Area
Employer
Information/Strategies
Plant Biology – Major Subdisciplines
- Anatomy
- Biochemistry
- Bioenergy
- Biophysics
- Cytology
- Ecology
- Ethnobotany
- Genetics
- Genomics
- Microbiology
- Molecular
- Biology
- Morphology
- Paleobotany
- Palynology
- Physiology
- Phytochemistry
- Systematics
- Systems Ecology
- Taxonomy
- Colleges and universities
- Agricultural experiment stations
- Research organizations
- National laboratories
- Museums, herbaria, botanical gardens, arboretums
- U.S. Department of Agriculture branches including
- National Germplasm Resources Laboratory
- Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
- National Arboretum
- Forest Service
- Food and Drug Administration
- Federal agencies including
- Departments of Interior and State
- Public Health Service
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Smithsonian Institution
- National Park Service
- Environmental Protection Agency
- Department of Energy
- State environmental agencies
- Environmental consulting companies
- Industries including
- Petrochemical
- Chemical
- Lumber and paper
- Pharmaceutical
- Seed and nursery
- Produce
- Biological supply
- Bio-technology
- Develop organizational and laboratory skills, attention to detail and determination for successful scientific inquiry.
- Read plant biology journals and articles to stay abreast of current research in the field.
- Seek undergraduate field and research experiences independently or alongside professors.
- Apply for undergraduate research fellowships or other student research programs.
- Learn federal and state government job application processes.
- Join related professional associations.
- Maintain a high grade point average and develop strong faculty references in preparation for graduate school.
- Obtain a Ph.D. for teaching and advanced research positions.
Applied Plant Science
- Agronomy
- Biotechnology
- Economic Botany
- Food Science and Technology
- Forestry
- Horticulture
- Natural Resource Management
- Plant Breeding
- Plant Pathology
- Colleges and universities
- Agricultural experiment stations
- Research organizations
- Federal, state, and local government and regulatory agencies
- Agriculture industries including
- Lumber and paper
- Seed and nursery
- Fruit and vegetable growers
- Fermentation
- Food and feed
- Biological supply
- Industries including
- Petrochemical
- Pharmaceutical
- Chemical
- Biotechnology firms
- Environmental consulting companies
- Learn to set up, operate, maintain laboratory instruments and equipment, and monitor experiments.
- Develop strong communication skills for sharing data with technical and non-technical audiences.
- Seek undergraduate research opportunities independently or with professors.
- Take courses related to your area of interest; consider a minor or double major.
- Gain relevant experience through student organizations, volunteer positions, part-time work, or internships.
- Obtain a Ph.D. for teaching, advanced research positions, and administration.
- Learn federal, state, and local government job application processes.
Organismal Plant Biology – Specialties
- Bryology
- Lichenology
- Pteridology
- Mycology
- Phycology/Marine Botany
- Dendrology
- Agrostology
- Colleges and universities
- Agricultural experiment stations
- Research organizations
- State and federal agencies including
- Departments of Agriculture, Interior, and Health
- Museums, herbaria, botanical gardens, arboretums, aquaria
- Environmental consulting companies
- Become familiar with laboratory procedures and equipment.
- Take courses in area(s) of specialization and/or consider an advanced degree.
- Assist a professor with research or find a part-time job in a laboratory.
- Seek related experience through part-time jobs, internships, or volunteering.
- Obtain a Ph.D. for teaching and advanced research and management positions.
Education
- Teaching
- Research
- Administration
- Public and private high schools
- Colleges and universities
- Museums, herbaria, botanical gardens, arboretums
- Gain experience working with students through tutoring, part-time employment, or volunteering.
- Learn to work well with all types of people.
- Develop excellent interpersonal and public speaking skills.
- Certification is required to teach in public schools and varies by state.
- Master’s degrees may be sufficient for teaching at two-year institutions.
- Ph.D. is needed for teaching opportunities at colleges and universities.
Plant Biology – Communication
- Writing
- Editing
- Botanical Illustration
- Photography
- Publishing companies including newspapers, magazines, books, and textbooks
- Professional associations
- Scientific and educational software companies
- Non-profit organizations
- Develop strong writing skills, knowledge of photography, and accompanying technology.
- Pursue courses in photography; courses in illustration and printing may be helpful.
- Take advanced courses in technical writing or journalism classes or consider a minor in either.
- Join professional associations like the National Association of Science Writers.
- Seek related volunteer or paid experiences with student/local publications, magazines, newspapers, or publishers to increase marketability.
- Obtain an advanced degree in scientific journalism.
Plant Biology – Legal Applications
- Lobbying
- Regulatory Affairs
- Science Policy
- Patent Law
- Environmental Law
- Agricultural Law
- Biotechnological Law
- Environmental and biotechnology law firms
- Government and regulatory agencies
- Lobbying firms
- Participate on a debate or forensic team.
- Develop strong research and communication skills and attention to detail.
- Take courses in and gain experience with mediation and conflict resolution.
- Get involved with pre-law organizations.
- Obtain part-time work in law firms and/or internships in federal or state government.
- Plan to shadow attorneys to learn more about the field and various specialties.
- Maintain an excellent grade point average and secure strong faculty recommendations to gain law school admittance.
- Plan to take the LSAT. Earn a J.D. degree to practice law.
Business
- Marketing/Sales
- Management
- Consulting
- Pharmaceutical companies
- Agricultural companies
- Biotechnology firms
- Scientific publishers
- Biological supply houses
- Develop excellent communication and interpersonal skills, along with a high energy level.
- Obtain sales experience and/or a business minor for increased marketability.
- Join related student associations and seek leadership positions.
- Consider an MBA or Professional Science Master’s for advanced management and consulting opportunities.
Bioinformatics
- Colleges and universities
- Private research foundations
- Independent laboratories including agricultural, pharmaceutical, research, testing, etc.
- Federal laboratories and regulatory agencies including National Institutes of Health, Food and Drug Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Agriculture
- Bioinformatics companies
- National Biological Information Infrastructure
- Develop areas of specialization through coursework, minors, double-majors in mathematics, statistics, computer science, or machine learning.
- Develop strong programming and database management skills; fluency in several programming languages is helpful.
- Learn biological software systems.
- Complete an internship in area of interest.
- Seek master’s degree for increased advancement opportunities.
General Information and Strategies
- Bachelor’s degree qualifies one for work as a laboratory technician or technical assistant in education, industry, government, museums, parks, and gardens.
- Master’s degree opens some opportunities in research and administration.
- Ph.D. is required for advanced research and administrative positions or college teaching. Most plant scientists work in higher education.
- Build good relationships with science professors and secure strong recommendations. Maintain a high GPA for graduate school admission.
- Obtain part-time, summer, co-op, volunteer, or internship experience with government agencies, college/university labs, agricultural experiment stations, freshwater and marine biological stations, or private companies.
- Complete an undergraduate research project to decide on a specific area of interest in botany.
- Enjoy outdoor activities if planning to conduct research in an outdoor environment.
- Join organizations concerned with the world food supply and other related areas. Read scientific journals related to botany.
- Develop an excellent background in mathematics and strong verbal and written communication skills.
- Select a broad range of courses in English, social sciences, arts, and humanities.
- Become proficient with computers.