Program Requirements

MPS course requirements for Doctoral Degree

• 72 hours minimum total credits

• 15 hours minimum graded course work

• 20 hours minimum 800-level research credits

• Audited courses cannot be applied

Molecular Plant Sciences graded course work requirements for a Doctoral Degree:

Required (Pass/Fail):

MPS 515 MPS Seminar 1 credit (taken twice)
MPS 570 MPS Journal Club 1 credit (taken twice)

Graded Course Work (15 credit minimum of 500-level coursework)

1. MPS 525 Plant Molecular Genetics 3

2. Two Courses (minimum) from:

Biol 513 Plant Metabolism 3
Biol 519 Introduction to Population Genetics 3
Biol 533 Modern Methods in Phylogenetics 3
Biol 537 Plant Cell Biology 3
Crop_Sci  505 Advanced Classical and Molecular Breeding 3
MPS 587 Advanced Topics in Plant Biochemistry 3

3. Six credits (minimum) from:

Biochemistry/Biophysics/Chemistry
Chem 531 Advanced Physical Chemistry I 3
MBioS 465 Principles of Biophysical Chemistry 3
MBioS 578 Bioinformatics 3
Phys 566 Biological Physics 3

Plant Physiology/Development/Structure-function
Biol 504 Experimental Methods in Plant Physiology 3
Hort 516 Advanced Horticultural Crop Physiology 3

Plant biology/Environment
Biol 509 Plant Anatomy 4
Biol 512 Molecular Mechanisms of Plant Development 3
Biol 517 Stress Physiology of Plants 3
Biol 540 Stable Isotope Theory and Methods 3
Biol 560 Plant Ecophysiology 3
Biol 569 Ecosystem Biology and Global Change 3
Crop_Sci 411 Crop Environment Interactions 3
Crop_Sci 555 Epigenetics in Plants 2
Pl P 513 Plant Nematology 4, 3-3
Hort 503 Advance Topics in Horticulture 1-4
Hort 518 Post-Harvest Biology and Technology 3, 2-3
Pl P 511 Viruses and Virus Diseases of Plants 4, 2-3
Pl P 514 Phytobacteriology 4, 3-3

Genetics/Cell Biology
Biol 521 Quantitative Genetics 3
Crop_Sci 503 Advanced Cropping Systems 3
Crop_Sci 504 Plant Transmission Genetics 3
Crop_Sci 545 Statistical Genomics 3
E Mic 586 Special Projects in Electron Microscopy 2-3
MBioS 426 Microbial Genetics 3
Pl P 535 Molecular Genetics of Plant and Pathogen Interactions 3

Coursework options need to be discussed with the graduate student’s committee and will depend on the student’s interest/research areas. It is expected to include additional classes depending on the individual student’s needs.

Optional courses

MPS Student Handbook 2020-21
MPS Student Handbook 2019-20
MPS Student Handbook 2018-19
MPS Student Handbook 2017-18
MPS Student Handbook 2016-17
MPS Student Handbook 2015-16