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Agriculture · Soil Sciences Rank #6 of 6

Soil Sciencesat Oklahoma State University-Main Campus

Graduates earn $43,421/yr in their first year — about 13.0% below the national Soil Sciences average. Base-case 10-year earnings $495K; scenarios range from $463K to $495K depending on AI disruption.

Stillwater, OK Public Bachelor's Degree
DegreeOutlook Score
38 AT RISK
39
Optimistic
32
Pessimistic
Earnings
$43,421
1-year post-graduation
ROI
9.6x
Earnings : in-state tuition
10-yr Base
$495K
Cumulative base-case earnings
AI Risk
High
48% task exposure
Program Analysis

What this degree looks like at Oklahoma State

As a land-grant university in the heart of America’s breadbasket, Oklahoma State offers a soil sciences program deeply connected to the regional agricultural economy. Your career path here is less about landing a high-paying coastal tech job and more about becoming an essential expert for the state’s massive farming, ranching, and energy sectors. You’ll find strong recruiting pipelines into government agencies like the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and roles with agricultural co-ops or environmental consulting firms focused on land reclamation after drilling.

While some data-heavy lab work faces automation risk, the hands-on field expertise you gain is hard to replace. The key to maximizing your degree’s value is leveraging OSU’s deep local network. Proactively seek internships with the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service or a regional agribusiness firm; these connections are your most direct path to a stable, impactful career right after graduation.

AI Outlook Integration

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.

Pessimistic
Mass Automation
$463K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score32/100
Earnings Multiple11.3x
Base Case
Moderate Integration
$495K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score38/100
Earnings Multiple12.1x
Optimistic
AI Augmentation
$495K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score39/100
Earnings Multiple12.1x
Earnings Trajectory

10 year projection

Year-by-year earnings under each scenario. Base case reflects BLS growth patterns applied to Oklahoma State's starting earnings; optimistic and pessimistic adjust for AI's effect on each career path this major feeds into.

Career Paths

Where Soil Sciences graduates typically work

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.

1
Microbiologists
+4.1% 10-yr growth · 1,700 openings/yr
$87,330/yr
Moderate
2
Agricultural sciences teachers, postsecondary
+4.1% 10-yr growth · 800 openings/yr
$86,350/yr
High
3
Soil and plant scientists
+5.4% 10-yr growth · 1,700 openings/yr
$71,410/yr
Moderate
4
Agricultural technicians
+4.3% 10-yr growth · 2,900 openings/yr
$46,790/yr
High
Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. AI exposure from OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs and Felten AIOE research.
Compare & Explore

Peer schools offering Soil Sciences

How Oklahoma State stacks up against other schools offering this major.

Highest earnings
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville
TN · Public
49
DW Score
$55K
1-yr earn
10.6x
ROI
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
IL · Public
50
DW Score
$55K
1-yr earn
10.9x
ROI
Michigan State University
MI · Public
46
DW Score
$51K
1-yr earn
8.8x
ROI
Top score
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
WI · Public
52
DW Score
$50K
1-yr earn
16.3x
ROI
Colorado State University-Fort Collins
CO · Public
43
DW Score
$46K
1-yr earn
9.8x
ROI
Also at Oklahoma State

Other top programs at Oklahoma State

Other highest-scoring programs offered at Oklahoma State, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.

FAQ

Frequently asked about Soil Sciences at Oklahoma State

How does Oklahoma State University-Main Campus's Soil Sciences program score?

This program scores 38/100 — on the lower end for Soil Sciences. Prospective students should carefully weigh costs against likely earnings.

How vulnerable is Soil Sciences to AI automation?

AI won't 'replace' Soil Sciences careers outright, but it is likely to reduce the number of job openings. We model 47% task exposure, which compresses field employment probability in our scenarios.