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Crop and soil scientists are in demand and in short supply across the United States.  Each of our graduating undergraduate students, who is seeking a job, typically has several job offers prior to graduation.  Employers have included government agencies (Natural Resource Conservation Service, county planning and development departments), ag support companies (Wilbur Ellis, Western Farm Services, Wilco Farmers), environmental monitoring companies, plant breeding and genetics companies, and other universities (graduate programs at UC Davis, Oregon State, Ohio State).  Studying crop and soil science is not easy.  Strong math, science and communication skills are needed.  But many career paths will be open to you with a Crop and Soil Science (CSS) degree

Graduate Students in Action:

 

CSS offers many opportunities for hands on learning.  Projects in the department offer undergraduate research (barley breeding, soil chemistry, cereal grain quality, soil physics, weed management and biology, archeopedology, potato breeding and more) as well as school year and summer employment (wheat, barley, potato, and meadowfoam breeding programs; oilseed and grass seed programs and others).

CSS supports four student clubs - Soil Judging Team, Crops Club, Bug Zoo and Organic Growers Club.  You can hone your leadership skills in these clubs as well as learn valuable life skills.  Soil judgers routinely travel to regional and national contests.

All CSS students are required to do an internship.  Most are paid and offer valuable insights into the many career options available to CSS graduates.

If you want to feed the people of Oregon, the United States and world; or be part of a team exploring biofuels and bioproducts to increase energy independence in the United States; or want to do leading-edge gene research in crop plants or soil microbes; or want to use your soils knowledge to do remediation work on contaminated sites, Crop and Soil Science is the place for you.  Explore our web site and find your niche.