Campuses:
Twin Cities campus
This is archival data. This system was retired as of August 21, 2023 and the information on this page has not been updated since then. For current information, visit catalogs.umn.edu.
|
Twin Cities Campus
Applied Plant Sciences Ph.D.Agronomy & Plant Genetics
Horticultural Science
College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences
Link to a list of faculty for this program.
Contact Information
Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics, 411 Borlaug Hall, 1991 Upper Buford Circle, St. Paul, MN 55108-6026 (612-625-4742; fax: 612-625-1268)
Email:
apsc@umn.edu
Along with the program-specific requirements listed below, please read the
General Information section of
this
website for requirements that apply to all major fields.
Applied plant sciences is an interdisciplinary program for educating students to become professional scientists well grounded in the applied disciplines of agronomy/agroecology, horticulture, and plant breeding/molecular genetics. Graduates of the program are able to provide innovative leadership and contribute to problem solving within their disciplines in the public or private sector and within society at large. The program develops the quantitative and qualitative research skills necessary to conduct high quality research and scholarship. Students gain broad familiarity with all of the disciplines within the program and gain in-depth knowledge within their area of expertise. The program's graduate faculty is drawn primarily from the Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics and the Department of Horticultural Science; but also from the Departments of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior; Plant Biology; Plant Pathology; Soil, Water, and Climate; and related departments. Students choose from among four specialization tracks: agronomy/agroecology, applied plant sciences, horticulture, or plant breeding/plant molecular genetics. Student choose from among four specialization tracks: agronomy/agroecology, applied plant sciences, horticulture, or plant breeding/molecular genetics,
Program Delivery
Prerequisites for Admission
The preferred undergraduate GPA for admittance to the program
is 3.00.
Other requirements to be completed before admission:
Students entering the program should have a foundation in the physical and biological sciences, preferably with some emphasis in plant science. A minimum of 10 credits of math and physics, 12 credits of chemistry and biochemistry, and 15 credits of biological and/or agricultural sciences are recommended for admission. In addition, students should have completed a B.S. or B.A. degree in agriculture, biology, or other related life science. Students with a B.S. or B.A. degree outside these areas may be admitted with the requirement that they take the prerequisite courses noted above at the undergraduate level in addition to their graduate coursework.
Special Application Requirements:
Applicants must submit scores from the General (Aptitude) Test of the GRE; three letters of recommendation from persons familiar with their scholarship and research potential; a complete set of official transcripts; and a clearly written personal statement of career interests, goals, and objectives as part of the online application. Students should apply by December 1 for admission into fall semester of the following year. Students should apply by October 1 for admission into spring semester of the following year.
Applicants must submit their test score(s) from the following:
International applicants must submit score(s) from one of the following tests:
Key to test
abbreviations
(GRE, TOEFL, IELTS, MELAB).
For an online application or for more information about graduate education admissions, see the
General Information section of this
website.
Program Requirements
30
credits are required in the major.
0 credits are required outside the major. 24 thesis credits are required.
This program may not be completed with a minor.
Use of 4xxx courses toward program requirements is permitted under certain conditions with adviser approval.
A minimum GPA of 3.00
is required for students to remain in good standing.
At least 1 semesters must be completed
before filing a Degree Program Form.
Ph.D. students are required to complete the courses in the common curriculum, the requirements for their respective specialization, and present one graduate seminar; 24 thesis credits are also required. Additional course requirements are flexible and are determined in consultation with the student's adviser(s) and advisory committee.
Required core courses are counted toward the required 30 credits.
Program Sub-plans
A sub-plan is not required for this program.
Students may not complete the program with more than one sub-plan.
Agronomy and Agroecology
Students conduct research to increase their knowledge of cropping systems and weed science, including alternative approaches and management strategies. Emphasis is on improving production efficiency and profitability in an environmentally sound approach that benefits society. Mechanisms of crop physiology and ecology underlying plant responses to the environment are a particular emphasis of this track.
Two agroecology/agronomy courses:
AGRO 4005 - Applied Crop Physiology and Development (4 cr)
AGRO 4401 - Plant Genetics and Breeding (4 cr)
AGRO 4505 - Integrated Weed Management (3 cr)
SAGR 8010 - Sustainable Agriculture Colloquium (2 cr)
AGRO 5321 - Ecology of Agricultural Systems (3 cr)
AGRO 5999 - Special Topics: Agro-ecosystem Analysis Summer Field Course (3 cr)
A course in plant biology such as:
PBIO 5412 - Plant Physiology (3 cr)
PBIO 5416 - Plant Morphology, Development, and Evolution (4 cr)
Ecology courses such as the following:
BIOL 5407 - Ecology (3 cr)
EEB 4068 - Plant Physiological Ecology (3 cr)
EEB 4609 - Ecosystem Ecology (3 cr)
EEB 5053 - Ecology: Theory and Concepts (4 cr)
HORT 5071 - Restoration and Reclamation Ecology (3 cr)
ESPM 5108 - Ecology of Managed Systems (4 cr)
ESPM 5245 - Sustainable Land Use Planning and Policy (3 cr)
Required courses
AGRO 5311 - Research Methods in Crop Improvement and Production
(1.0 cr)
AGRO 8270 {Inactive}
(1.0 cr)
APSC 8123 - Research Ethics in the Plant and Environmental Sciences
(0.5 cr)
GRAD 8101 - Teaching in Higher Education
(3.0 cr)
SAGR 8010 - Colloquium in Sustainable Agriculture
(2.0 cr)
STAT 5021 - Statistical Analysis
(4.0 cr)
Horticulture
Students conduct research related to fruits, vegetables, potatoes, flowers, ornamental trees and shrubs, or turf; and on the physiology, production, environmental impact of cropping systems, and use of horticultural crops. Research areas include the effect of horticultural commodities on human health, hormonal, and stress physiology; flower development and flowering physiology; integrated pest management; post harvest physiology; and cropping system strategies. Students get a broad range of experiences in the field, greenhouse, and/or laboratory using genetic, molecular, biochemical, and ecological tools to answer research questions.
