University of California-Berkeley (Plant Biology)

Although Berkeley is a top school, their plant biology program doesn't sound that great. Coming from an ecological background, there isn't much offered here; it's all molecular and cellular biology. It may be better to go for Environmental Science, Policy, and Management if you want to go to Berkeley for plant ecology or a similar field of botany. Nevertheless, there are some really cool sounding courses. The GRE scores don't have to be too terribly high to get in, and they offer full funding, which is promising since it is so expensive for out-of-state students. TA'ing may be a hard requirement to get waived, and their pre-requisites may be difficult to meet if you don't have a background in botany. Overall, I can't recommend this school for this program, unless you are insterested in doing something with plants that involves the molecular and cellular side of them.

Areas of Emphasis: Basic Plant Research, Development of Biotechnologies, Molecular, Cellular, Genetic, Biochemical, Physiological, Developmental, Structural, Plant Microbe Interactions

Degrees offered: PhD only

Min. GPA: 3.0

GRE: No min. score required, but current enrolled students have an average of 620 on the verbal and 700 on the quantitative portions of the test.

Subject GRE: Not required, but recommended

Appealing Courses: Diversity of Plants and Fungi, Biology of Fungi, California Mushrooms, Biology of Algae, Environmental Plant Biology, Digital Imaging for Biologists, Plant Biochemistry, Plant Molecular Genetics, Plant Cell Biology, Grant Writing and Research

Total in-state Costs: $31,702
Total out-of-state Costs: $46,708

Financial Aid: Guaranteed support of approx. $25,500 stipend. (All students are completely funded, currently, with all students having health insurance.) Research Assistantships or TA positions support students during the second year and on. Out-of-state fees are covered as well for the first year, after which time students are expected to have gained California residency. Fellowships are also available.


TAing Requirements: Required for 2 semesters; no information on whether or not it can be waived.


Pre-requisites: They say that you should have an undergraduate curriculum that is, "Roughly equivalent to undergrad program in Genetics and Plant Biology." The requirements for this major are listed below. They do not indicate if you can make up deficiencies or not.

• Chemistry (General and Organic)


• Physics (1 semester)


• 1 yr. Calculus


• Computer Literacy Statistics


• Biology focusing on the molecular, cellular, and development side of things


• Biology focusing on ecology and evolution


• Plant Morphology


• Plant Developmental Genetics


• Cell and Developmental Plant Biology


• Physiology and Biochemsitry of Plants


• Several Upper Division Plant, Chemistry, or Biology Courses

US News & World Report Ranking: 2/152

University of Alberta-Biology

The University of Alberta doesn't sound like it's a bad place to attend school. There are many options of where to go in biology, and it also sounds like if you want, you can take a more interdisciplinary approach without specializing in one aspect of biology. TA'ing, while not required, is a common source of funding, so it may be necessary. International students pay significantly more than Canadian students, so this is a major drawback for non-Canadians.

They have a higher GPA requirement than other schools, suggesting a more rigorous program. One thing that is really nice is that the GRE isn't required, though it is preferred. The number and variety of courses is amazing. This is my favourite thing about this school. Most courses are for undergrads, but I don't see why graduate students couldn't take them, especially if you need to make up deficiencies. I don't like that they don't list pre-reqs anywhere. They also seem to have lots of research areas nearby, such as a mycology herbarium at the Botanic Gardens. Overall, I recommend this school for those interested in any aspect of biology.

Areas of Emphasis: Ecology, Microbiology & Biotechnology, Molecular Biology and Genetics, Physiology and Cell Biology, Plant Biology, Systematics & Evolution

Degrees Offered: MSc, PhD Students typically must have a master's before going for the doctorate. However, exceptional students can get admitted, and after beginning the master's one can get admitted for the doctorate.

Appealing Courses: Advanced Mycology; Advanced Comparative Immunology; Environmental Microbiology, Advanced Parasitology; Advanced Molecular Plant Physiology; Wetland Ecology & Management; Global Biogeochemistry; Conservation Biology; People, Pollution, and the Environment; The Ecology of Below-Ground Communities; Experimental Parasitology, Wildlife Disease; Microbial Physiology; Marine Phycology; Basic Virology; Plant Genetics; Medical and Veterinary Entomology; Lake and Peatland Development; Plant Biochemistry; Biology of Bryophytes; and many, many more.

NOTE: All costs are in Canadian Dollars.

