Undergraduate Majors

Plants are such a common part of our landscape that we sometimes overlook the vital roles they play in our everyday lives. In addition to supplying the oxygen we breathe, plants also provide food for both human and animal consumption, and therefore contribute to producing important products such as milk, leather, wool, and silk.

Other major uses of plants include materials for construction, fibers, essential oils (perfumes), industrial chemicals, and medicines. Plants also serve as a source of personal enjoyment in gardens, state and national parks, and individual homes.

Plants help maintain the ozone layer, thereby helping to protect us from the harmful rays of the sun and the increased possibility of skin cancer. Also, by decreasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, plants help to prevent a potentially catastrophic increase in global warming.

Plant biology, or botany, the scientific study of plants, allows us to build upon our existing knowledge of the plant world. As more is discovered about plants, we are able to:

Since plant biology is an important basic science that affects all of us, individuals pursuing careers in the plant sciences generally experience great satisfaction from working in areas that contribute to improving human life.

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Careers for individuals trained in plant biology are available in educational institutions; federal, state, and local governmental agencies; private industries; and non-profit organizations.

Many plant biologists are employed by educational institutions, which include colleges, universities, specialized colleges of agriculture, and agricultural experiment stations. Some botanists may also be employed as high school biology teachers.

Federal agencies provide another source of employment for plant biologists. These agencies include the Bureau of Land Management, Department of Agriculture, Department of Energy, Medical Plant Resources Laboratory, National Park Service, Plant Quarantine Service, Smithsonian Institution, and the U.S. Forest Service. State and local governments have agencies similar to these and also serve as a source of employment for botanists.

Private businesses and organizations provide another avenue of employment for plant biologists. Persons trained in the plant sciences can work in petrochemical firms, fertilizer companies, pharmaceutical firms, seed companies, lumber companies, food companies, environmental consulting firms, and the brewing and fermentation industry. In addition, many plant biologists enjoy careers in plant nurseries, greenhouses, botanical gardens, arboreta, conservation agencies, and museums of natural history.

Salaries for plant biologists generally depend on the amount of education and experience of the individual, geographical location, and type of position. The majority of plant biologists earn between $30,000 and $70,000 per year, although some very successful plant scientists who have gone into business for themselves earn more than $100,000. Most professional plant biologists do not plan to become very rich, but they lead comfortable lives and get paid for doing what they enjoy.

See also the pages entitled Careers and Job Opportunities In Environmental and Plant Biology and Sites of Alumni for links to pages that have additional information about careers available to graduates of our programs.

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The Department of Environmental and Plant Biology at Ohio University offers several four-year Bachelor of Science (B.S.) and Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree programs that prepare students for entry into most careers in the plant sciences. Since many jobs for professional botanists require a degree beyond the bachelor's degree, the environmental and plant biology programs at Ohio University also prepare students for advanced study at the graduate level. The Environmental Studies Certificate offered through the College of Arts and Sciences complements any major within the department.

The faculty members are the greatest strength of the environmental and plant biology programs at Ohio University. All members of the department are dedicated to providing high-quality undergraduate instruction, and class sizes for departmental major courses are small enough for faculty members to get to know students individually. This individual attention often provides an opportunity for students to work with faculty members on advanced research projects at the undergraduate level.

The department teaches the full breadth of botanical sub-disciplines. Students have the opportunity to experience various approaches in plant biology, ranging from molecular biology of plant genes to the biology of plant populations and plant communities. Undergraduate students may take courses from and work with internationally recognized authorities in the following areas:

Instructional facilities are state-of-the-art and include new and updated classroom and research facilities in Porter Hall, a greenhouse, an herbarium, growth chambers, electron microscopes, a computer laboratory, facilities for digital imaging and analysis, and equipment for molecular biology. Environmental studies can be undertaken at Ohio University's 168-acre land lab, which is less than a mile from the main campus; in nearby state parks; in the Wayne National Forest; and in the Dysart Woods Laboratory, a white oak ecosystem over 300 years old. Biointensive and alternative agriculture gardens used for experimental and sustainable agriculture are also available.

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• Environmental Biology in Plant Biology Major This professional program gives you a broad base for developing a career in environmental sciences, conservation, natural resources, forestry, environmental quality control, or ecology. Because a graduate degree may be required for entry into some positions, training beyond the bachelor's degree is strongly recommended. See also the 
  Environmental Studies Certificate offered through the College of Arts and Sciences is recommended for students selecting this program.
   

• Cell Biology and Biotechnology Major This program is designed for students who are interested in pursuing a profession in biotechnology or biology at the cellular or molecular level. It can provide you with a sound basis for a technical career or for study at the graduate level, with a view to a career in research or teaching.
   

