Associate Professional Horticulturist

Median Annual Income

$82,006

Projected Job Growth

+7 %

Career Cluster(s)

Public Service & Safety

Most Common Education Level

Bachelor's degree

Apply principles and processes of natural ecosystems to develop models for efficient industrial systems. Use knowledge from the physical and social sciences to maximize effective use of natural resources in the production and use of goods and services. Examine societal issues and their relationship with both technical systems and the environment.

Median Annual Income

$82,006

Projected Job Growth

+7 %

Career Cluster(s)

Public Service & Safety

Most Common Education Level

Bachelor's degree

Conduct research or perform investigation for the purpose of identifying, abating, or eliminating sources of pollutants or hazards that affect either the environment or public health. Using knowledge of various scientific disciplines, may collect, synthesize, study, report, and recommend action based on data derived from measurements or observations of air, food, soil, water, and other sources.

Median Annual Income

$62,183

Projected Job Growth

+6 %

Career Cluster(s)

Public Service & Safety

Most Common Education Level

Bachelor's degree

Research or study range land management practices to provide sustained production of forage, livestock, and wildlife.

Median Annual Income

$62,183

Projected Job Growth

+6 %

Career Cluster(s)

Public Service & Safety

Most Common Education Level

Bachelor's degree

Manage, improve, and protect natural resources to maximize their use without damaging the environment. May conduct soil surveys and develop plans to eliminate soil erosion or to protect rangelands. May instruct farmers, agricultural production managers, or ranchers in best ways to use crop rotation, contour plowing, or terracing to conserve soil and water; in the number and kind of livestock and forage plants best suited to particular ranges; and in range and farm improvements, such as fencing and reservoirs for stock watering.

Median Annual Income

$85,140

Projected Job Growth

+7 %

Career Cluster(s)

Energy & Natural Resources

Most Common Education Level

Bachelor's degree

Investigate the growth, structure, development, and other characteristics of microscopic organisms, such as bacteria, algae, or fungi. Includes medical microbiologists who study the relationship between organisms and disease or the effects of antibiotics on microorganisms.

Median Annual Income

$91,514

Projected Job Growth

+6 %

Career Cluster(s)

Healthcare & Human Services

Most Common Education Level

Bachelor's degree

Research or study basic principles of plant and animal life, such as origin, relationship, development, anatomy, and functions.

Median Annual Income

$97,266

Projected Job Growth

+8 %

Career Cluster(s)

Agriculture

Most Common Education Level

Bachelor's degree

Apply knowledge of engineering technology and biological science to agricultural problems concerned with power and machinery, electrification, structures, soil and water conservation, and processing of agricultural products.

Median Annual Income

$44,420

Projected Job Growth

+6 %

Career Cluster(s)

Agriculture

Most Common Education Level

Associate's degree

Apply geospatial technologies, including geographic information systems (GIS) and Global Positioning System (GPS), to agricultural production or management activities, such as pest scouting, site-specific pesticide application, yield mapping, or variable-rate irrigation. May use computers to develop or analyze maps or remote sensing images to compare physical topography with data on soils, fertilizer, pests, or weather.

Median Annual Income

$91,447

Projected Job Growth

+6 %

Career Cluster(s)

Energy & Natural Resources

Most Common Education Level

Bachelor's degree

Study the composition, structure, and other physical aspects of the Earth. May use geological, physics, and mathematics knowledge in exploration for oil, gas, minerals, or underground water; or in waste disposal, land reclamation, or other environmental problems. May study the Earth's internal composition, atmospheres, and oceans, and its magnetic, electrical, and gravitational forces. Includes mineralogists, paleontologists, stratigraphers, geodesists, and seismologists.

Median Annual Income

$83,705

Projected Job Growth

+3 %

Career Cluster(s)

Energy & Natural Resources

Most Common Education Level

Bachelor's degree

Research the distribution, circulation, and physical properties of underground and surface waters; and study the form and intensity of precipitation and its rate of infiltration into the soil, movement through the earth, and return to the ocean and atmosphere.

Median Annual Income

$

Projected Job Growth

+7 %

Career Cluster(s)

Energy & Natural Resources

Most Common Education Level

Bachelor's degree

Conduct research in breeding, physiology, production, yield, and management of crops and agricultural plants or trees, shrubs, and nursery stock, their growth in soils, and control of pests; or study the chemical, physical, biological, and mineralogical composition of soils as they relate to plant or crop growth. May classify and map soils and investigate effects of alternative practices on soil and crop productivity.

Median Annual Income

$

Projected Job Growth

+4 %

Career Cluster(s)

Hospitality, Events, & Tourism

Most Common Education Level

High school diploma or equivalent

Directly supervise and coordinate activities of workers engaged in landscaping or groundskeeping activities. Work may involve reviewing contracts to ascertain service, machine, and workforce requirements; answering inquiries from potential customers regarding methods, material, and price ranges; and preparing estimates according to labor, material, and machine costs.

Median Annual Income

$

Projected Job Growth

+3 %

Career Cluster(s)

Energy & Natural Resources

Most Common Education Level

High school diploma or equivalent

Directly supervise and coordinate the activities of agricultural, forestry, aquacultural, and related workers.

Median Annual Income

$

Projected Job Growth

-2 %

Career Cluster(s)

Agriculture

Most Common Education Level

No formal educational credential

Manually plant, cultivate, and harvest vegetables, fruits, nuts, horticultural specialties, and field crops. Use hand tools, such as shovels, trowels, hoes, tampers, pruning hooks, shears, and knives. Duties may include tilling soil and applying fertilizers; transplanting, weeding, thinning, or pruning crops; applying pesticides; or cleaning, grading, sorting, packing, and loading harvested products. May construct trellises, repair fences and farm buildings, or participate in irrigation activities.