Canadian Students Total Costs: $14, 037
International Students Total Costs: $26, 170

Financial Aid: Students going for their MSc get $22,686/yr. with a TAship; PhD students get $23,332/yr. with a TAship. (First year students only get about $15,000/yr for TA'ing.) International students also receive $3590/yr. to help pay for the international student fee. There is also a $500 TA scholarship available that covers one year. About half of students get funding via a TAship. Other awards and scholarships require TA'ing. There are also Research Assistantships available. Support is provided for 2.6 yrs for MSc students, and 5 yrs for PhD students.

TA'ing required: No
Pre-requisites: None specified
min. GPA: 3.3; may be higher, depending on what other applicants have
min. GRE: The General test is preferred, but not required.
Subject GRE required: No

University of Idaho-Environmental Science

Areas of Emphasis: Physical Science, Natural Resource Management, Ecology, Earth Science/Hydrology, Waste Management, Policy/Law, and Environmental Health/Toxicology.

I am not particulary impressed by this college. Their course selection is fairly limited, but not too bad. The online master's program is nice, but likely requires you to have a background in environmental science. It is hard to find information on the program; they don't seem to have much information at all. The program is interdisciplinary. They also don't give much information on financial aid. I cannot recommend this program based on the info. on their website, unless perhaps, you want to take the online option.

They offer an MS and PhD degree. Unlike many other schools, you must have a master's in order to apply for a PhD. They also offer an online MS degree for students who live in other states. They also offer a combined MS/Law degree.

Interesting-sounding courses include Microbial Ecology, Physiological Ecology, Fire Ecology, Soil Mineralogy, Environmental Water Quality, Principles of Environmental Toxicology, Plant Environmental Biophysics, Conservation Biology, and many others that are web-based.

In-state total costs are $21, 050. Out-of-state is about $10,000 more at $31,130. They claim to provide full-funding for all grad students. Fellowships and assistantships are available. TA'ing is required for PhD students.

Pre-requisites:

• Chemistry or Physics
• Physical Geography or Geology
• Biology (2 courses)
• Social Science (2 courses)
• Statistics
• Math
• English

They don't go into much detail about these specific requirements, but they can be made up once one is accepted into the program.

General GRE scores: No minimum score provided.
The subject test is not required.
minimum GPA: 2.8 (3.48 avg. for students entering program in 2001)
The school isn't listed on PhDs.org for environmental sciences/studies, and of course, US News & World Report does not rank environmental science programs.

University of Colorado-Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology

Areas of Emphasis: Molecular Biology of RNA and DNA, Molecular Genetics, Cell Motility and Cytoskeleton, Cell Membranes, Developmental Genetics, Astrobiology, Control of the Cell Cycle, Signal Transduction, and Control of Gene Expression

I went to CU for my undergrad. degree in Environmental, Population, and Organismic Biology. I love Boulder, but there wouldn't be anything left to take if I went there for my grad in the same program. It sounds like MCDB (Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology) would be a good option for those wanting an advanced degree in those areas. There are quite a few cool-sounding classes in the catalog. However, CU is not known for actually updating their catalog, so some of these may no longer be available. The campus is beautiful, and if you have time to go anywhere and do anything, Boulder can be lots of fun. It should be relatively easy to get into the school, especially if you have all the pre-reqs. It sounds like it isn't too expensive either, especially with tuition remission. Plus, it has strong rankings at PhDs.org and in US News & World Report.

They only offer a PhD.

Possibly interesting courses: Plagues, People, and Microorganisms; Biological Electron Microscopy: Principles and Recent Advances; Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology; Microbial Diversity and the Biosphere; Molecular Neurobiology; Bacterial Disease Mechanisms; and Biology of Stem Cells

It is definitely worth it to get in-state status if you can because out-of-state total costs figure around $37,606 vs. $21,786 for in-state students. Fortunately, much of this should be taken care of by doing well because they claim that graduate students are fully-funded. First years get about $24,282, primarily from TA'ing. But they do provide remission of tuition & fees plus a stipend. Unfortunately, TA'ing is required for two semesters! It is possible to get the requirement waived. Fellowships, Research Assistantships, and departmental training grants provide the support for the rest of the student's program of study.

Pre-requisites:

• Ochem
• Biochem
• Calculus
• General Biology
• Cell Biology
• Developmental Biology
• Genetics

These can be made up.

Minimum GPA: 3.0
General GRE score: No min. required given. However, see below for an idea.
Subject test is optional.
For Fall 2008, the following average stastics for entering grad students are provided:

Verb: 598

Quant: 701

Anal Writ: 4.6

Undergrad GPA: 3.55

US News & World Report Ranking: 33/152

From PhDs.org:

Reputation of the Department: 3.4 (Reasonably Effective)

Percent that find jobs immediately after graduating: 70%

Reputation of Faculty: 3.9 (Strong)

Washington State University-Botany

Areas of Emphasis: Ecology & Evolution, Physiology, Molecular Biology, and Systematics

Washington State University doesn't offer much about their program on their website. They claim to have excellent research facilities, but I couldn't find anything that really made them stand out. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this school for botany. Their ranking is relatively low in US News & World Report, and they don't offer that many unique plant classes, except, maybe in physiology. However, they could be a good choice for students concerned about costs because they claim to provide all their grad students with complete funding, including waiving out-of-state fees for the first year.

