Doctor of Philosophy in Botany

Graduate students in Botany work with faculty and staff on a range of projects in plant biology at all levels of organization from molecules, through cells and organs, to populations, communities, and lineages of organisms. Major research areas include evolution and systematics, molecular, cellular, and developmental biology, plant biology, biochemistry, and ecology. We also provide advanced instruction and opportunities for research in phycology, bryology, mycology, ethnobotany, paleoecology, conservation and restoration ecology, taxonomy, genetics, and physiology. Increasingly, graduate student projects encompass two or more of these categories.

Students interested in fields bordering botany will find rich opportunities for coursework, collaborative research, and seminars in many other departments and schools such as Bacteriology, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Engineering, Entomology, Forest and Wildlife Ecology, Genetics, Geography, Geoscience, Integrative Biology, Physics, Plant and Agroecosystem Sciences, Plant Breeding/ Plant Genetics, Plant Pathology, Statistics, Soil Science, and the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies. Interdisciplinary work is encouraged.

A bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or a comparable degree from an international institution is required.
A minimum undergraduate grade-point average (GPA) of 3.00 on the equivalent of the last 60 semester hours (approximately two years of work) or a master's degree with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 is required. Applicants from an international institution must demonstrate strong academic achievement comparable to a 3.00 for an undergraduate or master's degree.
Minimum TOEFL requirement- 92 internet (iBT), 580 paper-based test (PBT)
Minimum IELTS requirement- 7.0
Minimum IELTS Indicator requirement- 7.0