Several soil science education studies over the last 15 yr have focused on the number of students enrolled in soil science programs. However, no studies have quantitatively addressed the number of undergraduate soil science preparatory programs that exist in the United States, which means we do not have solid data concerning whether overall program numbers are declining, rising, or holding steady. This also means we do not have complete data on the same trends for total undergraduate soil science students in the United States. This study used the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Soil Science Series 0470 standards to determine if a bachelor's degree met soil science preparatory criteria. Lists of the approximately 3,500 regionally accredited colleges and universities were obtained from the regional accrediting agencies; the website of each of the colleges and universities was visited to determine if they had a degree program that met the OPM 0470 criteria. Ninety‐two soil science preparatory degree programs were identified at 86 colleges and universities. These programs were primarily linked to (a) agriculture, (b) environmental science, and (c) soil and water science, based on the number of degree occurrences. This study creates a baseline for future studies that can investigate trends in soil science programs. It also provides an insight into the institutions and degree programs that should be included in soil science education studies.

中文翻译：

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在美国及其地区的大学中为学生提供土壤科学职业培训的本科学位

在过去的15年中，几项土壤科学教育研究的重点是进入土壤科学课程的学生人数。但是，还没有定量研究涉及美国现有的土壤科学本科预科课程的数量，这意味着我们没有关于整体课程数量在减少，增加还是保持稳定的可靠数据。这也意味着我们没有针对美国土壤科学本科生总数相同趋势的完整数据。本研究使用美国人事管理办公室（OPM）土壤科学系列0470标准来确定学士学位是否符合土壤科学预备标准。从区域认可机构获得了大约3500所区域认可的学院和大学的名单；访问每个学院和大学的网站，以确定它们是否具有符合OPM 0470标准的学位课程。在86所大学中确定了92个土壤科学预备学位课程。根据学位的发生次数，这些计划主要与（a）农业，（b）环境科学和（c）土壤和水科学相关。这项研究为将来的研究奠定了基础，可以研究土壤科学计划的趋势。它还提供了对应该纳入土壤科学教育研究的机构和学位课程的见解。根据学位的发生次数，这些计划主要与（a）农业，（b）环境科学和（c）土壤和水科学相关。这项研究为将来的研究奠定了基础，可以研究土壤科学计划的趋势。它还提供了对应该纳入土壤科学教育研究的机构和学位课程的见解。根据学位的发生次数，这些计划主要与（a）农业，（b）环境科学和（c）土壤和水科学相关。这项研究为将来的研究奠定了基础，可以研究土壤科学计划的趋势。它还提供了对应该纳入土壤科学教育研究的机构和学位课程的见解。