The school offers both masters and doctoral programs.

Interesting-sounding courses: Experimental Plant Ecology, Plant Ecophysiology, Molecular Ecology and Phylogeography, Angiosperm Families of the World, Plant Metabolism, Special Projects in Electron Microscopy
They offer lots of physiology courses.

Tuition & Fees In-State: $22,708
Tuition & Fees Out-of-State: $34, 316

Although these expenses are rather high, especially for out-of-state students, the school offers waivers of out-of-state costs. However, these are only available for the first year, and are limited, so they encourage and expect students to establish residency within their first year, implying that the process is relatively easy. Also, they claim that, "All of our graduate students are fully funded." (PhDs.org claims that the average tuition remission is 83%.) However, most students get TAships, but some receive Research Assistantships and fellowships. There are a good number of fellowships and awards available to botany students. Although TAing isn't required, they do require all graduate students to take the following course: Preparation for College Teaching, which doesn't sound so bad or scary.

Pre-requisites:

• Organic Chemistry
• Calculus

They don't really go into very much detail about pre-reqs, only listing these two as examples. However, they do say that deficiencies can be made up.

General GRE: Minimum score not provided.
Subject GRE recommended
Minimum GPA: 3.0
US News and World Report Ranking: 77/152
Percent Undergrads admitted: 76%


Potenial Advisors:  very limited, not very many plant ecologists
Al Black:  Plant Phyisological Ecology (http://sbs.wsu.edu/faculty/?faculty/6)
R. David Evans:  Ecosystem Ecology, response of soil compounds to climate change, including research with microbes (http://www.isotopes.wsu.edu/)
Cheryl Schultz:  Conservation Biology, Restoration Ecology (http://directory.vancouver.wsu.edu/people/cheryl-schultz)

Indiana University-Bloomington: Environmental Science

Areas of Emphasis: Policy and Law (in the works), Biology, Physical Sciences

Indiana University seems like a good choice for those interested in environmental science. The course selection is excellent, the program is highly interdisciplinary, and there are many areas on which one can focus. However, for those with backgrounds in anything other than science and even those who have a science background in an area different from what they want to pursue in environmental science, may have a hard time getting accepted.

The school offers a variety of MS degrees as well as a PhD. Specific concentrations include Applied Ecology, Water Resources, Environmental Chemistry & Toxicology, and a student-chosen combined emphases program for the MS degree. The PhD program is more interdisciplinary and sounds difficult to get into, but it may be easier to get into after one has been working towards a master's for awhile.

Overall, the school offers a wide variety and good selection of courses. Interesting-sounding courses include Wetlands Biology and Regulation, Forest Ecology and Management, Environmental Toxicology, and Lake and Watershed Management. For chemistry there are many cool-sounding courses, such as Chromatography, Hydrology, Biological Chemistry, Subsurface Microbiology and Bioremediation, Fate of Organic Contaminates in the Environment, and Soil Mechanics and Science.

Tuition and fees for out-of-state students total around $32,514. For in-state students, the amount is about $23,582.

Financial Aid includes stipends, tuition remission, assistantships, and internships. These awards are competitve; only 56% of the previous year's incoming students received such aid. However, the university claims that students who didn't receive aid often receive it their second semester or year. Those who receive assistantships working at least 15 hrs/week also receive free health insurance. Scholarships, need-based aid, and fellowships are also available. No estimates of the costs covered by such awards are given. It appears that TA'ing is not a requirement.

Pre-requisites:

This is perhaps the most disheartening of the things about this school. For admission to the PhD program, one MUST have all of the pre-reqs (the school doesn't tell us what they are) made up. For the MS, they require an undegrad. degree with courses relevant to the area of emphasis chosen by the student. Students interested in research need to have, "an adequate background in quantitative natural science subjects (e.g., math, chemistry, or biology)." Although they don't say there are exceptions to these requirements, they imply that there are not. I recommend contacting them for further information.

General GRE: There is not minimum required score. However, admitted students average around 600 on each section (verbal and quantitative). The subject GRE is not required.
GPA: Information not available.
PhDs.org states that 73% of PhD graduates in Agriculutral and Natural Sciences find jobs immediately after graduating.