Plant Sciences at The University of Tennessee-Knoxville
Knoxville, TN · Public · Bachelor's Degree
DegreeWorth Score (Base Case)
55
Optimistic
54
Base Case
51
Pessimistic
Earnings
$40,355/yr (-6% vs median)
AI Risk
High (45% exposed)
Job Market
Very Large (103,300 openings/yr)
How AI Changes the Outlook
Three scenarios based on how aggressively AI disrupts the career paths available to Plant Sciences graduates.
| Optimistic No Disruption |
Base Case Gradual AI |
Pessimistic Aggressive AI |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-Year Earnings | $436K | $380K | $305K |
| Earnings Multiple (In-State) | 8.1x | 7.0x | 5.7x |
| Earnings Multiple (Out-of-State) | 3.4x | 3.0x | 2.4x |
| Viable Career Paths | 9 of 9 | 9 of 9 | 9 of 9 |
| DegreeWorth Score | 55 | 54 | 51 |
10-Year Earnings Projection
*Year 1 uses actual reported earnings. Scenarios diverge as AI impact compounds over time.
4-Year Tuition (In-State)
$53,936
Out-of-state: $127,896
Median Debt at Graduation
$20,500
6.1 months of Year 1 earnings
Reported Earnings (5 Year)
$43,215
7% growth from Year 1
Career Paths
Where Plant Sciences graduates typically work. Raw data — no blending. The scenarios above model how these factors interact. This field has roughly 103,300 combined openings per year.
| Career Path | Wage | Openings/yr | Growth | AI Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forestry and conservation science teachers, postsecondary | $100,830 | 100 | +4.0% | 48% |
| Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers | $87,980 | 85,500 | -1.3% | 37% |
| Agricultural sciences teachers, postsecondary | $86,350 | 800 | +4.1% | 50% |
| Animal scientists | $79,120 | 200 | +5.8% | 53% |
| Soil and plant scientists | $71,410 | 1,700 | +5.4% | 49% |
| Conservation scientists | $67,950 | 2,500 | +3.4% | 52% |
| First-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers | $59,330 | 8,500 | +2.5% | 28% |
| Farm and home management educators | $58,120 | 1,100 | -2.5% | 37% |
Compare & Explore
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DegreeWorth Score for Plant Sciences at The University of Tennessee-Knoxville?
This program scores 54/100 in the Base Case scenario, factoring in earnings, AI disruption risk, job market size, and earnings multiple. The score ranges from 55 (optimistic) to 51 (pessimistic) depending on AI's impact.
How does AI affect Plant Sciences career prospects?
We model three scenarios: Optimistic (no disruption), Base Case (gradual AI adoption), and Pessimistic (aggressive AI displacement). In the base case, Plant Sciences graduates retain 9 of 9 viable career paths. 10-year earnings range from $305,417 (pessimistic) to $436,393 (optimistic).
How many job openings are there for Plant Sciences graduates?
The career paths mapped to Plant Sciences have roughly 103,300 combined job openings per year nationally, making this a very large job market.
Is Plant Sciences at The University of Tennessee-Knoxville worth it?
In the Base Case, this degree earns 7.0x its in-state tuition over 10 years. Even in the Pessimistic scenario, the multiple is 5.7x. 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.