Our graduate education opportunities in soil science will prepare students for careers with public and private organizations in soil and environmental sciences. Our students find employment opportunities with consulting firms, government organizations or academia.
To ensure that all are well founded in the discipline, students are expected to acquire competence through coursework in the following sub-disciplines (four for master’s and all five for Ph.D. programs): soil physics, soil chemistry, soil microbiology, soil genesis and classification, and soil fertility.
Master of Science in Soil Science
The M.S. in Soil Science is a research degree that requires successful completion of a research problem and submission of a written thesis.
- Minimum of 30 semester credit hours
- Minimum of 20 credit hours must be in 500, 600, 700 and 800 level courses
- Courses at the 400 (undergraduate) level can be counted toward the 30 credit hour requirement only if they do not come from the major field
- The 30 credit hours required in the Plan of Graduate Work must include at least one credit hour, but no more than two credit hours, of seminar (SSC 601) and must include a minimum of two, but no more than six, credit hours of research (SSC 693 or SSC 695)
- Students can take additional credit hours of seminar and research to fulfill continuous registration requirements but don’t need to list these on the Plan of Graduate Work
- Students must complete all requirements within six calendar years after first enrollment in a graduate course applicable to the program
Master of Soil Science
The Master of Soil Science is a non-thesis program available as both a campus-based and distance education program.
- Minimum of 36 semester credit hours
- At least 20 credit hours must come from 500, 600, 700 and 800 level courses, with four to six of these credits devoted to a special problem (SSC 620)
- One credit hour of Seminar (SSC 601)
- Students must complete all requirements within six calendar years after first enrollment in a graduate course applicable to the program
Doctor of Philosophy in Soil Science
The degree symbolizes the ability to undertake original research with minimal supervision and produce a dissertation from which there will be an eventual publication in a scholarly, refereed journal. Students can transfer up to 18 credits of courses in a prior Master of Science program into a Ph.D. program. The preliminary written and oral exams must be completed within six calendar years.
- 72 semester credit hours
- 1 credit hour of seminar (SSC 801)
- 2 credit hours of research (SSC 893 or SSC 895)
- Completion of all requirements within 10 calendar years from initial enrollment in a course applicable to the program
