Home › Rankings › Best Plant Sciences Schools

Best Schools for Plant Sciences in 2026

50 schools ranked by DegreeWorth Score · Updated 2026

These are the top schools offering Plant Sciences, ranked by DegreeWorth Score. The score combines graduate earnings, AI automation resilience, job market demand, and return on tuition investment. The average Plant Sciences graduate earns $42,710/yr across 50 schools.

Programs Ranked
50
Avg Earnings
$42,710/yr
Avg DW Score
47/100
AI Risk
High
46% task exposure

All Plant Sciences Programs Ranked

Click any row for full AI scenario analysis, earnings projections, and career path breakdown.

# School DW Score Earnings ROI
1 California State University-Fresno
Fresno, CA · Public 		68
63–69 		$60,443/yr 27.2x
2 California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, CA · Public 		65
60–66 		$63,129/yr 15.7x
3 South Dakota State University
Brookings, SD · Public 		63
58–64 		$58,787/yr 17.1x
4 California State University-Chico
Chico, CA · Public 		60
55–61 		$43,944/yr 20.9x
5 University of Wisconsin-Platteville
Platteville, WI · Public 		60
54–61 		$47,910/yr 18.2x
6 Kansas State University
Manhattan, KS · Public 		57
51–58 		$50,115/yr 13.1x
7 University of Minnesota-Crookston
Crookston, MN · Public 		57
52–58 		$57,915/yr 10.9x
8 Southeast Missouri State University
Cape Girardeau, MO · Public 		57
51–58 		$48,546/yr 14.6x
9 Northwest Missouri State University
Maryville, MO · Public 		56
50–56 		$47,170/yr 13.6x
10 University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Lincoln, NE · Public 		56
50–56 		$47,716/yr 13.5x
11 University of Wisconsin-River Falls
River Falls, WI · Public 		55
49–56 		$48,791/yr 14.5x
12 Arkansas State University
Jonesboro, AR · Public 		54
48–54 		$49,536/yr 14.9x
13 California State Polytechnic University-Pomona
Pomona, CA · Public 		54
49–55 		$46,152/yr 16.2x
14 University of Idaho
Moscow, ID · Public 		54
49–55 		$44,559/yr 14.8x
15 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL · Public 		53
47–54 		$45,411/yr 9.5x
16 Iowa State University
Ames, IA · Public 		53
47–54 		$49,393/yr 11.9x
17 California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt
Arcata, CA · Public 		52
47–53 		$44,038/yr 15.0x
18 University of Missouri-Columbia
Columbia, MO · Public 		51
45–52 		$46,627/yr 9.4x
19 North Carolina State University at Raleigh
Raleigh, NC · Public 		51
46–52 		$42,008/yr 14.0x
20 North Dakota State University-Main Campus
Fargo, ND · Public 		49
43–49 		$49,048/yr 10.3x
21 University of Wyoming
Laramie, WY · Public 		49
45–50 		$36,062/yr 18.2x
22 Mississippi State University
Mississippi State, MS · Public 		48
42–49 		$45,994/yr 11.0x
23 Auburn University
Auburn, AL · Public 		47
42–48 		$39,024/yr 10.5x
24 Ohio State University-Main Campus
Columbus, OH · Public 		47
41–47 		$42,712/yr 9.4x
25 University of Florida
Gainesville, FL · Public 		46
42–46 		$36,372/yr 17.2x
26 Washington State University
Pullman, WA · Public 		46
40–47 		$47,531/yr 8.1x
27 Texas A & M University-Kingsville
Kingsville, TX · Public 		45
41–45 		$34,744/yr 12.8x
28 Chadron State College
Chadron, NE · Public 		44
40–45 		$36,558/yr 13.6x
29 Texas A & M University-College Station
College Station, TX · Public 		44
39–45 		$45,163/yr 7.6x
30 Oregon State University-Cascades Campus
Bend, OR · Public 		44
39–45 		$38,397/yr 9.6x
31 University of California-Davis
Davis, CA · Public 		43
37–43 		$43,873/yr 6.2x
32 Oregon State University
Corvallis, OR · Public 		43
38–44 		$38,397/yr 8.9x
33 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Blacksburg, VA · Public 		43
37–43 		$42,861/yr 7.0x
34 University of Georgia
Athens, GA · Public 		42
37–43 		$40,794/yr 8.1x
35 Clemson University
Clemson, SC · Public 		42
37–43 		$46,395/yr 6.2x
36 Utah State University
Logan, UT · Public 		42
39–42 		$28,091/yr 14.8x
37 Middle Tennessee State University
Murfreesboro, TN · Public 		41
36–41 		$37,716/yr 8.9x
38 Montana State University
Bozeman, MT · Public 		40
37–41 		$33,311/yr 13.3x
39 University of Delaware
Newark, DE · Public 		39
34–40 		$39,362/yr 5.1x
40 The University of Tennessee-Knoxville
Knoxville, TN · Public 		39
34–39 		$40,355/yr 7.0x
41 Colorado State University-Fort Collins
Fort Collins, CO · Public 		38
33–38 		$36,980/yr 6.2x
42 Missouri State University-Springfield
Springfield, MO · Public 		38
34–39 		$36,173/yr 10.4x
43 University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR · Public 		38
35–39 		$30,053/yr 18.2x
44 University of Massachusetts-Amherst
Amherst, MA · Public 		37
32–37 		$37,170/yr 4.4x
45 West Virginia University
Morgantown, WV · Public 		37
32–37 		$37,454/yr 8.7x
46 Rutgers University-New Brunswick
New Brunswick, NJ · Public 		36
32–37 		$36,362/yr 4.3x
47 Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI · Public 		35
31–36 		$35,701/yr 6.3x
48 University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN · Public 		34
30–35 		$35,216/yr 5.9x
49 University of Vermont
Burlington, VT · Public 		32
29–33 		$33,221/yr 3.4x
50 Cornell University
Ithaca, NY · Private nonprofit 		23
20–24 		$32,236/yr 0.9x

Methodology

Programs are ranked by DegreeWorth Score, which combines four equally weighted factors: graduate earnings (Year 1 after graduation), AI automation resilience (based on OpenAI and academic research), job market size (BLS annual openings), and earnings-to-tuition multiple (10-year projected earnings vs. 4-year tuition).

Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, which reports actual median earnings of graduates — not self-reported surveys.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best school for Plant Sciences?
Based on our DegreeWorth Score, California State University-Fresno ranks #1 for Plant Sciences with a score of 68/100 and graduate earnings of $60,443/yr.
How much do Plant Sciences graduates earn?
Across 50 schools, Plant Sciences graduates earn an average of $42,710/yr in their first year. The highest-earning program reports $63,129/yr.
Is Plant Sciences a good major for AI resistance?
Plant Sciences has an average AI task exposure of 46%, rated "High". This field has moderate AI exposure — some career paths are more resilient than others.
Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024–2034 (employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE. Last updated 2025.