The Soil Science specialization allows students to develop expertise in basic soil science and a variety of related areas, including soil remediation, fate of contaminants in soil, soil geomorphology, and basic soil physics, chemistry or microbiology.
Students from various soil judging teams, including UNL's, evaluate a soil profile from inside a pit, near Decorah, Iowa. Soil judging not only builds friendships and teamwork, but also helps students in the job market.
The School of Natural Resources is housed in the newly renovated Hardin Hall on UNL’s beautiful East Campus. The new building has excellent laboratory, office, and classroom facilities to support research, teaching and outreach regarding natural resources.
In addition, our soils laboratories are well equipped for environmental assessment of natural, managed and disturbed ecosystems. These facilities contain state-of-the-art instruments, including gas chromatographs (GC), ion chromatograph (IC), GC/MS, HPLCs with photodiode array and radioisotope detectors, UV/VIS and IR spectrophotometers, scintillation counter and an accelerated solvent extractor. Chemical fate and transport can be assessed with a soil-column transport system.
Others include devices providing strict control of environmental variables such as anaerobic chambers and Eh/pH-Stat. Our laboratories are equipped with instruments for characterizing clay mineralogy (XRD), soil hydraulic properties and solute transport. Facilities are also available for microbiology and nutrient cycling studies.
Faculty Point-of-Contact
If you are interested in the Soil Science graduate specialization, please feel free to contact the following SNR faculty member:
Advising Faculty
Example Courses
- Soil Chemistry and Mineralogy
- Soil Environmental Chemistry
- Soil Microbiology
- Soil Pedology
- Soil Physics
- Xenobiotics in Soil and Water
Admission Requirements
All potential SNR M.S. graduate students must meet the following minimum requirements or provide the requested information:
- A bachelor’s degree with a background that includes at least one course in each of the following disciplines with a minimum of eight courses total:
- Mathematics (must include one semester of Calculus)
- Physics
- Chemistry
- Life Sciences (Agronomy, Biology, Ecology, Forestry, Wetlands, etc.)
- Earth Sciences (Geology, Meteorology, Oceanography, Soils, etc.)
- GRE with minimum recommended scores of 1120 for Verbal and Quantitative copmbined and 4.0 for Analytical Writing.
- TOEFL score of 550 paper-, 213 computer- or 79 web-based (applies only to international applicants for whom English is not the first language)
- GPA of 3.0 (on a 4-point system)
- Three letters of recommendation
- Statement of purpose
Program Requirements
Print a document containing complete program requirements.
Soil science graduates have a opportunity to enjoy a wide array of employment opportunities in science, technology, and private business sectors. For individuals who enjoy being outdoors, there are numerous opportunities to map and classify soils, sample surface and ground water or obtain soil samples as field consultants. If your interests are in protecting or restoring the environment, there are numerous environmental consulting firms that will let you use your training in soil chemistry, soil physics and soil geomorphology to solve challenging environmental problems and issues. Careers in natural resource planning and management can also be rewarding.
Natural Resource
Sciences Program
Specializations
- Adaptive Management
- Agricultural Meteorology
- Agroforestry
- Applied Ecology
- Aquatic Ecology
- Bio-Atmospheric Interactions
- Climate Assessment and Impacts
- Environmental Studies
- Geographic Information Systems
- Great Plains Studies
- Human Dimensions
- Hydrologic Sciences
- Remote Sensing
- Soil Science
- Wildlife Ecology
