The Environmental & Plant Biology Ph.D. graduate program provides educational and research experience in plant biology from the molecular to the organismal and ecosystem levels. Most students are trained within three general areas of study: plant ecology, plant systematics and evolution, or plant molecular and cellular biology. The program strives to foster communication across and beyond these areas of study to provide unique opportunities to meet each student’s specific career goals. The Ph.D. program is designed to train and prepare students to be successful in teaching and research positions in academia, industry, government, or non-governmental organizations. Each student is trained to conduct independent research in the pursuit of knowledge. Students are mentored in grantsmanship and have many opportunities to support their own research with internal and external funding. Students have hands-on teaching experience because the program provides a teaching assistantship. As teaching assistants, students have the opportunity to assist in a variety of courses and interact with faculty. Students may additionally have opportunities to supervise and mentor undergraduate students in a research laboratory environment. All students are exposed to the national and international plant biology community through colloquia, seminars, and scientific meetings that will aid them in achieving their post-Ph.D. career goals.

A student with a Ph.D. in plant biology could work at a college or university, teaching or doing research in a variety of specialty areas. He or she also could work in private industry, or governmental agencies dealing with agriculture, horticulture, floriculture, biotechnology or pharmaceuticals, conservation agencies and museums of natural history, environmental consulting firms, food companies, botanical gardens, and arboreta.