BACHELOR'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a bachelor's degree in Soil Sciences worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 6 college programs with reportable data.

Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Negative payoff

−$51,574 over 10 years

National scenario across reporting bachelor's degree programs, using median year-4 earnings, their institutions’ average net prices and a typical 4-year duration.

12.6 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
−21%Estimated return after 10 years
$64,859Observed earnings · year 4
$4,646Highest annual price before payoff reaches $0

The price benchmark would need to fall by $12,893 per year to reach it.

Start with your decision

What do you need to compare?

PRICE SENSITIVITY

The price can change the verdict.

Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.

What stays fixed$64,859 observed annual earnings · 4 years of study · $45,000 alternative annual earnings · ten-year horizonThe marked price is the average college-wide net-price context across reporting institutions. This is a sensitivity test, not a tuition quote or earnings forecast.
WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Outcomes at a glance

$64,859Typical earnings four years after completion
$61,000Average earnings five years after completion
$22,424Typical federal student debt
53thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
Not availableDegrees awarded in 2024–25
6College programs reporting earnings

Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 0 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.

A PRACTICAL READ

Four useful answers about Soil Sciences

How much do Soil Sciences bachelor's degree graduates earn?

The national median is $64,859 four years after completion across reportable bachelor's degree programs in this federal field.

How much federal debt do graduates have?

The median reported federal debt is $22,424. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.

Does the college matter for Soil Sciences?

Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $57,671 to $67,666 in observed year-4 earnings.

What careers are related to Soil Sciences?

DegreeVerdict links this field to 4 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.

COMPARE DEGREE LEVELS

More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.

Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.

CURRENT VIEW

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$64,859
Federal debt
$22,424
Programs in the comparison
6
6 report earnings →
OPEN PROFILE

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$63,555
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
1
1 report earnings →
COLLEGE-TO-COLLEGE RANGE

Where the middle half of programs lands

Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.

Median
25th percentile$57,671National median$64,85975th percentile$67,666
6 programs report year‑4 earnings.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$67,66675th-percentile year-4 earnings among reporting programs
$22,424Median federal debt across programs that report it
1Programs with earnings in the top quarter and debt at or below the median
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION

Three useful places to start

Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.

Highest observed earnings

The University of Tennessee-Knoxville

$88,563 four years after completionKnoxville, TN · inspect the full program →
Lowest reported federal debt

Colorado State University-Fort Collins

$21,750 among completer borrowersFort Collins, CO · inspect the full program →
Largest recent graduating class

Michigan State University

19 reported awards in 2024–25East Lansing, MI · inspect the full program →
PRICE × EARNINGS MAP

Where colleges sit for this exact degree

Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.

All reporting colleges Lower-price, higher-earnings quadrantAxes trim the outer 5% for readability; outliers remain pinned to the chart edge. Price is institution-wide context, not exact program tuition.
Build your shortlist

Choose colleges offering this exact degree

Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.

6 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 6 shown
Search every reporting program →
WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1The University of Tennessee-Knoxville$88,5632Southern Illinois University-Carbondale$74,0263Michigan State University$67,6664University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point$62,0515Colorado State University-Fort Collins$57,6716Oklahoma State University-Main Campus$57,348

Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking

Career outlook

Jobs this degree may lead to

Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.

Pay and projected demand

Related careers do not share one outlook

Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection

Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.

Agricultural Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary$98,700 median wage8,920 jobs nationwide+2.9% projected growth through 2035 · 800 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$50,870–$163,150 typical wage rangeSoil and Plant Scientists$78,850 median wage15,730 jobs nationwide+6.7% projected growth through 2035 · 1,400 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$48,680–$138,120 typical wage rangeMicrobiologists$87,990 median wage18,940 jobs nationwide+6.2% projected growth through 2035 · 1,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$54,670–$150,000 typical wage rangeAgricultural Technicians$49,630 median wage15,130 jobs nationwide+5.4% projected growth through 2035 · 2,800 openings a yearTypical entry education: Associate's degree$35,980–$76,480 typical wage range

BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.

This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.