Department of Botany and Plant Pathology

Graduate Programs

The Department of Botany and Plant Pathology offers graduate programs leading to the Master of Arts, Master of Science, and Doctor of Philosophy degrees.

Opportunities are available for specialization in the following areas of concentration: ecology, genetics, molecular and cellular biology, mycology, plant pathology, plant physiology, systematics, and applied systematics.

Maize pollen and their three nuclei, as revealed by DAPI staining and fluorescence microscopy Courtesy of John Fowler

 

• Ecology includes physiological, population, community, ecosystem and global studies in ecology.
• Genetics includes molecular, classical and population studies of the genetics of plants, fungi and plant-associated microorganisms.
• Molecular and cellular biology includes studies of molecular and cellular mechanisms active during plant development, molecular aspects of plant -pathogen interactions, and various aspects of gene regulation, signal transduction, and the cytoskeleton.
• Mycology includes the systematics, ecology, and population genetics of lichenized and non-lichenized fungi.
• Plant pathology includes studies in the areas of bacteriology, nematology, virology, forest pathology, epidemiology of plant diseases, the physiology of parasitism, and the molecular and biochemical basis of plant host-pathogen interactions.
• Systematics includes investigations of the taxonomy, phylogeny, and biogeography of plants, fungi, and lichens.
• Applied Systematics involves the internship-based Professional Science Master's Degree Program of study providing technical skills in plant classification, identification and ecological properties of plant species.

Graduate student Nathan Miller treating cover crop seeds with experimental biocontrol mixture for studies on corn root rot management. Courtesy of Cynthia Ocamb

 

The Ph.D. and M.S. (thesis options) degrees offered by the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology require, in addition to course work, research resulting in presentation and defense of a thesis. A non-thesis M.S. degree is also available. Ph.D. candidates must pass a written and oral preliminary examination upon completion of their course work. In addition, PhD students are required to be a teaching assistant for two quarters. The MA degree requires the knowledge of one foreign language. Inquiries concerning graduate studies can be forwarded to the chairperson of the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology.

Lichen Lab Courtesy of Bruce McCune