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Soil Sciences at The University of Tennessee-Knoxville

Knoxville, TN · Public · Bachelor's Degree
58 /100
DegreeWorth Score (Base Case)
57
Optimistic
58
Base Case
54
Pessimistic
Earnings $55,322/yr (10% vs median)
AI Risk High (47% exposed)
Job Market Small (7,100 openings/yr)

How AI Changes the Outlook

Three scenarios based on how aggressively AI disrupts the career paths available to Soil Sciences graduates.

Optimistic
No Disruption		 Base Case
Gradual AI		 Pessimistic
Aggressive AI
10-Year Earnings $636K $541K $415K
Earnings Multiple (In-State) 11.8x 10.0x 7.7x
Earnings Multiple (Out-of-State) 5.0x 4.2x 3.2x
Viable Career Paths 4 of 4 4 of 4 4 of 4
DegreeWorth Score 57 58 54

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
$22,798
4.9 months of Year 1 earnings
Reported Earnings (5 Year)
$62,443
13% growth from Year 1

Career Paths

Where Soil Sciences graduates typically work. Raw data — no blending. The scenarios above model how these factors interact. This field has roughly 7,100 combined openings per year.

Career Path Wage Openings/yr Growth AI Risk
Microbiologists $87,330 1,700 +4.1% 40%
Agricultural sciences teachers, postsecondary $86,350 800 +4.1% 50%
Soil and plant scientists $71,410 1,700 +5.4% 49%
Agricultural technicians $46,790 2,900 +4.3% 50%

Compare & Explore

Soil Sciences at Other Schools

Southern Illinois University-Carbondale ($55,076) Michigan State University ($50,770) University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point ($50,046) Colorado State University-Fort Collins ($46,287) Oklahoma State University-Main Campus ($43,421)

Other Majors at The University of Tennessee-Knoxville

Chemical Engineering ($76,302) Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering ($75,316) Computer Engineering ($74,085) Industrial Engineering ($73,822) Nuclear Engineering ($73,724) Computer Science ($70,193) Mechanical Engineering ($65,756) Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing ($65,298)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the DegreeWorth Score for Soil Sciences at The University of Tennessee-Knoxville?
This program scores 58/100 in the Base Case scenario, factoring in earnings, AI disruption risk, job market size, and earnings multiple. The score ranges from 57 (optimistic) to 54 (pessimistic) depending on AI's impact.
How does AI affect Soil Sciences career prospects?
We model three scenarios: Optimistic (no disruption), Base Case (gradual AI adoption), and Pessimistic (aggressive AI displacement). In the base case, Soil Sciences graduates retain 4 of 4 viable career paths. 10-year earnings range from $415,144 (pessimistic) to $636,352 (optimistic).
How many job openings are there for Soil Sciences graduates?
The career paths mapped to Soil Sciences have roughly 7,100 combined job openings per year nationally, making this a small job market.
Is Soil Sciences at The University of Tennessee-Knoxville worth it?
In the Base Case, this degree earns 10.0x its in-state tuition over 10 years. Even in the Pessimistic scenario, the multiple is 7.7x. 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.