Botany

What it’s about:

Majors in botany study all aspects of plant life, which ranges from the smallest to the largest organisms on earth. Courses teach both microscopic and field investigation techniques.

What the study of this major is like:

Although people have been studying plants for thousands of years, discoveries made and techniques developed in the last few decades have generated and explosion of interest in botany. This is indeed an exciting time in the plant sciences.

Introductory courses in botany (first- and second- year courses) usually have both lecture and lab components. In courses that include fieldwork, you study organisms in their natural habitats, where you may observe interesting examples of anatomical and physiological adaptations to features of the environment. While even a handheld lens can provide vital information about many species, most botanical studies rely on sophisticated tools. That’s why it’s useful to take as many courses as possible that offer hands-on experience with a range of equipment and techniques.

In cell biology courses, you will study the biochemical pathways that maintain and promote life through each of the cell’s parts. In plant anatomy and plant physiology, you will explore the unique nature of plants: how cells are organized; how organs are formed and function; and how growth, development, and reproduction processes are coordinated. Plant ecology focuses on the way individual plants integrate into communities of organisms and the way plant respond to their environment-for example, how plants coexist with animals that eat them or how plants use animals to help them pollinate and reproduce.

The diversity of plants is so great that you may, at first, feel overwhelmed by the amount of information available. But as you examine plants more closely, you will see that most of the basic features of plants are the same for nearly all species. Rather than try to learn every detail about every kind of plant, you can begin to focus on one plant group. Some colleges stress ecology and the evolution of plants, while others emphasize molecular and ultra-structural studies. At many colleges, you must complete a set of core courses in biology before beginning specialized botany courses; on other campuses, you may take botany courses in your first year.

Because botanists spend a lot of time in the lab or in the field, they tend to dress comfortably and informally. Likewise, they often have laid-back attitudes. Nevertheless, they work hard, both physically and intellectually. Some botanists visit unexplored regions looking for new species, even putting themselves in danger in the search. Others rarely stray outside their lab, although they may put in 16-hour days carrying out complex experiments. Because plants function on their own schedules, without regard for human convenience, botanists usually plan their days (and nights) to meet the needs of their research organisms. So a botanist may be in the lab at 3:00 a.m. to observe the unfurling of a flower bud, the division of a growing cell, the opening and closing of stomata-but he thrill of discovery makes any loss of sleep worthwhile.

Career options and trends:

Laboratory technician; manager of a nature conservancy or environmentally protected area; technical artist, illustrator, or photographer; curator of a museum, herbarium, or arboretum; pharmaceutical researcher or investigator; plant breeder.

Employment opportunities are generally good, with higher salaries closely linked to advanced education and training and/or experience. The two areas showing most rapid expansion are the molecular biology of plants, and field studies of protected or endangered plant species.

Source: CollegeBoard 2012 Book of Majors