<p>Hello, I'm a transfer student out of the Dallas Community College District, I've already acquired my associates. I've become very interested in botany over this past few years, and am having trouble finding a school that has both an excellent reputation and programs that resemble my interests. I don't know what to look for in a botany program or in a school, based on the research I've done online. I am interested in an environmental career path, somewhere along the lines of ecology, or maybe things like paleobotany or ethnobotany, or in an area specializing in evolutionary aspects. I want to work in a setting that is part laboratory and part outdoor. I am definitely not interested in biotechnology, genetic and food engineering , biofuels, or pharmaceutical and medicinal areas. I am sure that this is where I want to go with my academics and career. The language used on many of the school websites can be confusing, and I don't even know where to find a basic summary of the generally best botany schools. Any information, perspective, resources, or experience would be much appreciated. </p>
<p>Amanda</p>
<p>Your options to study botany are:
- A school with a botany department. This is one of the traditional departments into which the biosciences are divided. Stand-alone botany departments are not as common as they once were. Mostly, you will find botany departments at public land-grant universities.
- A general biology department. Most general biology departments will offer several courses in core areas of plant biology, though the choice is more limited at smaller schools. Some general biology departments offer subspecialty tracks, including plant biology or botany.
- A department of ecology & evolutionary biology. This is a newer way of dividing the biosciences (into departments of E&E biology and departments of molecular biology). Most of what used to be found in botany depts will be found in E&E biology depts. (along with what used to be found in zoology depts.).
- Some landgrant public universities have a plant science or plant biology department that is a joint program between the college of agriculture and the college of arts & sciences.</p>
<p>For a botany or plant science major, you’ll probably take the same kinds of supporting courses in other sciences and math that most bioscience majors take whatever their intended specialties, ie., general biology, general and organic chemistry, general physics, calculus, maybe statistics. You’ll also take some core biology courses in common with students in other bioscience specialities, e.g., genetics, cell biology, general ecology, evolution. Most botany or plant science programs have pretty similar requirements for basic courses in the various subfields of botany, e.g, plant anatomy, plant physiology, plant ecology, plant systematics, etc.</p>
<p>If you’re in Texas, you’ll want to consider UT-Austin, Texas A&M. Other schools to consider: Washington U (St. Louis), Wisconsin, Minnesota, Cornell, Georgia (Odum School of Ecology), Tulane, Michigan State.</p>
<p>Some other schools to check out:
Hawaii, Harvard, Connecticut College, North Carolina State, Miami U (Ohio), Minnesota</p>
<p>Thanks! Here’s my list so far:</p>
<p>University of TX, Austin
University of Illinois, Champaign
University of Georgia
Perdue University
University of California, Davis
University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Riverside
North Carolina state university
Miami University, Oxford, Ohio
Washington University, St. louis
University of Wisconsin, Madison
University of Minnesota
Cornell University
Michigan state university
University of Hawaii, Manoa</p>
<p>Don’t know about Tulane- can’t find much. </p>
<p>Going to meet with a professor at my community college today who has a botany degree and teaches in the Hawaiian field studies program. </p>
<p>I’m trying to stay relatively close to home for the most part, so obviously things like California, St. Louis, Michigan, and Hawaii create a problem in that way, but at the same time if the absolutely best place for me to go is that far then that’s what I will do because the education I receive is the top priority. Also some of these schools offer only graduate degrees so they are on my radar for the future more than anything else, but still to be considered. </p>
<p>Amanda</p>
<p>Good for you, doing your research and narrowing your choices. Great advice from Zapfino. I would also suggest you visit the web pages of the faculty at each school to see if any of their research programs click with your interests.</p>
<p>I would add Colorado State to your list:</p>
<p>[Environment</a> - Economics - Society | School of Global Environmental Sustainability](<a href=“http://sustainability.colostate.edu/]Environment”>http://sustainability.colostate.edu/)</p>
<p>Also check out Cal Poly SLO. It’s much cheaper than the UCs, and offers very well regarded agricultural programs (plant sci major seems to be at least decent). Sorry if that’s too far away based on your criteria.</p>
<p>UTEP (U. Texas El Paso) and Sam Houston State seems to have a number of options for studying botany.<br>
[Biological</a> Sciences | Chris Randle](<a href=“Page Not Found: 404 | Sam Houston State University”>Page Not Found: 404 | Sam Houston State University)</p>
<p>haha i happen to have a list of schools that offer botany majors taped on my wall that my friend put there! it finally proves to be more than a waste of spaceee. </p>
<p>in texas if you want that, a&m and ut austin offer masters and doctorates in that area, i’d say ut austin would be pretty good because i know they also are nationally well known for their environmental science stuff</p>