Type of Degree

M.S., Ph.D.

School or College

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Program Format

On-campus, Full-time

The Ph.D. in Plant Biology provides interdisciplinary training to the next generation of plant biologists, preparing them to tackle global research challenges in biotechnology and plant improvement, sustainable food systems, climate change, and biodiversity conservation.

Program Overview

The Ph.D. Program in Plant Biology is the intellectual hub for plant-related research at the University of Vermont. Our world-renowned faculty employ cutting edge techniques to train Ph.D. students to become independent and confident scientists ready to pursue careers across the spectrum of the plant sciences -- from academia to industry to the private sector.

Our P.D. program is characterized by dedicated mentoring and extensive collaboration across our close-knit community of faculty, students, and staff. The program thrives on its interdisciplinary training opportunities, which incoming 1st-year Ph.D. students first encounter during their semester-long research rotations in fall and spring semesters. Graduate-level coursework complements these early research experiences and exposes students to the latest ideas, theories, and approaches deployed by plant biology researchers, emphasizing critical thinking, foundational knowledge, and computational tools. Through cl ose collaboration with their primary advisor and faculty on their dissertation studies committee, Ph.D. students conduct primary research towards their dissertation and are supported to present their findings at national and international conferences and meetings.

 Graduates from our Ph.D. program are well-prepared for a research career in the plant sciences. Graduates from our program go on to pursue postdoctoral fellowships, faculty positions, and professional research positions with governmental and non-governmental organizations.

 

Concentrations

Plant Biology Faculty Research Areas

Beckage Lab

  • Projects at the intersection of climate, human, and ecological systems

Delaney Lab

  • Plant defense responses to pathogens, and function of related signal transduction pathways
  • Diversity and roles of fungal saprophytes in forest ecosystems
  • Interaction of fungal mutualists with forest plants, especially ectomycorrhizae

Keller Lab

  • Ecological and population genomics
  • Landscape genetics
  • Molecular ecology and evolution
  • ​Plant population biology
  • Forest responses to climate change
  • Biological invasions
  • Applied conservation genetics

Molofsky Lab

  • Hybridization as a substrate for evolutionary novelty in plant systems
  • Genetic and demographic processes and invasion
  • Community invasibility based on plant traits

Testo Lab

  • Plant systematics and evolution
  • Phylogenomics
  • Comparative phylogenetic methods
  • Specimen-based research
  • Tropical plant diversity

Tierney Lab

  • Cell wall structure
  • Signaling pathways
  • Control of gene expression

Curriculum

The Graduate Program in Plant Biology

Overview of the Department and its Programs

The Department of Plant Biology has a strong and diversified research presence, with programs in two areas basic to plant science: 1) ecology, evolution, and systematics, and 2) biochemistry and cell, molecular, and developmental biology. Information on specific faculty research programs may be found on the the Plant Biology Department's web page.

The Department offers two graduate degree programs:

  • M.S. - Field Naturalist option
  • Ph.D. in Plant Biology

Master of Science, Field Naturalist Option

Program Description:
The Field Naturalist Program is a multidisciplinary non-thesis program leading to the degree of Master of Science, Field Naturalist Option. The program is designed to provide students with (1) a solid grounding in field-related sciences; (2) the ability to integrate scientific disciplines into a coherent whole at the landscape level; (3) the ability to evaluate sites from a number of perspectives and/or criteria; (4) the ability to translate scientific insights into ecologically sound decisions; and (5) the ability to communicate effectively to a wide range of audiences. Additional information can be found on the program's web page.

Requirements for Admission:

  • A background in science;
  • A demonstrated commitment to field sciences (e.g., research, field work, participation in environmental or conservation organizations)

Recent college graduates are encouraged to pursue interests outside academe before application to the Field Naturalist Program.

Minimum Degree Requirements:
All students must successfully complete a total of 30 credit hours that includes enrollment in the Field Naturalist Practicum (PBIO 311) and Professional Writing (PBIO 333/334) each semester and at least two courses in each of three core areas: (1) life science (2) earth science, and (3) ecology (course selection to be determined by the student's studies committee). In addition, satisfactory completion of an oral comprehensive examination is required. A Field Naturalist student’s degree culminates in satisfactory completion of a field project for a sponsoring organization that includes a professional report, a focused literature review, a written academic reflection, an oral presentation, and a journal publication or article in the popular mass media.

Doctor of Philosophy

Requirements for Admission:

  • The equivalent of a UVM major in a natural or physical science;
  • Evidence of previous research experience

Minimum Degree Requirements:
All students must successfully complete a total of 75 credits, including a minimum of 30 credits of program-related course work and 20 credits of dissertation research. First-year students participate in at least two rotations in research laboratories before committing to one laboratory for completion of dissertation research. Satisfactory completion of the written and oral components of a comprehensive examination are required for advancement to candidacy. A student’s Ph.D. degree is culminated by satisfactory completion of a dissertation, a public seminar, and a private defense with their studies committee. In addition to research, all students must participate in a minimum of two courses of supervised teaching.

Requirements for Advancement to Candidacy:
Satisfactory completion of the written and oral components of a comprehensive examination are required for advancement to candidacy.

Studies Committee

Role. The studies committee advises the student's program of study and design of the thesis research. They may also administer the comprehensive examination or a separate committee may be formed to administer the comprehensive exam.

