Yoshitaka Uchida, Maja Krzic, Jacqueline Hannam, Eric C. Brevik, Damien J. Field, Karen Vancampenhout, Feng Zhu, Ron Reuter, Sri R. Utami, Ikabongo Mukumbuta, Hassan El-Ramady
The number of soil science university programs has decreased in many countries around the world. There is an ongoing need for more effective ways to attract students to the discipline, train soil specialists, and support instructors to challenge the future format of soil science education. The objective of this paper was to explore possible future directions of soil science education at the university level over the next decade. We discussed the content of undergraduate soil science courses and programs, considering how soil scientists who teach at universities can improve soil science education while ensuring high-quality educational programs. Soil science education, which traditionally included classroom-based lectures and field trips, needs to be updated through the inclusion of more engaging learning activities, multimedia, and potentially even generative artificial intelligence, but with careful considerations regarding data privacy, accessibility, and equity. Soil science education should train soil scientists who can meet societal grand challenges by focusing soil science education on soil health and the diverse soil functions. Keeping and/or reviving traditional subdisciplines such as pedology is also important, as soil management is highly dependent on the spatial distribution of soil properties. Soil science educational reforms need to be carefully promoted while ensuring quality assurance systems for both soil scientists working in the discipline and soil educational systems. We hope that this paper provides points for informed discussion and guidance for soil science educators as we seek to improve education in our discipline going forward. © 2026 The Author(s). Natural Sciences Education published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society of Agronomy.
Research Faculty of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan; Faculty of Forestry/Faculty of Land and Food Systems, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Kent, United Kingdom; School of Agricultural Sciences and School of Earth Systems and Sustainability, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, United States; Sydney Institute of Agriculture, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Leuven Campus Geel, Geel, Belgium; Hebei Key Laboratory of Soil Ecology, Center for Agricultural Resources Research, Institute of Genetic and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Science, Shijiazhuang, China; Department of Forests, Ecosystems, and Society, College of Forestry, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States; Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia; Golden Valley Agricultural Research Trust, Chisamba, Zambia; Soil and Water Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafr El-Sheikh, Egypt
