Soil and Plant Scientists
What Soil and Plant Scientists Do
Conduct research in breeding, physiology, production, yield, and management of crops and agricultural plants or trees, shrubs, and nursery stock, their growth in soils, and control of pests; or study the chemical, physical, biological, and mineralogical composition of soils as they relate to plant or crop growth. May classify and map soils and investigate effects of alternative practices on soil and crop productivity.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- None
- Self-employed
- 2%
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 5 of 5Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
- Experience
- Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience.
- Education
- Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
- Job training
- Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- Biologyimportance 4.4/5
- English Languageimportance 4.0/5
- Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.9/5
- Chemistryimportance 3.8/5
- Mathematicsimportance 3.8/5
- Education and Trainingimportance 3.4/5
- Geographyimportance 3.4/5
- Communications and Mediaimportance 3.4/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- E-Mail4.8/5
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.5/5
- Freedom to Make Decisions4.4/5
- Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals4.3/5
- Telephone Conversations4.2/5
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.2/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Animal Scientists97% skill match
- Materials Scientists96% skill match
- Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors95% skill match
- Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians95% skill match
- Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists95% skill match
- Industrial Engineers94% skill match
- Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health94% skill match
- Microbiologists94% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.9/5
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.8/5
- Systems Analysisimportance 3.5/5
- Systems Evaluationimportance 3.5/5
- Instructingimportance 3.1/5
- Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.0/5
- Coordinationimportance 3.0/5
- Operations Analysisimportance 3.0/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Hot Technologies
Other Software Used
- 3dMapper
- Erosion Productivity Impact Calculator EPIC
- European Soil Erosion Model EUROSEM
- GAEA Technologies WinSieve
- GEOEAS
- GSLIB
- Geographic information system GIS software
- Geographic information system GIS systems
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Intellectual Curiosity
- Attention to Detail
- Innovation
- Dependability
- Adaptability
- Integrity
- Perseverance
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- InvestigativeHigh
- RealisticHigh
- ConventionalMedium
- ArtisticLow
- EnterprisingLow
- SocialLow
Specific Interests
A more detailed breakdown of this occupation’s interest profile, per O*NET.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where soil and plant scientists make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Ames, IA23.82× national avg
- 2Corvallis, OR19.98× national avg
- 3Fargo, ND-MN15.01× national avg
- 4Fort Collins-Loveland, CO12.98× national avg
- 5Manhattan, KS11.92× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- MicrobiologistsLateral Move
- Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and GeographersLateral Move
- Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including HealthLateral Move
- Animal ScientistsLateral Move
Related Education Programs
Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.
Range Science and Management
- Iowa State University (Ames, IA)grads earn ~$60,997
- West Texas A & M University (Canyon, TX)
- Oregon State University (Corvallis, OR)grads earn ~$57,950
- Colorado State University-Fort Collins (Fort Collins, CO)grads earn ~$42,034
- California State University-Fresno (Fresno, CA)grads earn ~$77,034
Agriculture, General
- Blinn College District (Brenham, TX)
- Tarleton State University (Stephenville, TX)
- Illinois State University (Normal, IL)grads earn ~$63,600
- Western Illinois University (Macomb, IL)grads earn ~$58,333
- Ivy Tech Community College (Indianapolis, IN)grads earn ~$45,195