Botany & Plant Biologyat Iowa State University
Graduates earn $34,442/yr in their first year — about 5.0% above the national Botany & Plant Biology average. Base-case 10-year earnings $450K; scenarios range from $431K to $445K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at Iowa State University
Iowa State's Botany/Plant Biology program benefits significantly from its location in the heart of a robust agricultural economy. Your earnings potential here reflects strong regional demand from major seed companies, agricultural biotechnology firms, and government agencies like the USDA, all of whom value ISU's land-grant expertise and established recruiting pipelines. While the field faces some automation risks, particularly in data-heavy analysis and routine identification, the hands-on research, field application, and interdisciplinary problem-solving skills you'll develop remain crucial. This program prepares you for diverse roles, from laboratory research to field management. To maximize your prospects, actively pursue internships that blend traditional plant science with emerging areas like genomics, data analytics, or precision agriculture, future-proofing your expertise.
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 Iowa State University'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 Botany & Plant Biology
How Iowa State University stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at Iowa State University
Other highest-scoring programs offered at Iowa State University, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Frequently asked about Botany & Plant Biology at Iowa State University
How does Iowa State University's Botany & Plant Biology program score?
This program scores 30/100 — on the lower end for Botany & Plant Biology. Prospective students should carefully weigh costs against likely earnings.
How vulnerable is Botany & Plant Biology to AI automation?
AI won't 'replace' Botany & Plant Biology careers outright, but it is likely to reduce the number of job openings. We model 49% task exposure, which compresses field employment probability in our scenarios.