Master of Science in Soil Science
- Fall January 10
- Spring July 1
- Pullman: Yes
Admission Requirements:
Priority application deadlines are January 10 for Fall term applications and July 1 for Spring term applications. Applications meeting these deadlines are most competitive, however applications may be submitted at anytime. In addition to the Graduate School admission requirements, a personal statement of the applicant’s educational goals and professional expectations, three letters of reference, and GRE scores are also required.
Undergraduates who anticipate graduate study in Soil Science at Washington State University are advised to obtain a background in natural sciences including botany, geology, genetics, chemistry, mathematics, physics, statistics, and plant and soil sciences.
Acceptance of qualified applicants is generally dependent upon availability of research support and a suitable advisor. The final decision to admit a student with only a BS degree into the PhD program rests with the soil science faculty.
Student Learning Outcome:
All graduates will be able to:
- Knowledge of field: Understands the breadth and depth of knowledge associated with their discipline.
- Scientific reasoning: Designs, conducts, analyzes, and interprets research effectively on important problems in their discipline.
- Communication: Communicates effectively to a diverse group of people using appropriate traditional and emerging technological media.
- Original contribution: Makes an original contribution to their discipline.
Student Opportunities:
Students have the opportunity to gain leadership, communication, and instructional experience through the option of serving as teaching assistants for one or more courses within their discipline. Extension program delivery, and Graduate School teacher training and grant proposal writing workshop opportunities are also available.
Career Opportunities:
Soil scientists with advanced degrees may find employment in government agencies, national labs, academia, private business, environmental and agricultural consulting, and organic, international, and sustainable agriculture.
Career Placements:
National Lab scientists, USDA scientists, Agribusiness owners, Extension agents, Natural Resource Conservation Service scientists, Soil fertility analysts/consultants.
Faculty Members:
Allan, Robert E
Serves as: co-chair on graduate committee
Baser, John Donald, M.Ed.
Serves as: chair on graduate committee
Research Interests
Agricultural education and educational leadership.
Benedict, Chris, M.S.
Serves as: member only on graduate committee
Boydston, Rick A, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair on graduate committee
Research Interests
Development of integrated management practices for weeds in irrigated annual crop rotations.
Brown, David Joseph, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair on graduate committee
Research Interests
Measuring, modeling and explaining the spatial variability of soil properties and processes at hillslope to regional scales; with extensive use of digital terrain modeling, optical remote sensing, spatial statistics, and proximal soil sensing techniques (e.g. VisNIR spectroscopy).
Burke, Ian, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair on graduate committee
Research Interests
Basic aspects of weed biology and ecology with the goal of integrating such information into practical and economical methods of managing weeds in the environment.
Campbell, Colin Sanford
Serves as: member only on graduate committee
Research Interests
Biophysical instrumentation design and development for applications in soil physics and food science, micrometeorological measurements of field-scale heat and carbon dioxide transport, and measuring and modeling energy balance partitioning in flooded fields.
Campbell, Kimberly, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair on graduate committee
Research Interests
Wheat breeding for winter survival and frost tolerance, characterization of stress resistance genes and mechanisms, & improvement and genotyping of wheat and barley germplasm for the Western U.S.
Carpenter-Boggs, Lynne, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair on graduate committee
Research Interests
Biologically improving crop and soil health, and sustainable use of agricultural by-products.
Carter, Arron Hyrum, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair on graduate committee
Research Interests
Research is directed toward breeding improved wheat varieties for cropping systems in Washington state that incorporate diverse rotations and environments. New varieties are developed using a combination of traditional plant breeding methods and biotechnology. Research efforts include identifying genetic solutions to winter wheat production problems, thereby enhancing the sustainability of the Washington wheat industry. Farmer participation is utilized in the development of new varieties and in research planning.
Chen, Weidong, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair on graduate committee
Research Interests
Fungal diseases of grain legumes, ecology and epidemiology of grain legume diseases, genetics of host-pathogen interactions
Cobos, Douglas R, Ph.D.
Serves as: member only on graduate committee
Research Interests
Instrumentation design and development for soil science, plant science, materials science, engineering, commercial agriculture, and (briefly) interplanetary research applications. Biophysical processes, specializing in surface-atmosphere mass and energy exchange.
Cogger, Craig George, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair on graduate committee
Research Interests
Organic nutrient management; organic farming systems; use of animal manure, biosolids, and composts in agriculture and urban landscapes; soil quality, food safety, greenhouse gases in agriculture.