Constitution. The studies committee consists of at least three faculty members for a master’s degree and at least four faculty members for a PhD. All studies committee members must be Graduate College faculty, and the Chair of the committee may not have an appointment within the degree-granting program.

Committee Meetings. The student is advised to convene a meeting of the studies committee soon after a research topic has been selected, and at least annually after that.

Coursework

Registering for courses. Do not register for the fall semester until you have spoken with your advisor. Course registration is done electronically, via the registrar's website or myUVM, where you can add and drop classes, check your grades, and access an online course schedule.

Course credits. Be sure to read the Graduate College's Enrollment Policies and Procedures. This section will tell you what you need to do each semester in order to be considered a fulltime student. In short, you must be enrolled for 9 credit hours (of courses and/or research) during each of the fall and spring semesters to receive the benefits of a fulltime graduate student. Fulltime students who are working during the summer may enroll for up to 5 credits of research during the summer semester. Students who have finished the credits required for their degree (75 for PhD and 30 for MS) but are still working fulltime on their thesis research should enroll in GRAD 903 during the fall and spring semesters to maintain fulltime student status.

Lab Rotations, Ph.D. candidates

During the first year, Ph.D. students will do research rotations in the labs of at least two faculty members. Students should contact faculty about potential rotations in the first week or two of the fall semester. Rotations are an opportunity to try out different disciplines and to work with different faculty members. Rotations should be completed by the end of the spring semester. At that time, students will initiate thesis research in the lab of their thesis advisor.

Seminar Program

Participation in the Plant Biology department's seminar program is expected of all graduate students. This includes both regular attendance at seminar and presentation of one seminar per year. (Two graduate seminars are customarily scheduled in a seminar slot; thus each student's seminar will be about 20 minutes long.)

Comprehensive Exams

Comprehensive exams include both a written and an oral component. The exams are customarily topical, related to the student's area of specialization. Master's students typically complete their comprehensive exams by the end of the third semester in residence, and Ph.D. students are encouraged to complete their comprehensive exams by the end of the second year.

Thesis Defense

The culmination of the research performed by masters and PhD candidates is the thesis defense. This defense includes both a seminar-style public component and a closed examination with the studies committee.

Assistantships

Ph.D. students in the Plant Biology Department are funded at the rate of $33,280 per year.

Payroll checks are distributed on the 15th and the 30th of the month (or the nearest weekday beforehand). UVM requires that you set up direct deposit for your pay unless you submit a request for an exception. You can sign up for direct deposit on PeopleSoft. Please see Karyn in the main office (111 Jeffords Hall) for help with this. It takes 1-2 pay periods for direct deposit to kick in.

Graduate Teaching Fellowship. Many graduate students in Plant Biology are supported on a Graduate Teaching Fellowship (GTF). GTFs provide instruction in the laboratory sections of courses taught by department faculty. Typically, beginning graduate students are assigned to the introductory biology courses (Bio 1 and BCOR 011 [fall] and Bio 2 and BCOR 012 [spring]). Prior to the beginning of each semester, you will receive a letter informing you of your teaching assignment. We try to match graduate student teaching interests with the needs of the Department. Tuition for 9 credits of graduate coursework per semester is covered for students serving as GTFs.

Typically, a GTF assignment is for 20 hours of work per week, and includes teaching two lab sections, grading papers, and so on. It is a serious commitment. Most professors express a great deal of respect and admiration for the skills that grad students bring to their teaching assignments. Grad Teaching Fellows often work together to design labs and bounce ideas off each other, striving for quality and creativity. GTFs are encouraged to seek training and feedback on their teaching skills from faculty members. UVM’s Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) offers regular workshops on pedagogical approaches, which students are encouraged to attend. Graduate students also receive feedback directly from their students through the use of student evaluation forms at the end of each semester.

Time Limits for Graduate Degree Completion. The UVM Graduate College sets time limits for graduate degree completion: 9 years for the Ph.D. and 5 years for the M.S. Needless to say most students complete their programs well within these University limits.

Deadlines

December 1st deadline. If remaining spots are available, we will consider applications that arrive before December 31st.

Admissions

Interested in joining our program?  You can find full instructions on how to apply at the UVM Graduate College website. We also encourage you to reach out to individual faculty whose research complements your interests. Feel free to reach out to us plantbio@uvm.edu. if you have questions at any point -- we look forward to hearing from you!

Outcomes

  1. Design, conduct, analyze, write up, and defend a research project addressing a previously unanswered question
  2. Compose a grant proposal
  3. Identify and apply for sources of funding for research or travel
  4. Critically evaluate and interpret scientific papers from the primary literature
  5. Communicate effectively to diverse audiences, both lay and scientific, through teaching, writing, mentoring, and scientific presentation

Costs and Funding

Graduate students in our Ph.D. program are supported with a stipend (currently $3X,XXX per year) in the form of graduate research assistantships (GRA's) or graduate teaching assistantships (GTA's). In addition to the stipend, Ph.D. students receive a tuition waiver good for up to 9 credits of graduate coursework per semester. We also support our graduates students to attend scientific conferences each year, by matching travel awards from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the Graduate Student Senate.

More

Check out what our PBIO Ph.D. students are up to! Follow the links below to learn more about out current students and visit our socials to hear updates on their activities!

PBIO Graduate Student Page

Instagram, X

Marvin Seminar Series

CALS News and Events

 

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