• Applied Ecology Major The Applied Ecology program prepares students for entry-level environmental science jobs immediately after graduation. In addition to providing a strong background in field botany and ecology, the program offers students experience in a variety of marketable skills including plant identification, vegetation survey techniques, GIS, and greenhouse management. This program is appropriate for students who are interested in jobs in conservation and other areas of field biology that do not require graduate training. Students who plan on pursuing a graduate degree in biology will have to acquire additional background in physics, math, and chemistry, and will, therefore, generally be better off majoring in Environmental Biology or Plant Biology. The Environmental Studies Certificate offered through the College of Arts and Sciences is recommended for students selecting this program.

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In addition to the traditional undergraduate degrees, the Department of Environmental and Plant Biology offers a B.S. degree through the Honors Tutorial College at Ohio University. Students in the Honors Tutorial program are selected on the basis of academic excellence (SAT total higher than 1200 or ACT composite higher than 28 and graduating in the top 10% of the high school class), and a clear desire or commitment to follow a career in some aspect of "biology." Students applying for admission are invited to campus for an interview which forms a significant part of the selection process.

Each student follows a program of study starting from a common beginning and diverging to suit an individual's interests. Course-work concentrates on all aspects of plant biology and related areas from across the University with the only "requirement" being that selected courses move the student towards achieving their career and educational goals. Because of this flexibility students in this program generally gain more practical laboratory and field experience than the traditional undergraduate degree student.

In past years students have also been able to avail themselves of internship opportunities in such places as the Argonne National Laboratory outside Chicago, the National Laboratory at Hanford in Washington State and the Savannah River Project in South Carolina. Three students have each spent a year as exchange students at the University of Wales. Students have also participated in the Global Studies in Plant Biology program offered by faculty in this department. Since the introduction of the program in 2000 the Honors College has provided financial support for one student in the Honors Tutorial program to take part in each of the expeditions to Bolivia, Hawaii and Brazil.

The Honors Tutorial College organization attempts to create a "small college" atmosphere with the resources available in a large college. Currently there are just over 200 students in the College. In this department we have ranged from 1-10 students at any one time. Since the program began, 34 students have graduated. From that group, 11 have completed PhDs, 6 have master's degrees, 2 have completed MDs and one graduate has a DO. Seven others are presently in graduate school.

Graduates from the program have attended graduate schools across the United States and Canada including Alberta, California (Berkeley, Davis, San Diego, San Francisco), Chicago, Cleveland State, Cornell, George Washington, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mount Hood College (MD), Ohio, Ohio State, Penn. State, South Florida, Victoria (British Columbia), Wisconsin and Wright State.

Graduates are currently, or have been, employed in post-doctoral research, administration or faculty positions in:

Colleges and Universities:
Arizona; Case Western; Clemson; Indiana; Johns Hopkins; Maryland; Miami of Ohio; Ohio State; Purdue; Slippery Rock; Stanford; Virginia; Wisconsin.

Hospitals and Research Institutes:
Biotechnology Research Institute, Montreal; Children’s Hospital, Toronto; Institute of Molecular Biology, Eugene, OR; Johns Hopkins Medical Center, Baltimore, MD; Scripps Institute, La Jolla, CA.

Graduates also work, or have worked, in companies such as BioPort (Lansing), Chromagen (San Diego), Epicyte Pharmaceutical, (Sorrento Valley), Illumina (San Diego) and Monsanto (St. Louis) as well as the U. S. National Park Service (Glacier, Mt. Rainier and Zion) and the U.S. Forest Service. Private medical practice, school teaching, alternative agriculture and the Peace Corps have provided opportunities for some graduates.

Anyone interested in this program should contact Dr. Morgan Vis, Director of Study and PBIO Honors Tutorial College, 35 Park Place, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701.

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Undergraduate students in the department also have opportunities for research experience by working with individual faculty members. In some cases, financial support is available through faculty research grants or the Program to Aid Career Exploration (PACE).

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At Ohio University, undergraduate environmental and plant biology majors have the opportunity to work with faculty members committed to providing an excellent academic program in addition to pursuing an active research program. Faculty members have conducted and presented their research results across the U.S. and as far away as Australia, Japan, Rumania, Central African Republic, Guatemala, Belize, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Turkey, the Netherlands, Finland, Great Britain, and India. Undergraduates are encouraged to participate in these research projects, some of which are listed below. Information about undergraduate research also may be found in the description of PBIO 404 (Undergraduate Research) in the section on courses.

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For More Informaton: 
        

Further information may be obtained by contacting individual faculty members or by corresponding with the Undergraduate Advising Coordinator by traditional post, email, telephone, or FAX:

Telephone: 740.593.1126

Facsimile: 740.593.1130

Email: plantbio@ohio.edu

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