The teaching of soil science at 1994 land grant institutions

Abstract Soil science education in the United States has historically been primarily tied to the land grant universities. However, an evaluation of soil science education at the 34, 1994 land grant colleges and universities (1994s), which are also tribal colleges and universities that focus on education for Native Americans, has not been conducted. This study utilized information available on the 1994s webpages to determine (1) how many soil science courses each 1994 offered and in which subdisciplines, (2) which degree programs are supported by the soil science courses, (3) the characteristics of the faculty who teach these courses, and (4) changes in the above that took place between 2018 and 2025. Most of the 1994s (19 [56%] in 2018 and 22 (65%) in 2025) offered at least one soil science course, and these supported 32 certificate or degree programs in 2018, which increased to 51 in 2025. Environmental science, agriculture, and natural resources were the most common certificate and degree program areas supported by the soil science coursework. Most of the faculty teaching soil science in the 1994s had advanced degrees (16 of 18 in 2018 and 16 of 19 in 2025) in a wide range of fields, which is typical for soil science instructors in the United States. These faculty were 22.2% and 31.6% women in 2018 and 2025, respectively, very similar numbers to soil science degree granting programs. This study provides a snapshot of soil science education in the 1994s and a baseline for future comparisons.