Specialization courses:
Area 1 - Cross Commodity Horticulture
HORT 4071W - Applications of Biotechnology to Plant Improvement (4 cr)
AGRO 4505 - Integrated Weed Management (4 cr)
HORT 4461 - Horticultural Marketing
HORT 5007 - Advanced Plant Propagation (3 cr), Spring (even yrs)
AGRO 5021 - Introduction to Plant Breeding (3 cr)
HORT 5023 - Public Garden Management (2 cr)
STAT 5302 - Applied Regression Analysis (4 cr)
AGRO 5321 - Ecology of Agricultural Systems (3 cr)
MKTG 6051 - Marketing Research (4 cr)
MKTG 6055 - Buyer Behavior (4 cr)
MBA 6210 - Marketing Management (3 cr)
SAGR 8010 - Colloquium in Sustainable Agriculture (2 cr)
HORT 8023 - Evolution of Crop Plants (3 cr)
HORT 8044 - Manipulation of Plant Growth and Reproduction (2 cr), Spring (even yrs)
AGRO 8305 - Physiological Ecology of Plants in Natural and Managed Ecosystems (4 cr)
AGRO 8605 - Advanced Management of Agroecosystems (3 cr)
Area 2 - Commodity-based Horticulture
HORT 4061 - Turfgrass Management (4 cr)
HORT 4062 - Turfgrass Weed and Disease Science (3 cr), Fall (odd yrs)
HORT 4063 - Turfgrass Science (3 cr)
HORT 4141W - Plant Production I (4 cr)
HORT 5031 - Organic Viticulture and Fruit Production (3 cr), Fall (odd yrs)
HORT 5032 - Organic Vegetable Production (3 cr) Spring (odd yrs)
HORT 5051 - Plant Production II (4 cr)
HORT 5071 - Restoration and Reclamation Ecology (3 cr)
Required courses
AGRO 5311 - Research Methods in Crop Improvement and Production
(1.0 cr)
APSC 8123 - Research Ethics in the Plant and Environmental Sciences
(0.5 cr)
GRAD 8101 - Teaching in Higher Education
(3.0 cr)
HORT 8270 {Inactive}
(1.0 cr)
SAGR 8010 - Colloquium in Sustainable Agriculture
(2.0 cr)
STAT 5021 - Statistical Analysis
(4.0 cr)
Plant Breeding and Plant Molecular Genetics
This track allows students to select from genetic research projects ranging from applied plant breeding projects emphasizing breeding procedures and methodologies to molecular genetic projects doing biotechnology, genetic engineering, and genomic research in agronomic and horticultural crops. These research projects give students the opportunity to integrate the latest developments in the laboratory with applied applications in the field to reach the overarching goal of developing new germplasm that will improve the sustainability of our food/feed/fiber/fuel systems.
Molecular Genetics Area (3 cr)
Genetics Area (3 cr)
Plant Breeding Area (3 cr)
Additional courses determined by student/advisory committee (12 credits)from these suggested areas and course:
Genetics area:
EEB 5042 - Quantitative Genetics (3 cr), Fall
GCD 8131 - Advanced Genetics and Genomics (3 cr), Spring
Molecular Genetics area:
GCD 4034 - Molecular Genetics, (3 cr), Spring
AGRO 8241 - Chromosomal and Molecular Genetics of Plant Improvement (3 cr), Spring (odd years)
Plant Breeding area:
AGRO/HORT 8201 - Advanced Plant Breeding (3 cr), Fall (odd years)
AGRO 8202 - Breeding for Quantitative Traits in Plants (3 cr), Spring (even years)
Required courses
AGRO 5311 - Research Methods in Crop Improvement and Production
(1.0 cr)
AGRO 8270 {Inactive}
(1.0 cr)
APSC 8123 - Research Ethics in the Plant and Environmental Sciences
(0.5 cr)
GRAD 8101 - Teaching in Higher Education
(3.0 cr)
SAGR 8010 - Colloquium in Sustainable Agriculture
(2.0 cr)
STAT 5021 - Statistical Analysis
(4.0 cr)
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