Collins, Harold P, PhD.
Serves as: chair on graduate committee
Research Interests
USDA Crop and Soil Sciences
Davenport, Joan R, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair on graduate committee
Research Interests
Soil fertility and plant nutrition in for both annual and perennial crop plants grown in irrigated systems.
Embertson, Nichole
Serves as: member only on graduate committee
Esser, Aaron, M.S.
Serves as: chair on graduate committee
Flury, Markus, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair on graduate committee
Research Interests
Water and solute transport in the vadose zone, colloid and colloid-faciltated transport in the vadose zone, sorption mechanisms of organic solutes and its effects on transport, lateral dispersion mechanisms, dye tracers for vadose zone hydrology, interpretation development of soil physical measurement techniques.
Fransen, Steven C, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair on graduate committee
Research Interests
Forage crops and feedstocks for biofuels such as switchgrass.
Frazier, Bruce E, Ph.D.
Serves as: co-chair on graduate committee
Fuerst, Eugene Patrick, PhD
Serves as: chair on graduate committee
Research Interests
Biochemical and molecular seed defenses and how these are linked to weed seed longevity and wheat quality.
Gardner, John C
Serves as: member only on graduate committee
Gill, Kulvinder, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair on graduate committee
Research Interests
Understanding the molecular basis of chromosome pairing control in polyploids, genome organization of grass species including localizing and demarcating gene-containing regions, molecular characterization of agronomically important genes including disease resistance genes, and extent and distribution of recombination in crop plants.
Goldberger, Jessica, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair on graduate committee
Research Interests
Sociology of agriculture and aricultural science, rural sociology and development, adoption and diffusion of agricultural innovations
Local and Global Agro-Food Systems
The Land-Grant System
Guy, Stephen O
Serves as: co-chair on graduate committee
Harsh, James B, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair on graduate committee
Research Interests
Geobiology of mineral weathering, colloidal transport in soil, fate and transport of radionuclides.
Hu, Jinguo
Serves as: chair on graduate committee
Huggins, David Rhys, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair on graduate committee
Research Interests
Asssessment of interactive effects of terrain attributes, soil properties, C and N cycling, crop diversity and tillage on agroecosystem performance.
Hulbert, Scot Howard, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair on graduate committee
Research Interests
Management of diseases and pests through genetics and modifications of cropping systems. Genetic and molecular basis of race specific and nonspecific resistance in cereal crops. Methods for the development of cultivars with resistance that remains effective. Molecular mechanisms used by fungal pathogens to attack cereal crops. Development of cropping systems that are profitable but conservation oriented.
Jacoby, Pete W, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair on graduate committee
Research Interests
Research careeer involved control and management of invasive plant species on rangelands using herbicides and/or fire. Research centered on herbicidal control of woody weeds on rangelands. International experience in Africa, Australia and Latin America.
Johnston, William J, Ph.D.
Serves as: co-chair on graduate committee
Research Interests
Turfgrass Management — Current emphasis:
Selective control of annual bluegrass in cool-season grasses with mesotrione and methiozolin
Snow mold disease control with fungicides in the Pacific Northwest
NETP trials wtih cool-season turfgrasses
Jones, Stephen Scott, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair on graduate committee
Research Interests
Research is directed towards small and midsized farms of western Washington. Breed improved wheat varieties (and other crops) for traditional and organic systems that incorporate diverse rotations and systems. Farmer participation and expertise is utilized and encouraged in research planning and decision making.
Kennedy, Ann C, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair on graduate committee
Research Interests
Biological control of weeds
Microbial diversity
Nutrient cycling
Rhizosphere ecology and dynamics
Soil microbial ecology
Soil microorganisms in sustainable agriculture
Kleinhofs, Andris, Ph.D.
Serves as: co-chair on graduate committee
Research Interests
Barley, genetics, nitrate reductase, RFLP, regulation, mRNA, cloning, sequencing. Barley nitrate reductase gene structure and regulation. Barley genome analysis.
Koenig, Richard T, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair on graduate committee
Research Interests
Applied soil fertility.
Lyon, Drew, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair on graduate committee
Research Interests
Weed management in dryland small grain production in eastern Washington.
Mazzola, Mark, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair on graduate committee
Research Interests
Development of biologically-based sustainable methods to enhance overall plant health and control soilborne diseases, with emphasis on organic agro-ecosystems.
