Plant & Agricultural Systems
What you'll do in college
These majors study the crops and the ground they grow in. Coursework covers plant biology, genetics, and breeding; soil chemistry and physics; agronomy, horticulture, and integrated pest management; and increasingly precision agriculture and climate-smart farming. Expect a mix of greenhouse, field, and lab work, often on university-owned research farms.
Students can specialize in turf management, viticulture, sustainable agriculture, or crop genetics. Summer jobs and internships at seed companies, research stations, and cooperative extension services are standard, and senior projects often involve running actual field trials.
What you'll do after college
Graduates become agronomists, crop consultants, plant breeders, extension agents, and researchers at seed and chemical companies like Corteva, Bayer, and Syngenta. Others go into vineyard management, golf course and sports turf management, or sustainable agriculture nonprofits.
Demand is strong as agriculture adapts to climate change and precision technology reshapes how fields are managed. Pay is moderate; advancement often means specializing (e.g., becoming a certified crop adviser) or going to graduate school for plant breeding or soil science research.
Famous graduates
- Norman Borlaug — Nobel Peace Prize winner and father of the Green Revolution; Ph.D. in Plant Pathology from University of Minnesota
- Luther Burbank — Pioneering American botanist and horticulturist who developed over 800 plant varieties
Selectivity vs. earnings
By acceptance rate
By SAT median
Earnings vs. selectivity rank
Majors in this category
| Major | Colleges | Degrees ▼ | Male/Female | Intl | 5yr Earn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plant & Agricultural Systems | 151 | 6,051 | 52% / 48% | 1% | $58,286 |
| Agriculture | 71 | 1,847 | 41% / 59% | 1% | $55,254 |
| Forestry | 28 | 716 | 70% / 30% | 0% | $63,995 |
| Horticultural Science | 25 | 431 | 42% / 58% | 3% | $56,680 |
| Agronomy and Crop Science | 24 | 425 | 56% / 44% | 1% | $61,751 |
| Plant Science | 21 | 377 | 54% / 46% | 1% | $54,591 |
| Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture | 17 | 203 | 42% / 58% | 3% | $48,428 |
| Soil Science | 12 | 165 | 53% / 47% | 0% | $65,643 |
| Horticulture | 10 | 153 | 43% / 57% | 2% | $59,659 |
| Agricultural Science | 2 | 138 | 41% / 59% | 0% | $50,155 |
| Agricultural Mechanization | 9 | 121 | 89% / 11% | 0% | $77,764 |
| Forest Sciences and Biology | 5 | 117 | 69% / 31% | 0% | $56,255 |
| Plant and Wildlife Sciences | 1 | 111 | 48% / 52% | 1% | $63,853 |
| Plant Protection and Integrated Pest Management | 3 | 96 | 69% / 31% | 1% | $57,515 |
| Range, Wildlife, and Fisheries Management | 1 | 68 | 51% / 49% | 0% | $48,366 |
| Forest Resources and Conservation | 1 | 66 | 53% / 47% | 2% | $59,450 |
| Forest Biomaterials | 1 | 64 | 62% / 38% | 0% | $76,271 |
| Range Science and Management | 7 | 54 | 46% / 54% | 0% | $57,434 |
| Landscape Management | 2 | 50 | 22% / 78% | 4% | $47,568 |
| Forest Management/Forest Resources Management | 3 | 48 | 77% / 23% | 0% | $57,851 |
| Crop Science | 1 | 48 | 50% / 50% | 0% | $65,570 |
