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Botany/Plant Biology at California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt

Arcata, CA · Public · Bachelor's Degree
48 /100
DegreeWorth Score (Base Case)
52
Optimistic
48
Base Case
40
Pessimistic
Earnings $30,713/yr (-6% vs median)
AI Risk High (49% exposed)
Job Market Medium (20,400 openings/yr)

How AI Changes the Outlook

Three scenarios based on how aggressively AI disrupts the career paths available to Botany/Plant Biology graduates.

Optimistic
No Disruption		 Base Case
Gradual AI		 Pessimistic
Aggressive AI
10-Year Earnings $599K $374K $228K
Earnings Multiple (In-State) 18.9x 11.8x 7.2x
Earnings Multiple (Out-of-State) 7.6x 4.7x 2.9x
Viable Career Paths 4 of 4 4 of 4 4 of 4
DegreeWorth Score 52 48 40

10-Year Earnings Projection

*Year 1 uses actual reported earnings. Scenarios diverge as AI impact compounds over time.

4-Year Tuition (In-State)
$31,652
Out-of-state: $79,172
Reported Earnings (5 Year)
$52,224
70% growth from Year 1

Career Paths

Where Botany/Plant Biology graduates typically work. Raw data — no blending. The scenarios above model how these factors interact. This field has roughly 20,400 combined openings per year.

Career Path Wage Openings/yr Growth AI Risk
Natural sciences managers $161,180 8,500 +3.7% 50%
Biological scientists, all other $93,330 4,800 +1.2% 49%
Biological science teachers, postsecondary $83,460 5,400 +7.3% 47%
Soil and plant scientists $71,410 1,700 +5.4% 49%

Compare & Explore

Botany/Plant Biology at Other Schools

Iowa State University ($34,442) North Carolina State University at Raleigh ($33,009)

Other Majors at California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt

Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering ($55,589) Forestry ($52,810) Plant Sciences ($44,038) Computer Science ($37,153) Business Administration, Management and Operations ($36,586) Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics ($36,444) Political Science and Government ($36,079) Social Work ($35,693)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the DegreeWorth Score for Botany/Plant Biology at California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt?
This program scores 48/100 in the Base Case scenario, factoring in earnings, AI disruption risk, job market size, and earnings multiple. The score ranges from 52 (optimistic) to 40 (pessimistic) depending on AI's impact.
How does AI affect Botany/Plant Biology career prospects?
We model three scenarios: Optimistic (no disruption), Base Case (gradual AI adoption), and Pessimistic (aggressive AI displacement). In the base case, Botany/Plant Biology graduates retain 4 of 4 viable career paths. 10-year earnings range from $227,876 (pessimistic) to $599,496 (optimistic).
How many job openings are there for Botany/Plant Biology graduates?
The career paths mapped to Botany/Plant Biology have roughly 20,400 combined job openings per year nationally, making this a medium job market.
Is Botany/Plant Biology at California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt worth it?
In the Base Case, this degree earns 11.8x its in-state tuition over 10 years. Even in the Pessimistic scenario, the multiple is 7.2x. The spread between scenarios tells you how sensitive this degree is to AI disruption.
Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024-2034 (employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE. Scenarios use a continuous weighting function combining AI exposure and BLS job growth projections. "Earnings Multiple" is total 10-year projected earnings divided by tuition — not a discounted financial ROI. Last updated 2025.