Botany
Interdepartmental Graduate Major
Undergraduate Study
Students wishing to pursue an undergraduate degree in the basic plant sciences are encouraged to investigate the numerous possibilities available to them at Iowa State University. The undergraduate Biology Program, jointly administered by faculties of the departments of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology (EEOB) and Genetics, Cell and Developmental Biology (GDCB), includes a wide spectrum of opportunities for students to develop their academic interests through the study of plant biology. Students can major in Biology in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences or in the College of Agriculture. Contact the Biology Student Services office in 103 Bessey Hall for general information about the Biology Program. For those students interested in applied plant sciences, undergraduate majors in Agronomy, Horticulture, and Forestry are also available through the College of Agriculture.
Graduate Study
The Botany Graduate Program offers work for the degrees Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy with a graduate major in Botany, and minor work for students majoring in other departments or graduate programs. Within the Botany Graduate Major, one of the following areas of specialization may be designated: aquatic and wetland ecology, cytology, ecology, morphology, mycology, physiology and molecular biology, or systematics and evolution. Relevant graduate courses that may be counted toward completion of these degrees are offered by the Departments of EEOB and GDCB, and by other departments and programs. The specific requirements for each student’s course distribution and research activities are set by the Program of Study Committee established for each student individually, and must satisfy all requirements of the Graduate College (See Index). GRE (and if necessary, TOEFL) scores are required of all applicants; students are encouraged to contact faculty prior to application.
Related interdepartmental graduate majors in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEOB); Environmental Science (EnSci); Genetics (IG); Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology (MCDB); Plant Physiology (IPPM); and Toxicology should also be investigated as possible graduate programs with specific disciplinary focus.
At present, the Botany Graduate Program is under review and may change Status in the near future. Before applying for admission to the Botany Graduate Major, prospective students should contact the Botany Graduate Program Director of Graduate Education Dr. Robert Wallace (rwallace@iastate.edu ) for specific details about the program’s Status and application procedures.