McGee, Rebecca, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair on graduate committee
Research Interests
Legume research genetics. USDA-ARS Affiliate Scientist.
Miklas, Phillip Nye, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair on graduate committee
Research Interests
Dry edible bean genetics and germplasm enhancement.
Miller, Timothy W, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair on graduate committee
Research Interests
Biology, ecology, and control of weeds in agricultural/horticultural crops. Research and extension toward integrated cultural and chemical approaches to manage weeds. A special emphasis is placed on weed control strategies in minor crops as well as control of noxious weeds in western Washington
Morgounov, Alexei, Adjunct Scientist
Serves as: member only on graduate committee
Research Interests
Crop & Soil Sciences
Morris, Craig F, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair on graduate committee
Research Interests
Wheat quality, functionality and marketability in the Western U.S.
Murphy, Kevin, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair on graduate committee
Research Interests
Farmer participatory research of organic hop cropping systems in the Yakima Valley, quinoa variety selection and breeding, buckwheat selection for dual-purpose cover crop and nutritious seed for human consumption, and organic wheat breeding, with a focus on improving the nutritional value of wheat.
Neff, Michael, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair on graduate committee
Research Interests
Molecular, genetic and biochemical approaches to uncover and describe the interactions between various signaling pathways that modulate plant development.
Norberg, O Steven
Serves as: member only on graduate committee
Pan, William Lee, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair on graduate committee
Research Interests
Soil-plant relationships in mineral nutrition, nitrogen cycling by sustainable cropping systems, crop root growth and development, computer imaging of plant roots.
Pierce, Francis, PhD
Serves as: co-chair or member on graduate committee
Research Interests
Agricultural Automation Engineering
Precision Agriculture
Site-Specific Management
Soil Quality for Crop Production Systems
Soil and Water Conservation
Pumphrey, Michael
Serves as: chair on graduate committee
Reardon, Catherine L
Serves as: member only on graduate committee
Research Interests
Soil Microbiology
Reganold, John P, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair on graduate committee
Research Interests
Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture: Measuring the effects of alternative and conventional farming systems on agricultural sustainability indicators, such as soil health, crop yield and quality, financial performance, environmental quality, and social responsibility.
Rupp, Richard Alan, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair on graduate committee
Research Interests
Adjunct Faculty. Geospatial analysis and information systems.
Sanguinet, Karen, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair on graduate committee
Research Interests
Research focus on factors that modulate growth and development. Study of root architecture of the Pooideae subfamily of temperate grasses using developmental, genetic and genomics approaches.
Schillinger, William F, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair on graduate committee
Research Interests
Conservation-till and no-till farming methods to control wind erosion, increased cropping intensity in typical wheat-fallow areas, water stress physiology of wheat, ecology of Russian thistle, epidemiology of the fungal root pathogen Rhizoctonia solani in no-till soils, alternative crops, and soil and residue management practices to increase water storage and efficient use of precipitation.
Shi, Zhenqing, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair on graduate committee
Research Interests
Fate and effects of pollutants in water, soil and sediments
Metal sorption and toxicity models
Technologies for environmental remediation
Skinner, Daniel Z, PhD
Serves as: chair on graduate committee
Research Interests
Wheat gene expression dynamics in Response to cold temperature;
Physiological Response of Wheat During the Freezing Process;
Inheritance of Freezing Stress Tolerance;
Developing Winter Hardy Wheat Germplasm.
Steber, Camille M, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair on graduate committee
Research Interests
Characterization of stress resistance genes and mechanisms, & improvement and genotyping of wheat and barley germplasm for the Western U.S.
Stevens, Robert G
Serves as: co-chair or member on graduate committee
Streubel, Jason Dale
Serves as: member only on graduate committee
Sullivan, Tarah S, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair on graduate committee
Research Interests
Soil microbial communities and their interactions and impacts on metal bioavailability.
Tao, Haiying, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair on graduate committee
Research Interests
Soil fertility and Best nutrient management practices for optimum crop yield, while aware of environmental concerns
Ullrich, Steven E, Ph.D.
Serves as: co-chair or member on graduate committee
Zhang, Zhiwu, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair on graduate committee
Research Interests
Research focusing on developing statistical methods and computing tools to advance biomedical researches toward improved healthcare management and sustainable food production.