| Agronomy | 3 | 42 | 71% / 17% | 5% | $67,382 |
| Plant Sciences | 3 | 42 | 38% / 62% | 14% | $54,073 |
| Applied Horticulture/Horticulture Operations | 3 | 39 | 69% / 31% | 3% | $57,613 |
| Agricultural Production Operations | 4 | 38 | 74% / 26% | 0% | $56,401 |
| Crop and Soil Sciences | 2 | 38 | 58% / 42% | 0% | $53,056 |
| Plant Pathology | 2 | 37 | 54% / 46% | 0% | $56,585 |
| Plant and Soil Science | 1 | 34 | 35% / 65% | 0% | |
| Agricultural Operations | 1 | 33 | 27% / 73% | 3% | $76,186 |
| Urban Forestry | 3 | 30 | 50% / 50% | 0% | |
| Sustainable Plant and Soil Systems | 1 | 24 | 58% / 42% | 0% | |
| Soil Chemistry and Physics | 2 | 21 | 38% / 62% | 0% | $67,143 |
| Crop and Weed Sciences | 1 | 21 | 48% / 52% | 0% | $81,249 |
| Forest Management | 4 | 20 | 75% / 25% | 0% | $52,078 |
| Agricultural Sciences | 2 | 20 | 75% / 25% | 0% | $59,165 |
| Turfgrass Science | 3 | 18 | 100% / 0% | 0% | $58,779 |
| Range and Wildlife Management | 1 | 18 | 67% / 33% | 0% | |
| Landscape Contracting | 1 | 17 | 88% / 12% | 0% | $56,129 |
| Plant and Environmental Soil Science | 1 | 17 | 76% / 24% | 0% | |
| Sustainable Agriculture | 3 | 16 | 81% / 19% | 0% | $81,249 |
| Forest Resources Management | 2 | 15 | 80% / 20% | 0% | $58,322 |
| Landscaping and Groundskeeping | 2 | 15 | 93% / 7% | 0% | $63,046 |
| Agroecology | 1 | 15 | 33% / 67% | 0% | |
| Crop and Soil Science | 1 | 15 | 60% / 40% | 0% | $50,814 |
| Rangeland Ecology and Watershed Management | 1 | 14 | 50% / 50% | 0% | $58,693 |
| Sustainable Food and Farming Systems | 1 | 14 | 21% / 79% | 0% | |
| Applied Horticulture/Horticultural Business Services | 2 | 13 | 62% / 38% | 0% | $48,120 |
| Ornamental Horticulture | 1 | 12 | 42% / 58% | 0% | |
| Rangeland Resources Science | 1 | 12 | 42% / 58% | 0% | $44,833 |
| Soil Sciences | 3 | 10 | 50% / 50% | 0% | |
| Agricultural Processing | 1 | 10 | 70% / 30% | 10% | |
| Integrated Agriculture Technologies | 1 | 10 | 30% / 70% | 0% | $48,034 |
| Urban Horticulture | 1 | 10 | 30% / 70% | 0% | |
| Turf and Turfgrass Management | 3 | 9 | 100% / 0% | 0% | |
| Forest Biology | 2 | 8 | 62% / 38% | 0% | $50,322 |
| Agronomy and Soils | 1 | 6 | 83% / 17% | 0% | $64,317 |
| Rangeland Ecology and Management | 1 | 5 | 100% / 0% | 0% | |
| Forest Operations | 1 | 4 | 50% / 50% | 0% | $66,856 |
| Turfgrass Science and Management | 1 | 4 | 100% / 0% | 0% | $52,524 |
| Agricultural and Horticultural Plant Breeding | 1 | 3 | 67% / 33% | 0% | |
| Crop Production | 1 | 3 | 33% / 67% | 0% | |
| Golf Course Operation and Grounds Management | 1 | 3 | 67% / 33% | 0% | |
| Integrated Science (Agriculture) | 1 | 3 | 33% / 67% | 67% | |
| Turf Management and Science | 1 | 3 | 100% / 0% | 0% | |
| Soil Science and Agronomy | 2 | 2 | 0% / 100% | 0% | |
| Forest Science | 1 | 2 | 50% / 50% | 0% | |
| Plant Nursery Operations and Management | 1 | 2 | 100% / 0% | 0% | |
| Sustainable Plant Systems | 1 | 2 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $44,892 |
| Turfgrass Management | 1 | 2 | 100% / 0% | 0% | |
| Ecological Landscape Planning and Design | 1 | 1 | 100% / 0% | 0% | |
| Food Systems | 1 | 1 | 100% / 0% | 0% |