samples or monitoring crop health, before progressing into a scientist or management position.

While the need for scientific roles is growing to meet demands for food security, traditional farm management jobs face headwinds from industry consolidation. Across the field, AI is having a moderate impact. It won't replace you, but it will change your work by automating routine tasks like analyzing drone imagery or monitoring soil sensor data. This shifts your focus toward higher-level strategy, experimental design, and solving complex problems that algorithms can't handle. Success will depend on your ability to leverage these new tools effectively.

Schools Offering

Avg Grad Earnings

$42,710/yr

Avg DegreeOutlook Score

47/100

AI Automation Risk

High

46% task exposure

Common Career Paths

Where Plant Sciences graduates typically work, ranked by salary. Salary ranges show 25th–75th percentile spread. This field has roughly 103,300 combined openings per year.

Career Path	Salary Range	Openings/yr	Growth	AI Risk
Forestry and conservation science teachers, postsecondary	$100,830 $81K$125K	100	+4.0%	48%
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	$87,980 $68K$115K	85,500	-1.3%	37%
Agricultural sciences teachers, postsecondary	$86,350 $64K$123K	800	+4.1%	50%
Animal scientists	$79,120 $60K$128K	200	+5.8%	53%
Soil and plant scientists	$71,410 $58K$98K	1,700	+5.4%	49%
Conservation scientists	$67,950 $53K$88K	2,500	+3.4%	52%
First-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers	$59,330 $48K$77K	8,500	+2.5%	28%
Farm and home management educators	$58,120 $46K$69K	1,100	-2.5%	37%
Agricultural technicians	$46,790 $38K$59K	2,900	+4.3%	50%

Forestry and conservation science teachers, postsecondary

$100,830

$81K $125K

100 openings/yr +4.0% growth 48% AI risk

Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers

$87,980

$68K $115K

85,500 openings/yr -1.3% growth 37% AI risk

Agricultural sciences teachers, postsecondary

$86,350

$64K $123K

800 openings/yr +4.1% growth 50% AI risk

Animal scientists

$79,120

$60K $128K

200 openings/yr +5.8% growth 53% AI risk

Soil and plant scientists

$71,410

$58K $98K

1,700 openings/yr +5.4% growth 49% AI risk

Conservation scientists

$67,950

$53K $88K

2,500 openings/yr +3.4% growth 52% AI risk

First-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers

$59,330

$48K $77K

8,500 openings/yr +2.5% growth 28% AI risk

Farm and home management educators

$58,120

$46K $69K

1,100 openings/yr -2.5% growth 37% AI risk

Agricultural technicians

$46,790

$38K $59K

2,900 openings/yr +4.3% growth 50% AI risk

Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. Salary range shows 25th–median–75th percentile (national).

Best Schools for Plant Sciences

Top 20 of 50 schools ranked by DegreeOutlook Score. Click any row for full AI scenario analysis and earnings projections.

