Plant Biology - MS

We offer three graduate degrees in plant biology: a doctorate (Ph.D.), a thesis master’s degree (M.S.), and a non-thesis master’s degree (M.R.).

The plant biology graduate faculty is a diverse, active, collegial, and well-funded group representing vast research approaches in plant biology, from molecules to ecosystems. We engage in interdisciplinary research projects and collaborate with faculty members in many departments across NC State. Our plant biologists (including USDA-ARS scientists) can be found the Departments of Crop and Soil Sciences, Horticultural Science, Molecular and Structural Biochemistry, Entomology and Plant Pathology, and Forestry and Environmental Resources. We also have several associate faculty members from agricultural biotechnology companies located in the Research Triangle.

Our graduate students benefit from this wide scope of plant biology research at NC State and the broader research community at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and Duke University. They have the opportunity to conduct research in diverse areas of contemporary plant biology such as plant genomics, cell biology, plant-microbe interactions, and conservation biology, among others.

The Master of Science in Plant Biology is a research degree in which students must complete and defend a thesis. An M.S. degree in plant biology can be an intermediary step between the B.S. and the Ph.D. for students who do not have substantial undergraduate research experience or who are changing fields.

M.S. research training and coursework prepares students for positions in academia, industry, and government providing technical support, environmental consulting, and natural resource inventory and management.