Plant Sciences Major

http://psla.umd.edu/undergraduate/plant-sciences/

Program Director: Dr. Nidhi Rawat, nidhirwt@umd.edu

PLSC: Plant Biology Advisor: Dr. Gary Coleman, gcoleman@umd.edu
PLSC: Turf & Golf Course Management and Landscape Management Advisor: Dr. Mark Carroll, mcarroll@umd.edu
PLSC: Urban Forestry Advisor: Dr. Joseph Sullivan, jsull@umd.edu 

For general questions, please email Diana Cortez, dcortez@umd.edu

Plant Sciences combines basic science courses with applied technical classes to prepare students for research, public sector, and industry careers.  Students seeking a Plant Sciences degree must complete requirements in one of the following Areas of Concentration: Plant Biology, Turf and Golf Course Management, or Urban Forestry.

  • Plant Biology is designed to prepare students for graduate or professional schools and/or a career in research. This area provides a strong foundation for postgraduate education and research careers in biotechnology, plant physiology and development, cell biology, molecular biology, plant genetics/genomics, conservation biology, ecology, and plant pathology.

Management Programs:

  • Turf and Golf Course Management prepares students to succeed as a turfgrass professional in the golf course or sports turf industry, stressing an interdisciplinary approach to this career.
  • Urban Forestry prepares students to manage urban trees and forests and enhance their sustainability.  This program stresses tree biology, forest ecology and forest assessment and management tools and prepares students for careers with municipalities or government agencies as well as private industry such as power companies and the tree-care industry.

Program Learning Outcomes

  1. Students will develop technical and knowledge-based skills in the required areas of study.
  2. Students will use technical and basic learned knowledge to collaborate, solve problems and then articulate conclusions.
  3. Students shall develop effective communication skills and demonstrate the ability to present ideas with clarity to an appropriate audience.
  4. Students will connect and build relationships with external groups in the appropriate fields of study.
Course Title Credits
Requirements for all Areas of Concentration 1
CHEM131
CHEM132
Chemistry I - Fundamentals of General Chemistry
and General Chemistry I Laboratory
4
ENGL101Academic Writing3
ENGL393Technical Writing3
ENST200Fundamentals of Soil Science4
MATH113College Algebra and Trigonometry3
or MATH115 Precalculus
PLSC110
PLSC111
Introduction to Horticulture
and Introduction to Horticulture Laboratory
4
or PLSC112
PLSC113
Introductory Crop Science
and Introductory Crop Science Laboratory
PLSC398Seminar1
Select a specialization from the list below:48-55
Plant Biology
Turf and Golf Course Management
Urban Forestry
Total Credits70-77
1

With the exception of ENGL101 and ENGL393, a grade of "C-" or better is required in the courses above.

Specializations:

Plant Biology

Course Title Credits
Requirements
BSCI337Biology of Insects4
BSCI442Plant Physiology4
or PLSC400 Plant Physiology
CHEM231
CHEM232
Organic Chemistry I
and Organic Chemistry Laboratory I
4
CHEM241
CHEM242
Organic Chemistry II
and Organic Chemistry Laboratory II
4
MATH140Calculus I4
or MATH120 Elementary Calculus I
PHYS121Fundamentals of Physics I4
PLSC201Plant Structure and Function3
PLSC206Plant Structure and Function Laboratory1
PLSC2024
PLSC203Plants, Genes and Biotechnology3
PLSC271Plant Propagation3
PLSC399Special Problems in Plant Science1-3
PLSC420Principles of Plant Pathology4
Advanced Plant Science Electives
Select one of the following:3-4
PLSC403
Water and Nutrient Planning for the Nursery and Greenhouse Industry
Greenhouse Crop Production
Technology of Fruit and Vegetable Production
Environmental Horticulture
PLSC456
PLSC474
Advanced Science Electives
Select one of the following:3-4
BCHM261
or BSCI461
Principles of Soil Fertility
Soil Hydrology and Physics
Soil Chemistry
Fundamentals of Physics II
Total Credits49-53

Turf and Golf Course Management

Course Title Credits
Requirements
BSCI170
BSCI171
Principles of Molecular & Cellular Biology
and Principles of Molecular & Cellular Biology Laboratory
4
BSCI160
BSCI161
Principles of Ecology and Evolution
and Principles of Ecology and Evolution Lab
4
BSCI337Biology of Insects4
CHEM1044
COMM1003
or COMM107 Oral Communication: Principles and Practices
ENBE2371
PHYS1174
or PHYS121 Fundamentals of Physics I
PLSC3053
PLSC389Internship1-3
PLSC400Plant Physiology4
PLSC401Pest Management Strategies for Turfgrass3
PLSC402Sports Turf Management3
PLSC410Commercial Turf Maintenance and Production3
PLSC420Principles of Plant Pathology4
PLSC453Weed Science3
Total Credits48-50

Urban Forestry

Course Title Credits
Requirements
AREC240Introduction to Economics and the Environment3
BMGT220Principles of Accounting I3
BSCI337Biology of Insects4
or BSCI497 Insect Pests of Ornamentals and Turf
Select one of the following:3
CHEM105
Organic Chemistry I
and Organic Chemistry Laboratory I
ENST411Principles of Soil Fertility3
LARC160Introduction to Landscape Architecture and Environmental Design3
PLSC1713
PLSC201Plant Structure and Function3
PLSC206Plant Structure and Function Laboratory1
PLSC253Woody Plants for Mid-Atlantic Landscapes I3
PLSC254Woody Plants for Mid-Atlantic Landscape II3
PLSC272Principles of Arboriculture3
PLSC3613
PLSC389Internship1-3
PLSC400Plant Physiology4
PLSC420Principles of Plant Pathology4
PLSC471Forest Ecology3
PLSC472Capstone-Urban Forest Project Management3
Total Credits53-55

Suggested General Education Courses and Electives for urban forestry

Course Title Credits
BIOM301Introduction to Biometrics 13
Select one of the following:3-5
Plant Ecology
BSCI460
& BSCI461
Plant Ecology
and
CHEM241
CHEM242
Organic Chemistry II
and Organic Chemistry Laboratory II 1
4
CHEM271
CHEM272
General Chemistry and Energetics
and General Bioanalytical Chemistry Laboratory 1
4
COMM107Oral Communication: Principles and Practices3
ENST415Renewable Energy3
ENST4443
GEOG201Geography of Environmental Systems3
GVPT170American Government3
GVPT273Introduction to Environmental Politics3
LARC4503
MATH120Elementary Calculus I 13
Select one of the following:8
Fundamentals of Physics I
and Fundamentals of Physics II 1
Principles of Physics
and Principles of Physics 1
PLSC2002
PLSC203Plants, Genes and Biotechnology3
PLSC3203
PLSC473Woody Plant Physiology3
PLSC4753
SOCY100Introduction to Sociology3
SOCY105Understanding Contemporary Social Problems - Frameworks for Critical Thinking and Strategies for Solutions3
SOCY3053
SPAN2233
URSP1003
URSP3203
URSP372Diversity and the City3
1

 Suggested electives for students planning on graduate study in Forestry

Click here for roadmaps for graduation plans in the College of Agricultural and Natural Resources.

Additional information on developing a graduation plan can be found on the following pages: