Undergraduate students in Environmental & Plant Biology get hands-on experience in the field and in the lab with internationally renowned faculty.
Imagine working on an experiment that rockets to the International Space Station. Or studying how to protect endangered species from deer overgrazing. Or interning at a national arboretum.
With a plant biology major, you might find yourself climbing into a van headed to the forest to identify local species. Or prepping a plant sample for genomic analysis. Or harvesting vegetables at the OHIO Student Farm.
Internships are a centerpiece for our majors, and we annually have a large cohort of students who are placed in positions around Ohio and in other parts of the country. These internships provide valuable, real-world experiences to our students, which strengthens their resumes and often leads to employment opportunities.
Choose What You Want to Learn
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Applied Plant Biology Major B.A.The B.A. degree in Applied Plant Biology is for students interested in commercial enterprises, such as greenhouses, nurseries, landscaping, diversified and small scale agriculture, biofuels, and medicinal herbs.
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Environmental & Plant Biology Major B.S.The B.S. degree in Environmental and Plant Biology provides broad training in plant biology including cell and molecular biology, physiology, ecology, and plant identification and classification.
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Environmental Science and Sustainability Major B.S.Environmental Science and Sustainability is a multi-disciplinary program that provides scientific knowledge of the natural world, the living organisms that inhabit it, and social sciences at the core of sustainability.
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Field Ecology Major B.A.In addition to providing a strong background in field ecology, the B.A. degree in field ecology offers students experience in a variety of marketable skills, including plant identification, vegetation survey techniques, and GIS.
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Honors Tutorial College Environmental and Plant Biology B.S.The Honors Tutorial College offers a B.S. in Environmental and Plant Biology that provides unique opportunities for exceptional students. At the heart of the program is the tutorial, in which the student studies selected material under the guidance of a faculty member acting as tutor.
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Environmental & Plant Biology MinorThe Minor in Environmental and Plant Biology is designed for students interested in the plant sciences and those that may find the information obtained useful for their careers or private lives.
Choose Where You Want to Learn
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Athens, OH, Residential Campus
Immerse yourself in one of the most beautiful campus towns and pursue OHIO’s environmental and plant biology degrees at our residential campus in Athens — home to world-class faculty who are award-winning teachers and researchers at the top of their fields!
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Regional Campuses
Take general education classes or select courses to get a head start on your environmental and plant biology degree at our regional campuses.
What Can You Do with a Plant Biology Degree?
The Applied Plant Biology program prepares you for entry level jobs in fields such as landscaping, diversified agriculture, horticulture, nurseries, tree care, and plant breeding. In order to enhance job prospects, students in this program are required to complete an internship in one of these areas.
The Environmental and Plant Biology degreed can lead to technical careers or graduate-level training in ecology, nature resource management, conservation, evolution and development, phylogenetics, biotechnology, plant physiology or molecular and cellular biology.
Students who pursue an Environmental Science and Sustainability can prepare for careers in environmental resource management, governmental and non-governmental agencies, companies committed to being socially responsible, and a wide range of roles in science as well as public policy.
And the Field Ecology program prepares you for environmental science jobs immediately after graduation in environmental monitoring, rare-plant surveys, high school teaching, project management for nonprofit organizations, park management, tree care, and more.
Plant Biology Careers & Internships
Post-Grad Opportunities for Plant Biology Majors
After earning their bachelor's degrees in plant biology, some students proceed to graduate school at Ohio University or elsewhere.
At OHIO, we offer an M.S. in Plant Biology and an Ph.D. in Plant Biology graduate program provides that provide educational and research experience in plant biology from the molecular to the organismal and ecosystem levels.
We also offer a Ph.D. in Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB) , where In addition to a core MCB curriculum, additional courses in Plant Biology are required.
Dig the Environment with Plant Club
Get Hands-On Experience with Your Plant Biology Degree
What you learn in the class is also valuable and applicable in the field, so you’ll get the chance to participate in research projects, internships, and more.
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Conduct Research in Plant Biology
Each undergraduate is required to complete at least one semester of research (PBIO 4940). Numerous faculty are willing to sponsor undergraduate research, and there are also financial resources to support your work.
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Present Your Project at the Student Expo
You can choose to present your research — and create a research poster describing your work — a the annual Ohio University Student Expo.
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Add a Plant Biology Internship to Your Resume
The Plant Biology Majors Internships Program offers positions with many host institutions in Athens, around Ohio, across the United States, and in even the Bahamas and Jamaica.
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Earn Department Honors
To have Environmental and Plant Biology Department honors listed on your diploma, take advantage of the opportunity to conduct your own research project and write a thesis.
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Help Design an Experiment on the ISS
Students from any major can help design the next experiment on the International Space Station by participating in OHIO's Student Spaceflight Experiment.
Student Farm: Hands-on Education Rooted in Sustainability
Why Choose a Plant Biology Degree?
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.
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.
Mentoring and Advising for Plant Biology Students
The Environmental & Plant Biology Department is an exciting and dynamic place in which faculty, staff, and students engage in academic life.
Internships are a centerpiece for our majors, and we annually have a large cohort of students who are placed in positions around Ohio and in other parts of the country.
Our commitment to teaching and student education is also reflected by our faculty receiving numerous college and university awards for excellence in teaching. Connections made between our faculty and students often result in cherished, life-long bonds.
Research is a vital part of our academic mission and is not mutually exclusive of teaching. Instead, research and teaching are complementary, synergistic activities, immersing faculty and students in both learning and discovery. Our faculty have obtained and continue to seek substantial grant funding to support their research programs. They engage both undergraduate and graduate students in their research programs, as evidenced by the numerous co-authored papers and presentations at regional, national, and international scientific meetings and conferences.
The Honors Tutorial College program in Environmental and Plant Biology also offers exceptional students the opportunity to study the many aspects of plant science in one-on-one relationships with our faculty members. Students will receive a degree of Bachelor of Science degree from the Honors Tutorial College.
Undergraduate Advising and Student Affairs
Of course, Ohio University gives you tools to ensure you succeed, ranging from success advisors and department mentors who help you graduate on time to undergraduate-specific scholarships and financial aid opportunities .
Undergraduate students should contact Undergraduate Advising and Student Affairs for advising support, such as: class registration, adding and dropping classes, changing majors, adding minors and certificates, Guarantee+, and graduation checks.