Program Overview: The Environmental and Plant Biology Department offers graduate study leading to the Ph.D. in a broad range of areas in plant biology with research foci in plant cell wall biotechnology, eastern deciduous forest ecology, plant evolution and development, and phylogenic systematics.

Admissions Policy: A BS, BA or MS degree in the natural sciences (with significant biology emphasis), course work in the physical sciences (physics, chemistry, math, related disciplines) recommended, GPA of 3.0 or better, GRE general test within the last 4 years and percentile scores of 50% or better preferred. International students, whose native language is not English, must also submit scores from either the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the English Test of the University of Michigan English Language Institute. Your minimum TOEFL score should be 620 (written), 260 (computer), or 105 (internet). Applications for the MS program are considered throughout the academic year but funding is often not available out of cycle.   To be considered for both admission and funding for the next academic year, students should submit all materials by January 15.

Change Policy: Changes in status require readmission and acceptance to the new program or home department of choice.

Transfer Policy: Requirements for transfer are the same as for admission.

Opportunities: A student with a PhD in plant biology could work at a college or university, teaching or doing research in a variety of specialty areas or work in private industry, or governmental agencies dealing with agriculture/ horticulture/floriculture, biotechnology or pharmaceuticals, conservation agencies and museums of natural history, environmental consulting firms, food companies, botanical gardens, and arboreta.