Plant Biology
A minor in Plant Biology brings in the perspective of the most dominant life forms on Earth to your undergraduate education. This minor pairs especially well with a major in Nutrition and Food Science, Environmental Science, or Animal Science. Minoring in Plant Biology also offers a good scientific complement to a major in the humanities.
Any student interested in enrolling in the Plant Biology Minor should contact the department. If accepted, the student will be assigned a minor advisor from the Plant Biology Department who must approve all program plans and course selections.
Minor Advisor
Renee Petipas
Minor Requirements
At least 15 credits of course work in Plant Biology (PBIO courses) at the 2000-level or above. One 2000-level BCOR course may be presented in fulfillment of the minor requirements.
Pre/Co-Requisites
At least one semester of introductory Biology or Plant Biology: PBIO 1040, BIOL 1400, BIOL 1450, BCOR 1400, or BCOR 1450.
Restrictions
Ineligible majors: Plant Biology
Biodiversity and Global Change
This new minor offers the opportunity to explore the bigger picture of how biodiversity and global change interact across our planet by focusing on the biology of a large range of organisms, including plants, animals, and fungi. The unfolding biodiversity crisis requires that scientists consider organisms and fields of study beyond their area of expertise. That reality forms a tenet of this minor: courses are required not just in plant biology but in zoology, ecology, and global change as well.
Minor Advisor
Jeanne Harris or Stephen Keller
Minor Requirements
Three classes in organismal biology
One course must be in plants, one in animals, and one in fungi/microbes. At least two must be lab- or field-based courses (could include a relevant internship). Courses must be taken at the 2000-, 3000-, or 4000-level (3-4 credits each, equal to 9-12 credits total), including but not limited to the following:
| Plants | Animals | Fungi/Microbes |
|---|---|---|
PBIO 2090 Plant Systematics* PBIO 2084 Introduction to Ethnobotany (course submitted for catalog) PBIO 3320 Plant Systematics in Costa Rica* PBIO 3990 Alpine Plant Ecology (offered every other spring semester) PBIO 3991 Internship*3 | BIOL 4240 Field Zoology of Arthropods* BIOL 4245 Mammalogy* ALE 2060 Entomology* WFB 2300 Ornithology* WFB 2410 Herpetology* WFB 4320 Ichthyology | MMG 2010 Microbiology* PBIO 2170 Plant Pathology* PBIO 2770 Biology of Fungi* MMG 3200 Env. Micro PBIO 3990 Adv. Mycology |
One ecology class (3-4 credits)
- BCOR 2100 Ecology & Evolution
- BIOL 2105 Intro to Marine Science
- BIOL 3105 Community Ecology
- BIOL 3130 Behavioral Ecology
- NR 3200 Landscape Ecology
- NR 4500 Limnology
- NR 4800 Stream Ecology
- PBIO 2890 Ecuador: Natural History
- PBIO 3940 Ecological Modeling
- PBIO 3990 Introduction to Ecological Genomics
- PBIO 3990 Evolutionary Ecology
- ALE 2120 Weed Ecology & Management
- ALE 3680 Soil Ecology
- WFB 3240 Conservation Biology
- WFB 4830 Terrestrial Wildlife Ecology
One global change class (3-4 credits)
- ENSC 2480 Global Environmental Change
- ENSC 4010 Recovery and Restoration of Altered Ecosystems
- PBIO 2330 How Plants Can Save World
- PBIO 2440 Nature-Based Climate Solutions
- PBIO 3220 Ecological Invasions
- PBIO 3440 Community Climate Solutions
- PBIO 3750 Global Change Ecology
- BIOL 4410 Physiology of Global Change
Pre/Co-Requisites
ONE of the following courses: BCOR 1450, BCOR 1425, BIOL 1450, PBIO 1040 Intro to Botany, ENSC 1010 Intro to Environmental Science (3-4 credits), or AP Biology with a score of 5 (counted as BIOL 1000 and BIOL 1005).
Restrictions
There are no majors excluded from declaring a Biodiversity and Global Change minor. Students majoring in Plant Biology, Microbiology, Environmental Science, Biology, Agriculture, Landscape, and Environment cannot double count more than two courses between their major and the Biodiversity and Global Change minor.
Note: Because this is a new minor starting in Fall 2026, it does not yet appear in the UVM Catalogue.