CLAS

Botany Major

Undergraduate Catalog Link

Additional information about the botany major, its degree requirements, critical tracking, and recommended semester plans can be found in the Undergraduate Catalog.

Advising

Academic advising for the botany major is provided by the Life Sciences Advisors in the CLAS Academic Advising Center. Refer to the Dept. of Biology Undergraduate Advising page for more information.

Overview

The botany curriculum provides a broad background in the biology of plants - from the molecular to the organismic level. Students who major in botany will take courses in ecology, genetics, physiology, taxonomy, anatomy, molecular biology of plants and biochemistry. These small-sized classes are taught by faculty who enjoy teaching and have a commitment to undergraduate education. Opportunities also exist for students to do independent or assist in faculty research projects on campus and abroad. The major prepares students for careers in industry, government agencies and teaching jobs in high schools.

Present day botany is an exciting, ever-changing, diverse field with many different career opportunities. Because the field is so broad, there are many kinds of plant biologists engaged in a variety of plant biology disciplines, including ecology, systematics, genetics, physiology, biochemistry, molecular biology, biophysics, ethnobotany, conservation and biodiversity, anatomy, cell biology, genomics and biotechnology. Botany, indeed, offers something for everyone, which is appropriate given that plants underpin life on our planet.

Today the world is beset with many problems, such as global climate change, world hunger, and the daily loss of tropical rainforests. As the world's population grows so does the need for more and better food supplies. In addition, air, soil and water pollution increase, and habitats are lost, all of which threaten life. The search for new drugs, medicines, and useful genes continues with exploration in the tropical rainforests of the world. Plant biologists more than ever are in demand to meet these challenges and help to solve these problems. So, if you want an exciting, challenging and satisfying career that will make the world a better place, become a plant biologist!

Faculty in the Department of Biology at the University of Florida are involved in collaborative research projects from Alaska to the tropical rainforests of the New and Old Worlds. As an undergraduate major you will receive a world-class education from a broad curriculum, and enjoy close working relationships with internationally renowned faculty. In addition to the classroom setting, majors have exciting opportunities to participate in independent research projects in state-of-the-art faculty research laboratories, or research field sites from Alaska to the tropics.

Degree Requirements

Refer to the undergraduate catalog for the specific degree requirements of the botany major in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.

Tracks

There are two tracks for students who wish to pursue a B.S. degree in botany:

1. Basic Botany
   This option is intended for students who do not plan to attend graduate or professional school. Refer to the Undergraduate Catalog for course requirements in this track and a recommended semester plan.
   
   
2. Pre-Professional Specialization
   This option requires a strong background in the basic sciences and is intended for students who plan to attend graduate school, medical school or dental school. Refer to the Undergraduate Catalog for course requirements in this track and a recommended semester plan.
   
   Students in this specialization are strongly encouraged to participate in supervised research through Individual Studies in Botany (BOT 4905, three or more credit hours) beginning in the junior year or earlier.
   
   Students intending to apply to graduate (M.S. and Ph.D.) programs should take the Graduate Record Examination in the fall of the senior year, and should complete applications to graduate schools by January before an expected fall-term admission.
   
   Students intending to apply to medical or dental schools should contact the Office of Health and Legal Professions Advising for further assistance in preparing for professional school.

Minor

Students majoring in most other disciplines (except biology, see below) can minor in botany. The botany minor requires a total of 15 credit hours of botany coursework. See the course catalog here for details.

Majors in botany can minor in most other disciplines, and this is a good way to organize students' electives around areas of interest. Note that botany majors cannot minor in biology, nor can biology majors minor in botany (the curricula for the botany and biology majors are too similar). ;

Academic Learning Compact

The botany major provides a foundation on knowledge in the life sciences with emphasis on plant systems. You will learn the diversity of life, the structure of organisms and ecosystems and how they function (i.e., the acquisition, flow, organization and uses of information, energy and nutrients in living systems). You will learn the scientific method and how it facilitates the discovery of new knowledge in botany and biology, including how to critically evaluate hypotheses and conclusions.

Refer to the Botany Major Academic Learning Compact in the Undergraduate Catalog for specific requirements and student learning objectives.

Admissions

Incoming students (including transfer students) do not apply directly to the Department of Biology, but rather to the University of Florida. The Department of Biology does not have input into which students are admitted, and therefore our faculty do not "select" particular students for our majors.

For students who want to transfer from a two-year junior college, the minimum transfer requirements are:

• Biology (BSC 2010/2011 plus lab)
• Chemistry (CHM 2045/2046 plus lab) and
• Math [Calculus (MAC2311) for the BOT track or Precalculus, Algebra and Trigonometry (MAC1147) for the Basic BOT track].

In addition to these courses we recommend that students complete the following "core" science coursework in their first two years: Organic Chemistry (CHM 2210/2211 plus lab), Physics (e.g., PHY 2048/2049 or PHY 2053/2054 plus lab), and Statistics (STA 2023). A detailed list of recommended steps for transfer students is available here http://www.aa.ufl.edu/aa/ccrel/passport.htm.

Frequently Asked Questions

Careers

Directory of career opportunities in the life sciences.

New positions for plant biologists are expected to increase at an above-average rate given that the 21 st century has been termed the century of biology, because of growing environmental and food concerns, and the explosion in plant biotechnology. The major employers of plant biologists are educational institutions, federal and state agencies and industry. In addition, a degree in botany provides a foundational science education that employers find useful in a variety of careers unrelated to plants. For example, graduates from our program have gone on to such diverse occupations as flying jets in the military and entering the clergy. Other graduates have become physicians, dentists, health technicians, lawyers, biological illustrators and computer programmers.

Educational institutions that employ plant biologists range from high schools and community colleges to universities. In addition to teaching, educational institutions employ botanists as research associates, technicians, museum curators, and administrators.

Federal and state agencies employ botanists in many different fields. Plant biologists work in various branches of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, including the Medicinal Plant Resources Laboratory, the Animal and Plant Inspection Service, the National Arboretum and the U.S. Forest Service. The U.S. Department of the Interior, the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the U.S. Geological Society also hire botanists. Plant biologists work for the Public Health Service, the State Department, Customs, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Smithsonian Institution and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). State agencies in all fifty states, such as the Departments of Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation Services, Forest Services, Water Management Districts, Fish and Game Commissions, Utility Companies, Environmental Protection Agencies employ plant biologists. Cities and municipalities employ botanists as arborists, consultants and ecologists involved with city planning. Environmental organizations like the Nature Conservancy also need botanists.

Industry and the private sector employ plant biologists in a variety of capacities. Pharmaceutical companies, chemical companies, the oil industry, lumber and paper companies, plastics industry, fruit growers, food and beverage companies, biological supply houses, museums, botanical gardens, publishing companies and biotechnology firms all hire graduates with a degree in botany. The career opportunities for plant biologists are diverse, exciting, interesting, and can involve trips to exotic places. They are very satisfying, and afford biologists the opportunity to make a real difference in the world.

For additional career resources, click here.

Contact

We are located on the University of Florida campus with our main office at 220 Bartram Hall and our teaching and faculty labs are located in Bartram, Carr, Dickinson and Rolfs Halls.

Undergraduate Coordinator: Dr. Ed Braun.

Dr. Braun can be reached at:
biouc-l@lists.ufl.edu