Program Overview

Soil Science Graduate Major (MS, PhD)

The Soil Science Graduate Major at Oregon State University offers students the opportunity to conduct research and produce creative work in the field of soil science. The program is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of soil science, including environmental soil science, forest soils, nutrient cycling, soil geochemistry, and soil conservation and land use.

Graduate Areas of Concentration

The program offers several areas of concentration, including:

• Environmental soil science
• Forest soils
• Nutrient cycling
• Soil geochemistry
• Soil conservation and land use
• Soil fertility and plant nutrition
• Soil genesis and classification
• Soil microbiology
• Soil physics

Faculty research specializations in soil science include ecosystem services, forest soils, management of soil nutrients, mineral-organic matter interactions, soil archeology, soil biogeochemistry, soil microbial ecology, sustainable cropping systems, soil geomorphology, soil genesis, and soil hydrology.

MS Program

The MS program in Soil Science requires students to:

• Conduct research or produce some other form of creative work
• Demonstrate mastery of subject material
• Conduct scholarly or professional activities in an ethical manner

PhD Program

The PhD program in Soil Science requires students to:

• Produce and defend an original significant contribution to knowledge
• Demonstrate mastery of subject material
• Conduct scholarly activities in an ethical manner

Course List

The following courses are required for the Soil Science Graduate Major:

• SOIL 513: (Terminated Summer 2019) - 4 credits
• SOIL 523: PRINCIPLES OF STABLE ISOTOPES - 3 credits
• SOIL 525: MINERAL-ORGANIC MATTER INTERACTIONS - 3 credits
• SOIL 535: SOIL PHYSICS - 3 credits
• SOIL 536: VADOSE ZONE HYDROLOGY LABORATORY - 1 credit
• SOIL 545: ENVIRONMENTAL SOIL CHEMISTRY - 3 credits
• SOIL 555: BIOLOGY OF SOIL ECOSYSTEMS - 4 credits
• SOIL 566: SOIL MORPHOLOGY AND CLASSIFICATION - 4 credits
• SOIL 568: SOIL LANDSCAPE ANALYSIS - 4 credits
• SOIL 645: SOIL MICROBIAL ECOLOGY - 3 credits Total credits required: 32

Major Code

The major code for the Soil Science Graduate Major is 1600.