PhD in Plant Biology – Areas of Emphasis

The Plant Biology Program offers a flexible program to accommodate a student’s academic interests and research needs. To this end a student can choose a PhD degree with one of three concentrations, which require a prescribed set of classes, or a degree in Plant Biology with no concentration and a self-selected curriculum. Incoming graduate students do three 7-week laboratory rotations to find a home laboratory and major professor.

All Plant Biology PhD students enroll in BPSC 200A-B (the Plant Biology Core classes focused on academic and professional development topics), one BPSC 240 seminar (2-unit in depth study of a topic in Plant Biology related to the degree concentration), and the BPSC 250 seminar each quarter in the program (student and invited speaker seminars).