SOIL SCIENCE FACTS

Soil and water are our most important resources. They provide the food, fiber and foundation of our existence. Soil Science is the study of the soil as a component of natural and man-made systems. Soil science is the key factor in food production and is at the forefront of environmental and natural resource issues such as land use, soil contamination, ground water quality and waste disposal.

The Program

Soil science is a natural science that emphasizes the study of biology, chemistry and mathematics along with communication skills. Each program of study in soil science is personally designed based on the student’s abilities, interests and career goals. Soil science graduates gain an appreciation of agricultural production, environmental concerns and natural resource issues.

In addition, a Geoscience minor can be earned from the Department of Geosciences which includes a strong soil science component in the required course work. Interested students should contact the Department of Geosciences.

Career Opportunities

Graduates in Soil Science obtain positions in production agriculture, conservation, consulting, research, teaching, extension and natural resource management. Agencies and businesses that hire soil science graduates include soil and plant testing labs, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Colleges of Agriculture, the Extension Service, the Forest Service, Agricultural Experiment Stations, the Bureau of Land Management, Department of Health, the Public Service Commission, Departments of Natural Resources and a variety of consulting firms and agribusiness companies.

The B.S. degree also prepares students for advanced training. The department offers M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. Starting salaries with the bachelor’s degree are about $30,000 to $36,000.

Financial Aid and Scholarships

The Department of Soil Science provides seven scholarships each year. These scholarships range from $300 to $2,300 each. Part-time employment during the school year and summer is available. An internship program leading to full-time employment is available with the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Loans and grants may be obtained through the NDSU Office of Financial Aid. Other scholarship opportunities are possible through the College of Agriculture. To receive scholarship information contact the Office of Dean, College of Agriculture, NDSU, Morrill Hall 315, Fargo, ND 58105.

Assistantships

Some faculty may have graduate research assistantships available. At NDSU there is a tuition waiver if you have a research assistantship appointment. Check the Assistantships page for currently offered opportunities in the department.

The Faculty

Our Soil Science Department, in reality, is the Soil, Water and Atmospheric Sciences Department. Our faculty are actively engaged in teaching and research in all of these areas.

Dr. David Hopkins is in the Soil Classification and Genesis Division of the department. He is the instructor for our Soil Genesis (Soil 444/644) course and Advanced Soil Genisis (Soil 784). Dr. Hopkins also works with Range Science to improve our understanding of how soil properties control the distribution of native plant communities.

Dr. Frank Casey,  Dr. Tom DeSutter and Dr. Larry Cihacek are our Environmental Soil Scientists. Dr. DeSutter teaches our Soils and Land Use course (Soil 410/610) and Environmental Field Instrumentation and Sampling course (Soil 721).  Dr. DeSutter studies application of industrial by-products to soils; fate and transport of manure-borne hormones in swine production facilities, distribution of mercury in surface and subsurface soils, instrumentation for measuring soil physical and biological parameters; and soil salinity and sodicity. Dr. Casey teaces Soils and Pollution (Soil 480/680). Dr. Casey studies transport of nutrients and pesticides and how to prevent pollution. Dr. Cihacek studies in situ reactions of nutrients and potential pollutants and their interaction with soil organic matter. Dr. Cihacek teaches our Soil Fertility and Fertilzers course (Soil 322), Soil and Plant Analysis (465/665) and Soil Chemistry (Soil 755).

Dr. Lyle Prunty teaches Soil 433/633 - Soil Physics and Advanced Soil Physics (Soil 733).  Dr. Prunty is a soil physicist and is currently studying chemical, water, and heat transport processes in soils.

Dr. R. Jay Goos teaches our Introduction to Soil Science course (Soil 210). Dr. Goos studies fertilizer activity and plant growth.

Dr. Laura Overstreet teaches Soil Ecology (Soil 321).   Dr. Overstreet studies soil and water management, tillage systems, crop rotations, residue and carbon management and sugarbeets. 

Dr. Adnan Akyuz is the State Climatologist for North Dakota. He teaches Soil 217 – Introduction to Meteorology and Climatology and Soil 447/647 - Microclimatology. He also serves as Director of the North Dakota Agricultural Weather Network, (NDAWN) which consists of 66 weather stations that monitor weather conditions continuously and provides hourly and daily summaries.

Dr. Dave Franzen, Extension Soil Scientist, assists in teaching a course he helped initiate, ASM 454/654, Principles of Site-Specific Farming. The course is led by John Nowsatzki of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering. He also guests lectures in Dr. Burton Johnson’s PS 225 - “Principles of Crop Production” course in the Plant Sciences Department.

Contact NDSU's Admissions Office to apply for undergraduate study.

Contact NDSU's Graduate School to apply for graduate study.