Academic Programs Catalog

College of Natural Science

Graduate Study

The Department of Plant Biology is administered jointly by the College of Natural Science and the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. The department offers Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degree programs with majors in plant biology, and a Graduate Certificate in Computational Plant Science. Those programs are referenced below. The department also offers Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degree programs with majors in plant breeding and genetics—botany and plant pathology through the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. For information about those programs, refer to the statement on the Department of Plant Biology in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources section of this catalog.


Plant Biology - Master of Science

Graduate students in plant biology may emphasize one or more of a number of special areas, including anatomy, bryology, cell biology, ecology, genetics, molecular biology, morphology, mycology, paleobotany, physiology, and taxonomy. Students are urged to take courses which provide a broad background in biological and physical sciences in addition to training in specialized areas.

Master of Science

In addition to meeting the requirements of the university and of the College of Natural Science, students must meet the requirements specified below.

Admission

Regular admission may be granted to those students who have a bachelor's degree or its equivalent, a 3.00 grade–point average, one year each of chemistry, mathematics, and physics, and appropriate training in the biological sciences.

Provisional admission may be granted to those students who do not meet the requirements for regular admission.

Requirements for the Master of Science Degree in Plant Biology

The master's degree program in plant biology is available under either Plan A (with thesis) or Plan B (without thesis). The student's program of study is arranged by a guidance committee which includes the major professor.

For either Plan A or Plan B, the student must complete at least 30 credits including:

  1. The following course:
    PLB    801    Foundations of  Plant Biology  (3)
  2. Acquire teaching experience by assisting in at least one course.
  3. Completion of the Responsible Conduct of Research Workshop series offered by The Graduate School.

A reading knowledge of a foreign language may be required.


Plant Biology - Doctor of Philosophy

In addition to meeting the requirements of the university and of the College of Natural Science, students must meet the requirements specified below.

Admission

Regular admission may be granted to those students who have a master’s degree or its equivalent, a 3.00 grade–point average, and appropriate training in the biological sciences.  Outstanding students without a master’s degree may be accepted.

Provisional admission may be granted to those students who do not meet the requirements for regular admission.

Requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Plant Biology

All doctoral students in plant biology must meet the requirements specified below:

1. Complete the following courses:
a. The following course:
PLB 801 Foundations in Plant Biology 3
b. Completion of the Responsible Conduct of Research Workshop series offered by The Graduate School.
c. One of the following courses:
CMB 800 Cell and Molecular Biology Seminar 1
ENT 812 Graduate Seminar 1
FW 893 Seminar in Fisheries and Wildlife 1
GEN 800 Genetics Seminar 1
GEO 874 Seminar in Geographic Information Science 3
HRT 892 Plant Breeding and Genetics Seminar 1
IBIO 891 Current Topics in Ecology and Evolution 1
IBIO 895 Seminar 1
PLP 894 Seminar in Plant Pathology 1
2. Pass a preliminary examination.
3. Acquire teaching experience by assisting in two courses.
4. Pass a final oral examination in defense of the dissertation.

 Additional requirements, such as reading knowledge of one or two foreign languages, may be specified.


Computational Plant Science - Graduate Certificate

The Graduate Certificate in Computational Plant Science provides interdisciplinary training that intersects plant biology and computational and data sciences. The certificate address pressing problems in their respective fields and synthesizes these disciplines to address vast challenges in plant biology.

Requirements for the Graduate Certificate in Computational Plant Science

Students must complete a minimum of 9 credits from the following:

1. All of the following courses (7 credits):
CSS 844 Frontiers in Computational and Plant Sciences 3
HRT 841 Foundation in Computational and Plant Sciences 3
PLB 843 Forum in Computational and Plant Sciences 1
2. Complete a minimum of 2 credits from the following courses:
Biologists relevant courses:
CMSE 491 Selected Topics in Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering 1 to 4
CMSE 801 Introduction to Computational Modeling 3
CMSE 820 Mathematical Foundations of Data Science 3
CMSE 822 Parallel Computing 3
CMSE 823 Numerical Linear Algebra 3
CMSE 890 Selected Topics in Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering 1 to 4
Non-Biologists relevant courses:
BMB 801 Molecular Biology 3
BMB 978 Seminar in Biochemistry 1
HRT 894 Horticulture Seminar 1
IBIO 445 Evolution (W) 3
PLB 400 Introduction to Bioinformatics 3
PLB 801 Foundations of Plant Biology 3
PLB 812 Principles and Applications of Plant Genomics 3