#	School	DW Score	Earnings	ROI
1	California State University-Fresno Fresno, CA	68 63–69	$60,443/yr	27.2x
2	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA	65 60–66	$63,129/yr	15.7x
3	South Dakota State University Brookings, SD	63 58–64	$58,787/yr	17.1x
4	University of Wisconsin-Platteville Platteville, WI	60 54–61	$47,910/yr	18.2x
5	California State University-Chico Chico, CA	60 55–61	$43,944/yr	20.9x
6	University of Minnesota-Crookston Crookston, MN	57 52–58	$57,915/yr	10.9x
7	Kansas State University Manhattan, KS	57 51–58	$50,115/yr	13.1x
8	Southeast Missouri State University Cape Girardeau, MO	57 51–58	$48,546/yr	14.6x
9	University of Nebraska-Lincoln Lincoln, NE	56 50–56	$47,716/yr	13.5x
10	Northwest Missouri State University Maryville, MO	56 50–56	$47,170/yr	13.6x
11	University of Wisconsin-River Falls River Falls, WI	55 49–56	$48,791/yr	14.5x
12	Arkansas State University Jonesboro, AR	54 48–54	$49,536/yr	14.9x
13	California State Polytechnic University-Pomona Pomona, CA	54 49–55	$46,152/yr	16.2x
14	University of Idaho Moscow, ID	54 49–55	$44,559/yr	14.8x
15	Iowa State University Ames, IA	53 47–54	$49,393/yr	11.9x
16	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL	53 47–54	$45,411/yr	9.5x
17	California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt Arcata, CA	52 47–53	$44,038/yr	15.0x
18	University of Missouri-Columbia Columbia, MO	51 45–52	$46,627/yr	9.4x
19	North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC	51 46–52	$42,008/yr	14.0x
20	North Dakota State University-Main Campus Fargo, ND	49 43–49	$49,048/yr	10.3x
21	University of Wyoming Laramie, WY	49 45–50	$36,062/yr	18.2x
22	Mississippi State University Mississippi State, MS	48 42–49	$45,994/yr	11.0x
23	Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH	47 41–47	$42,712/yr	9.4x
24	Auburn University Auburn, AL	47 42–48	$39,024/yr	10.5x
25	Washington State University Pullman, WA	46 40–47	$47,531/yr	8.1x
26	University of Florida Gainesville, FL	46 42–46	$36,372/yr	17.2x
27	Texas A & M University-Kingsville Kingsville, TX	45 41–45	$34,744/yr	12.8x
28	Texas A & M University-College Station College Station, TX	44 39–45	$45,163/yr	7.6x
29	Oregon State University-Cascades Campus Bend, OR	44 39–45	$38,397/yr	9.6x
30	Chadron State College Chadron, NE	44 40–45	$36,558/yr	13.6x
31	University of California-Davis Davis, CA	43 37–43	$43,873/yr	6.2x
32	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA	43 37–43	$42,861/yr	7.0x
33	Oregon State University Corvallis, OR	43 38–44	$38,397/yr	8.9x
34	Clemson University Clemson, SC	42 37–43	$46,395/yr	6.2x
35	University of Georgia Athens, GA	42 37–43	$40,794/yr	8.1x
36	Utah State University Logan, UT	42 39–42	$28,091/yr	14.8x
37	Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, TN	41 36–41	$37,716/yr	8.9x
38	Montana State University Bozeman, MT	40 37–41	$33,311/yr	13.3x
39	The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Knoxville, TN	39 34–39	$40,355/yr	7.0x
40	University of Delaware Newark, DE	39 34–40	$39,362/yr	5.1x
41	Colorado State University-Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO	38 33–38	$36,980/yr	6.2x
42	Missouri State University-Springfield Springfield, MO	38 34–39	$36,173/yr	10.4x
43	University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez Mayaguez, PR	38 35–39	$30,053/yr	18.2x
44	West Virginia University Morgantown, WV	37 32–37	$37,454/yr	8.7x
45	University of Massachusetts-Amherst Amherst, MA	37 32–37	$37,170/yr	4.4x
46	Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ	36 32–37	$36,362/yr	4.3x
47	Michigan State University East Lansing, MI	35 31–36	$35,701/yr	6.3x
48	University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN	34 30–35	$35,216/yr	5.9x
49	University of Vermont Burlington, VT	32 29–33	$33,221/yr	3.4x
50	Cornell University Ithaca, NY	23 20–24	$32,236/yr	0.9x

Highest Earning Plant Sciences Programs

Schools where Plant Sciences graduates earn the most in their first year after graduation.

School	1-Year Earnings	DW Score
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo	$63,129/yr	65
California State University-Fresno	$60,443/yr	68
South Dakota State University	$58,787/yr	63
University of Minnesota-Crookston	$57,915/yr	57
Kansas State University	$50,115/yr	57
Arkansas State University	$49,536/yr	54
Iowa State University	$49,393/yr	53
North Dakota State University-Main Campus	$49,048/yr	49
University of Wisconsin-River Falls	$48,791/yr	55
Southeast Missouri State University	$48,546/yr	57

Best ROI for Plant Sciences

Schools with the highest earnings-to-tuition ratio for Plant Sciences.

School	ROI Multiple	Earnings	DW Score
California State University-Fresno	27.2x	$60,443/yr	68
California State University-Chico	20.9x	$43,944/yr	60
University of Wyoming	18.2x	$36,062/yr	49
University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez	18.2x	$30,053/yr	38
University of Wisconsin-Platteville	18.2x	$47,910/yr	60
University of Florida	17.2x	$36,372/yr	46
South Dakota State University	17.1x	$58,787/yr	63
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona	16.2x	$46,152/yr	54
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo	15.7x	$63,129/yr	65
California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt	15.0x	$44,038/yr	52

Want to compare two Plant Sciences programs side by side? Use the comparison tool →

Related Majors

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Consider the Trade Route

Not sure a 4-year degree is the right path? Trade programs in Plant Sciences offer shorter timelines, lower debt, and strong AI resilience for hands-on careers.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Plant Sciences graduates earn?

Across 50 schools, Plant Sciences graduates earn an average of $42,710 per year in their first year after graduation. Earnings range from $28,091 to $63,129 depending on the school.

What is the AI automation risk for Plant Sciences?

Plant Sciences is rated "High" for AI automation risk, with an average of 46% of job tasks exposed to large language models and AI tools. This means some career tasks in this field could be augmented or replaced by AI over the next decade.

Which school has the best Plant Sciences program?

Based on our DegreeOutlook Score (combining earnings, AI resilience, job market size, and ROI), California State University-Fresno ranks #1 for Plant Sciences with a score of 68/100 and graduate earnings of $60,443/yr.

What's the outlook for a Plant Sciences degree?

On average, Plant Sciences graduates earn 11.4x their in-state tuition over 10 years. This is a strong return on investment.

Scores use College Scorecard earnings, BLS employment projections, and AI task-exposure research. See full methodology →