A: Yes! It just takes a manual exception by your advisor.

A: Yes! It’s a great introduction not only to the field of Plant Biology but also to the people of the Plant Biology department. You meet other PBIO students and faculty in the many activities we do across campus.

A: There are 2 possibilities:

1. Take the CALS class
   1. Foundation: Information Technology - CALS 1020 (for first year students)
   2. Computer Applications - CALS 1850 (the same as CALS 1020, but for students in their 2^nd year and above)

Description for CALS 1020 and 1850: This course has been developed over the past 40 years to prepare students like you in the College of Agriculture and Life Science (CALS) with a solid foundation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) knowledge and skill. The purpose of this course is to enable the effective use of current and future software applications, during your time as a CALS student and beyond. In addition to learning the core ICT curriculum, you will also be learning about the (a) formatting of academic papers and (b) structure of the university, college, and departments, which is called the “CALS Curriculum: Understanding Academia at the College Level for First-Year and Transfer Students”. There is both a lecture and a lab component to this course.

Note: The two courses are exactly the same, it's just who can enroll that's different.

2. Computer Programming I - CS 1210 - this is an introductory programming class. 

Description for CS 1210: Programming I teaches problem solving, and the problem solving process, in the context of computer programming in Python. Topics will include variables and assignment, functions, branching and flow of control, loops, exceptions, simple input/output, and basic data structures such as lists, tuples, and dictionaries. Good programming style is emphasized. The course assumes no prior programming experience.

We have several PBIO students choose this option every year and thrive.

Help! Which should I take?

• Take one of the CALS classes for a basic foundation in using computers and standard software you might use in college. Learn how to apply it to future course work. Become an informed and comfortable computer user.
• Take the CS Intro to Programming class to learn the basics of programming. This course prepares you for many kinds of undergraduate research and provides a good foundation for upper-level Plant Biology and Biology courses with a computational component. (Instructor Tip! Take the section taught by Samantha Connolly, a PBIO alumna!)
• Not sure? You can take both! Start with a CALS course to strengthen your foundation, then follow up with Intro to Programming.

A: No! Complete General Chem before moving on. The 4 semesters of Chemistry must be taken one after another, in order. Don’t worry – you’ll get there!

A: You don’t have to wait until your 2^nd year for a course focused on plants – take PBIO 1040 Intro to Botany in the Spring! It won’t count towards your Plant Biology major, but it will fulfill your need to grow plants in the winter! Also, it counts towards a Food Systems minor, one of the most popular minors for PBIO majors.

A: Both are very helpful to understanding plants – Ecology and Evolution provides important environmental and evolutionary context for plants, but Molecular and Cell Biology tells you what’s going on inside plant cells. These are important prerequisites to classes in PBIO as well as in other departments. Look through the upper-level classes that interest you – what do they require as a prerequisite? This can help you decide.

• Not sure? You can take both! Count one towards this requirement and the other towards your Advanced Electives!

A: these are intermediate or upper-level courses that help you develop your direction of interest. So these could all be Plant Biology courses, but we offer you the flexibility to choose courses from other departments to help you follow your interests with other relevant courses. We often call these “Advanced Electives”.

Some examples of courses outside PBIO that students take:

• Intro to Microbiology MMG 2010 – why? Because plants interact with microbes all the time! (Microbiology is the study of microbes, and this course focuses especially on bacteria)
  • Fundamentals of Soil Science PSS 2610 – why? Because plants grow in soil! Learn about the dynamic soil system that roots grow through
  • Intro to Geog Info Systems NR 2430 – why? Because learning GIS is very helpful for people interested in a field-based career.
  • Basics of Data Science STAT 2870 – why? Because we’re gathering more and more data each year, and this course gives you some basics for handling big data
  • Plant-Animal Interactions BIOL 3100 – plants interact with lots of animals – pollinators, herbivores etc. This takes an Ecological/Evolutionary approach.
  • Genetics and Genomics MMG 3330 – we study plants at a genomic level to gain a deeper understanding of populations and evolution – genetics and genomics works the same in plants and animals!
  • And many more! We often offer special topics courses in PBIO – check out the topics to see if they are interesting to you!

A: Yes! You are not required to, but students often do, sometimes taking 2 if they can fit it in and it matches their interests!

A: Yes! CALS has no restrictions on minors.