The Department of Soil Science has existed since 1970 and is active in both undergraduate and graduate education at ESALQ. At the undergraduate level, LSO faculty members teach eight required courses for the Agronomic Engineering program and five for the Forestry Engineering program, as well as one required course and one elective for the Environmental Management program. The LSO possesses extensive laboratory and greenhouse infrastructure to support research activities and services provided to the community.
Most LSO faculty members participate in the Graduate Program in Soils and Plant Nutrition (rated CAPES 7), teaching courses and supervising around a hundred students at the master's, doctoral, and direct-entry doctoral levels. Numerous postdoctoral researchers also utilize LSO facilities and are supervised by Department faculty.
LSO faculty also coordinate specialization courses as a means of sharing knowledge in the fields of Soil Science, Plant Nutrition, and Environmental Management with society. The LSO also hosts extension groups—such as GAPE, GeoCis, the *Solo na Escola* (Soil in Schools) Program, and the *Ponte* (Bridge) Program, among others—that involve undergraduate students in soil-related extension activities.