Plant Biology

Master of Arts
Doctor of Philosophy

For More Information

Campus address: Norman Hackerman Building (NHB) 2.634, phone (512) 471-8490, fax (512) 232-3699; campus mail code: A6500

Mailing address: The University of Texas at Austin, Graduate Coordinator for Plant Biology, School of Biological Sciences, 100 E 24th Street Stop A6500, Austin TX 78712

E-mail: tamra@austin.utexas.edu

URL: http://www.biosci.utexas.edu/graduate/plantbio/

Areas of Study

Graduate study in plant biology is available in the following areas: algal physiology, plant biochemistry, cell biology, development, ecology, evolution, molecular biology, natural products chemistry, photobiology, phycology, plant anatomy, plant biogeography, plant morphology, plant physiology, population biology, systematics, and ultrastructure.

Graduate Studies Committee

The following faculty members served on the Graduate Studies Committee in the spring semester 2015.

Jerry J Brand R Malcolm Brown Jr Karen S Browning Zengjian J Chen Norma L Fowler Lawrence E Gilbert Christine V Hawkes David L Herrin Enamul Huq Robert K Jansen Shalene Jha Thomas E Juenger John W La Claire II Mathew A Leibold

Donald A Levin Craig R Linder Alan M Lloyd James D Mauseth Mona Mehdy Nancy A Moran Jose L Panero Hong Qiao Stanley J Roux Jr Beryl B Simpson Sibum Sung Edward C Theriot Tracy A Villareal

Admission Requirements

The undergraduate training of students planning to undertake graduate study in plant biology should ordinarily include at least twenty-four semester hours in plant biology and/or other biological sciences. At least twelve of these must be in upper-division work. This requirement in the major should be supported by coursework in the other sciences, especially chemistry, physics, and mathematics.

Degree Requirements

Master of Arts

At least thirty semester hours of coursework, including Biology 698 or 398R, are required. The coursework must include a minor of six hours of work acceptable for graduate credit in another area or areas. In general, at least one full year (including the summer) is needed to meet the requirements for the master’s degree.

Doctor of Philosophy

Mastery of an integrated and meaningful program of graduate study is deemed more important than the completion of a prescribed number of semester hours. Most programs include at least four graduate courses in plant biology. Further supporting work in related sciences augments the program.

Admission to candidacy for the Doctor of Philosophy degree requires approval of the Graduate Studies Committee and is based on the total record of the student, performance in graduate courses, and such further examinations as the committee may require. An oral examination covering the major area of study is administered by the student’s Qualifying Examination Committee no later than the end of the student’s fourth long-session semester of residence.