Requirements for the Major
Committee Major
Honors in the Major
Additional Information
Note on Introductory Courses
Courses
132 Birge Hall, 430 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI 53706; 608-262-1057; www.botany.wisc.edu
Professors Allen, Baum, Fernandez, Gilroy, Givnish, Graham, Spalding, Sytsma, Waller, Zedler; Associate Professor Cameron, Larget; Assistant Professors Ane, Emshwiller, Hotchkiss, Otegui
Undergraduate advisors in the major: Eve Emshwiller, 321 Birge Hall, 608-890-1170 emshwiller@wisc.edu; Ken Sytsma, 250 Birge Hall, 608-262-4490, kjsytsma@wisc.edu.
Undergraduate advisor in the major for honors: Professor Bret Larget, 241 Birge Hall, 608-265-6799.
Senior Thesis Coordinator: Professor Ken Sytsma, 250 Birge Hall, 608-262-4490. Majors will eventually choose from the faculty a Senior Thesis advisor, who then will be the student's undergraduate advisor. Prospective majors should contact the general advisors directly.
Faculty diversity liaison: Professor Eve Emswhiller, 321 Birge Hall, 608-890-1170.
The Department of Botany provides an introduction to the living world: the diversity of its organisms; its historical origins through evolution; its principles of structure, function, and ecology; and its interactions, relationships, and effects on the nonliving world. Botany is the science of plants, algae, fungi, and bacteria—all living organisms except animals. Green plants and algae provide the photosynthetic energy for fueling all other life on earth and drive global water and carbon cycles. Fungi and bacteria are the fundamental recyclers of the earth.
The study of botany provides a broad background in the principles of modern biology and gives a solid foundation for careers in environmental studies, conservation biology, ecology, systematics, evolution, genetics, physiology, biotechnology, agriculture, and horticulture. Jobs requiring such preparation include teaching in secondary schools and colleges, research and development in industry and medicine, stewardship of our natural world through private and governmental programs, and research and teaching in academia.
Undergraduates interested in majoring in botany should take an introductory course or course sequence in their freshmen or sophomore years. Option A (Botany 130) is strongly recommended, but Option B (Botany/Zoology/Biology 151-152) or Option C (Biology Core Curriculum) is also appropriate. The general undergraduate botany advisor will help guide students to a botany faculty member in their field of interest, who should be chosen as soon as possible—no later than the junior year. All botany faculty members serve as advisors for their special fields.
The department encourages undergraduates to participate in its activities. Volunteers are welcome in the herbarium and greenhouses. There are a few paid positions there and in many of the research laboratories as well.
Prospective botany majors should consult with the general undergraduate botany advisor by the beginning of the junior year to outline a course of study appropriate to the student's needs. Major Declaration forms may be obtained in the department office.
To be accepted as a major in botany, a student must have a grade point average of 2.5 for all science courses taken during the freshman and sophomore years.
Conceiving, executing, and writing a research project under any of these options represents a valuable experience central to the scientific enterprise. Juniors must plan ahead to meet this requirement by actively seeking appropriate research opportunities with their advisor or another suitable faculty supervisor in advance. Students wishing to count courses similar in spirit and content from another department or university should make such requests in writing to the Senior Thesis Coordinator (Professor Sytsma) before their final year.
In addition to fulfilling university and L&S requirements, students must fulfill the following requirements for the botany major.
Students preparing for graduate school are strongly advised to take the recommended courses, which are usually required for entry into post-undergraduate programs.
The total number of credits in sections 4, 5, and 6 must equal at least 30.
The occasional student needing to design a specialized program should discuss forming a committee major with the chair of the botany department no later than the junior year. The committee must include at least three staff members, from three different sections within the department. The program must include 30 credits in botany and courses in at least four of the six areas of botany listed in 5.
The Honors in the Major track in Botany is intended for students who are eager to experience the excitement of original research and who wish to graduate with the best possible undergraduate training in the discipline. Honors in the Major is especially appropriate for students who are considering graduate work in plant biology or who want an especially rigorous training in research, reasoning, and writing skills useful to a wide range of career choices. Students should consult with the departmental honors coordinator and departmental advisor to determine the best way to fulfill onors requirements and how to make the most out of the Honors in the Major experience in the field.
To earn the B.A. or B.S. degree with Honors in the Major in Botany, students must satisfy both the requirements for the major in sections 1 through 5 above, and the following additional requirements:
Students should check with the department honors advisor, Professor Bret Larget, at least once a year to seek guidance about planning the best possible Honors in the Major curriculum that reflects their special interests.
Training in botanical research is available to students individually via Directed Study (Botany 698 or 699) by special arrangement with the faculty member who will supervise the work.
The 5-credit introductory course (Botany 130) provides an elementary knowledge of the major areas of Botany and satisfies the prerequisite of an introductory course required for advanced work. The two-semester course sequence Introductory Biology (Botany/Zoology/Biology 151-152) also satisfies the prerequisite of an introductory course, but both semesters must be completed. Prospective botany majors should also consider the Biology Core Curriculum program, a sequence of courses that can satisfy both introductory biology and some I/A course requirements.
A student may take only one introductory course for credit toward the major. Students who have taken Botany 100 and then decide to pursue a major in Botany must take Botany 130. Botany 100 will count toward graduation requirements, but not toward the 30 credits of botany courses required for the major.
Botany 100 and 260 do not serve as prerequisites for advanced courses and do not count toward a botany major.