Program Overview

Plant Sciences Major

The Plant Sciences major combines basic science courses with applied technical classes to prepare students for research, public sector, and industry careers. Students seeking a Plant Sciences degree must complete requirements in one of the following Areas of Concentration: Plant Biology, Turf and Golf Course Management, or Urban Forestry.

Program Director and Advisors

• Program Director: Dr. Nidhi Rawat
• PLSC: Plant Biology Advisor: Dr. Gary Coleman
• PLSC: Turf & Golf Course Management and Landscape Management Advisor: Dr. Mark Carroll
• PLSC: Urban Forestry Advisor: Dr. Joseph Sullivan

Areas of Concentration

• Plant Biology is designed to prepare students for graduate or professional schools and/or a career in research. This area provides a strong foundation for postgraduate education and research careers in biotechnology, plant physiology and development, cell biology, molecular biology, plant genetics/genomics, conservation biology, ecology, and plant pathology.
• Turf and Golf Course Management prepares students to succeed as a turfgrass professional in the golf course or sports turf industry, stressing an interdisciplinary approach to this career.
• Urban Forestry prepares students to manage urban trees and forests and enhance their sustainability. This program stresses tree biology, forest ecology, and forest assessment and management tools and prepares students for careers with municipalities or government agencies as well as private industry such as power companies and the tree-care industry.

Program Learning Outcomes

1. Students will develop technical and knowledge-based skills in the required areas of study.
2. Students will use technical and basic learned knowledge to collaborate, solve problems, and articulate conclusions.
3. Students shall develop effective communication skills and demonstrate the ability to present ideas with clarity to an appropriate audience.
4. Students will connect and build relationships with external groups in the appropriate fields of study.

Course Requirements

Requirements for all Areas of Concentration

• CHEM131 & CHEM132: Chemistry I - Fundamentals of General Chemistry and General Chemistry I Laboratory
• ENGL101: Academic Writing
• ENGL393: Technical Writing
• ENST200: Fundamentals of Soil Science
• MATH113: College Algebra and Trigonometry or MATH115: Precalculus
• PLSC110 & PLSC111: Introduction to Horticulture and Introduction to Horticulture Laboratory or PLSC112 & PLSC113: Introductory Crop Science and Introductory Crop Science Laboratory
• PLSC398: Seminar
• Select a specialization from the list below: 48-55 credits

Specializations

Plant Biology

• BSCI337: Biology of Insects
• BSCI442: Plant Physiology or PLSC400: Plant Physiology
• CHEM231 & CHEM232: Organic Chemistry I and Organic Chemistry Laboratory I
• CHEM241 & CHEM242: Organic Chemistry II and Organic Chemistry Laboratory II
• MATH140: Calculus I or MATH120: Elementary Calculus I
• PHYS121: Fundamentals of Physics I
• PLSC201: Plant Structure and Function
• PLSC206: Plant Structure and Function Laboratory
• PLSC202:
• PLSC203: Plants, Genes and Biotechnology
• PLSC271: Plant Propagation
• PLSC399: Special Problems in Plant Science
• PLSC420: Principles of Plant Pathology
• Advanced Plant Science Electives: Select one of the following: 3-4 credits
  • PLSC403:
  • PLSC430: Water and Nutrient Planning for the Nursery and Greenhouse Industry
  • PLSC432: Greenhouse Crop Production
  • PLSC433: Technology of Fruit and Vegetable Production
  • PLSC452: Environmental Horticulture
  • PLSC456:
  • PLSC474:
• Advanced Science Electives: Select one of the following: 3-4 credits
  • BCHM261:
  • or BSCI461:
  • ENST411: Principles of Soil Fertility
  • ENST417: Soil Hydrology and Physics
  • ENST421: Soil Chemistry
  • PHYS122: Fundamentals of Physics II
• Total Credits: 49-53

Turf and Golf Course Management

• AGST275: Fundamentals of Agricultural and Environmental Chemistry
• BSCI170 & BSCI171: Principles of Molecular & Cellular Biology and Principles of Molecular & Cellular Biology Laboratory
• BSCI160 & BSCI161: Principles of Ecology and Evolution and Principles of Ecology and Evolution Lab
• BSCI337: Biology of Insects
• COMM107: Oral Communication: Principles and Practices
• PHYS121: Fundamentals of Physics I
• INAG215: Business Management Principles for Turf Facilities or INAG204: Agricultural Business Management
• INAG235: Irrigation and Drainage
• PLSC201 & PLSC206: Plant Structure and Function and Plant Structure and Function Laboratory
• PLSC205: Introduction to Turf Science and Management
• PLSC389: Internship
• PLSC401: Pest Management Strategies for Turfgrass
• PLSC402: Sports Turf Management
• PLSC420: Principles of Plant Pathology
• PLSC453: Weed Science
• Total Credits: 52

Urban Forestry

• AREC240: Introduction to Economics and the Environment
• BMGT220: Principles of Accounting I
• BSCI337: Biology of Insects or BSCI497: Insect Pests of Ornamentals and Turf
• Select one of the following: 3 credits
  • CHEM105:
  • CHEM231 & CHEM232: Organic Chemistry I and Organic Chemistry Laboratory I
• ENST411: Principles of Soil Fertility
• LARC160: Introduction to Landscape Architecture and Environmental Design
• PLSC171:
• PLSC201: Plant Structure and Function
• PLSC206: Plant Structure and Function Laboratory
• PLSC253: Woody Plants for Mid-Atlantic Landscapes I
• PLSC254: Woody Plants for Mid-Atlantic Landscape II
• PLSC272: Principles of Arboriculture
• PLSC361:
• PLSC389: Internship
• PLSC400: Plant Physiology
• PLSC420: Principles of Plant Pathology
• PLSC471: Forest Ecology
• PLSC472: Capstone-Urban Forest Project Management
• Total Credits: 55

Suggested General Education Courses and Electives for Urban Forestry

• BIOM301: Introduction to Biometrics 1
• Select one of the following: 3-5 credits
  • BSCI460:
  • BSCI460 & BSCI461:
  • and
• CHEM241 & CHEM242: Organic Chemistry II and Organic Chemistry Laboratory II
• CHEM271 & CHEM272: General Chemistry and Energetics and General Bioanalytical Chemistry Laboratory
• COMM107: Oral Communication: Principles and Practices
• ENST415: Renewable Energy
• ENST444:
• GEOG201: Geography of Environmental Systems
• GVPT170: American Government
• GVPT273: Introduction to Environmental Politics
• LARC450:
• MATH120: Elementary Calculus I
• Select one of the following: 8 credits
  • PHYS121 & PHYS122: Fundamentals of Physics I and Fundamentals of Physics II
  • PHYS141 & PHYS142: Principles of Physics and Principles of Physics
• PLSC200:
• PLSC203: Plants, Genes and Biotechnology
• PLSC320:
• PLSC473: Woody Plant Physiology
• PLSC475:
• SOCY100: Introduction to Sociology
• SOCY105: Understanding Contemporary Social Problems - Frameworks for Critical Thinking and Strategies for Solutions
• SOCY305:
• SPAN223:
• URSP100:
• URSP320:
• URSP372: Diversity and the City

Additional Information

For more information on developing a graduation plan, please refer to the Student Academic Success-Degree Completion Policy section of this catalog. Roadmaps for graduation plans in the College of Agricultural and Natural Resources can be found on the following pages.