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Major · Agricultural & Plant Sciences

Inside the science of growing what we eat

Plant Sciences sits at the intersection of crop biology, soil chemistry, and field-scale production. About 483 graduates a year emerge from 32 mostly land-grant universities, with a 5-year median wage near $56,200 that rewards specialization more than the diploma alone.

Schools offering
32
Annual completions
483
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$56k

About this major

Plant Sciences, General is the bachelor’s-and-associate’s program that teaches the biology and production side of the food system. The CIP definition centers on the principles behind breeding, cultivating, and producing agricultural plants, plus the downstream processing of plant products. Coursework moves from cell-level plant physiology and genetics into soil science, agronomy, plant pathology, and weed control, with significant time on university research farms and in greenhouses. Statistics, experimental design, and GIS round out the upper division as data-driven crop management becomes standard industry practice.

The major rewards students who like science but want it applied to something tangible. You should be comfortable in a chemistry lab and on a tractor, willing to walk plots in July heat, and curious about why a soybean field yields differently fifty feet apart. Quantitative thinking helps; so does patience for season-length feedback loops where one experiment runs from April to October.

Nationally, 483 graduates emerge from 32 institutions, a small footprint that reflects how often students are administratively grouped under broader Agriculture, General programs at land-grant universities. The 5-year median wage of $56,232 anchors the field at field-agronomist or extension-agent levels, with the Soil and Plant Scientists track at $71,410 indicating where research-oriented graduates settle. Top producers, including the University of Missouri, Penn State, Montana State, Ohio State, and UC Davis, share the land-grant DNA that defines the discipline.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers $88k -1.3% High school diploma or equivalent
First-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers $59k +2.5% High school diploma or equivalent
Soil and plant scientists $71k +5.4% Bachelor's degree
Agricultural technicians $47k +4.3% Associate's degree
Farm and home management educators $58k -2.5% Master's degree
Agricultural sciences teachers, postsecondary $86k +4.1% Doctoral or professional degree
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$56k

Associate's vs Bachelor's — early-career earnings

Associate's

$62k

Bachelor's

$56k

Who this major is for

You may thrive here if you grew up around agriculture or developed a working interest in food systems and want a degree that turns that curiosity into technical skill, if you enjoy combining lab work with outdoor field experiments rather than choosing one or the other, if the prospect of seasonal data collection across months feels rewarding rather than tedious, if you can see yourself at a Cooperative Extension office or a seed-company research station translating science into farmer-facing recommendations, or if Soil and Plant Scientist work at a $71,410 median sounds like the right shape of career.

Think twice if you need a quick credential-to-paycheck path; the program’s 5-year median wage of $56,232 is modest compared with engineering or computer science, and the highest-paying career in the packet, Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers at $87,980, is mid-career and contracting at -1.3%. Reconsider this route if you dislike fieldwork in heat or cold, if you want urban-only career geography, or if you expect that the bachelor’s alone will lead directly to research scientist work; USDA-ARS and university research positions overwhelmingly require a master’s or doctorate, with Agricultural Sciences postsecondary teachers explicitly tagged as a doctoral track in the packet.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Plant Sciences, General

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
University of Missouri-Columbia Columbia, MO 0 36 36
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus University Park, PA 0 35 35
Montana State University Bozeman, MT 0 34 34
Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH 0 32 32
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Knoxville, TN 0 31 31
University of California-Davis Davis, CA 0 31 31
University of Florida Gainesville, FL 0 29 29
SUNY College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill Cobleskill, NY 0 24 24
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN 0 23 23
Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ 0 23 23
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Biology/Biological Sciences, General

83,027 completions/yr

Social Sciences, General

14,846 completions/yr

Animal Sciences, General

6,799 completions/yr

Biomedical Sciences, General

6,553 completions/yr

Agribusiness/Agricultural Business Operations

3,011 completions/yr

Agriculture, General

2,733 completions/yr

Physical Sciences, General

2,589 completions/yr

Agricultural Business and Management, General

1,697 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What do Plant Sciences majors actually study day-to-day?
Coursework blends plant physiology, genetics, and soil chemistry with field experiments on crop yield, pest pressure, and irrigation. You spend real hours in greenhouses and on university research farms, often running plots tied to a faculty grant. Statistics and GIS show up in the upper division as precision-agriculture tools enter every commercial workflow.
Do I need a bachelor’s, or is an associate’s enough for Plant Sciences?
Both degrees appear in IPEDS data for this CIP, and the packet shows associate’s graduates at $61,971 versus $55,977 for bachelor’s, an inversion driven by a small, vocational two-year cohort. For roles tied to research, agronomy advising, or USDA scientist tracks, a bachelor’s is the practical floor; for grower-supervisor or production-tech work, an associate’s plus field experience is often enough.
What kinds of jobs do Plant Sciences graduates end up in?
The packet lists Soil and Plant Scientists at a $71,410 median, Agricultural Technicians at $46,790, and First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers at $59,330. Industry destinations beyond those SOC codes include seed companies like Corteva, Bayer Crop Science, and Syngenta, plus precision-ag firms and Cooperative Extension services. The Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers category at $87,980 shows up after years of operational experience, not at graduation.
How does Plant Sciences compare to Agronomy or Horticultural Science?
All three sit inside the broader 01.11 family, but they specialize differently. Agronomy (01.1102) narrows to field crops and soil management. Horticultural Science (01.1103) tilts toward fruits, vegetables, ornamentals, and greenhouse production. Plant Sciences, General sits as the umbrella program at 32 institutions and remains the most common label for students who want broad coverage before specializing in graduate school or on the job.
Does this major lead to graduate school or straight to work?
Both routes are normal. Direct-to-work graduates land at Cooperative Extension offices, regional seed dealers, and farm-management operations. Graduate school feeds the higher-wage research lane: Soil and Plant Scientists growing 5.4% with a bachelor’s as the floor, plus Agricultural Sciences postsecondary teachers at $86,350 with a doctoral requirement. USDA-ARS and university research scientist roles almost always expect a master’s or PhD.
What’s the climate-change angle for Plant Sciences?
Climate volatility reshapes the field rather than shrinking it. Drought-resilient crop breeding, water-efficient irrigation, carbon-sequestration agronomy, and pest-range modeling are all expanding hiring lanes inside seed companies, USDA, and ag-tech startups. Soil and Plant Scientists are projected to grow 5.4% per the packet, while Farmers and Agricultural Managers contract 1.3%, indicating where new hiring concentrates.