Soil Sciencesat Colorado State University-Fort Collins
Graduates earn $46,287/yr in their first year — about 8.0% below the national Soil Sciences average. Base-case 10-year earnings $527K; scenarios range from $487K to $531K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at Colorado State University-Fort Collins
While the initial earnings might seem modest, remember that CSU is a premier land-grant university with deep roots in agricultural science. Your degree carries significant weight, especially in the Western U.S. Many graduates find stable, long-term careers with federal agencies headquartered nearby, like the USDA and the Forest Service, or in the state's booming environmental consulting and reclamation industries. The career paths for this degree split significantly: some roles are hands-on technician work, while others in research and academia require a Master's or PhD to unlock higher earning potential. The high AI risk score primarily reflects the automation of routine lab analysis, not the complex problem-solving you'll be trained for. Your key to maximizing this degree's value is to pursue internships aggressively to steer yourself toward the advanced scientific track rather than the technician route.
Three scenarios, ten years out
Each scenario is a different assumption about how AI reshapes the career paths this major feeds into. Earnings projections stack the full 10-year cumulative trajectory; scores use the same 0–100 metric as the hero, recomputed under that scenario's assumptions.
10 year projection
Year-by-year earnings under each scenario. Base case reflects BLS growth patterns applied to Colorado State University-Fort Collins's starting earnings; optimistic and pessimistic adjust for AI's effect on each career path this major feeds into.
Common career destinations for this program's graduates, weighted by the school's specific occupation mix. Salary is BLS national median; AI risk is per-role task-exposure research.
Peer schools offering Soil Sciences
How Colorado State University-Fort Collins stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at Colorado State University-Fort Collins
Other highest-scoring programs offered at Colorado State University-Fort Collins, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Frequently asked about Soil Sciences at Colorado State University-Fort Collins
What is the DegreeOutlook Score for Soil Sciences at Colorado State University-Fort Collins?
A score of 43/100 indicates below-average financial outcomes for Soil Sciences. Earnings, ROI, or AI risk factors are pulling the score down.
Will AI replace Soil Sciences careers?
With 47% of typical job tasks exposed to AI, this is one of the higher-risk fields. Our pessimistic scenario projects $487,264 in decade earnings vs $530,617 in the optimistic case — a meaningful gap.