Education

Your first step to becoming a soil specialist is to complete high school with the appropriate university or college entrance qualifications. Requirements may vary, so contact the university or college directly for more information.

Your career in soils begins with a Bachelors degree or diploma. While obtaining your degree or diploma you may study soil ecology; soil and plant interactions; contaminated soil cleanup and reclamation; how to farm soils; and generally what makes soils tick.

You will learn: that soils are the foundation of life on our planet; how soils differ; how they develop; and what uses they are capable of and suitable for. You will also study the interactions of soils and water and how soils affect the quality of the water you drink. Understanding these relationships and complexities will provide you with the tools to make an important contribution to keeping our soil resource in excellent condition for generations to come. You CAN make a difference.

After your initial soils studies you may decide, as many have, to continue your education through Masters, Doctoral and post-Doctoral studies, or through other courses interesting to you. Or you may find yourself in an exciting career in industry or government work.

For more information, contact any university or college which offers programs in earth sciences, agriculture, forestry, environmental science or natural resource management.