Master of Science in Botany - Ecology

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.

Graduate study in the Department of Botany requires a combination of advanced coursework, participation in seminars, and original research. Course requirements follow one of four pathways: general botany, ecology, evolution, or molecular, cellular, and developmental biology. The department encourages students to pursue independent research soon after arriving. In consultation with the faculty advisor, each student selects a pathway that includes courses and research topics related to their interests as well as training in the array of techniques and approaches needed to pursue research.

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