Botany Certificate

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Science 206
541-552-6804
Steve Jessup (Biology), Advisor

The Certificate in Botany serves undergraduate, graduate, and postbaccalaureate students wishing to work in the plant sciences. The program prepares students for careers as botanists with state and federal agencies, environmental consulting firms, and nongovernmental conservation organizations. The certificate also offers a solid foundation for students planning graduate work in botany. Students wishing to pursue the Certificate in Botany should meet with the certificate advisor early in their program.

Requirements for the Certificate

1.

Undergraduate students must complete the requirements for a bachelor’s degree (not necessarily biology). Postbaccalaureate students who wish to earn a Certificate in Botany must meet the standards for admission to SOU graduate programs.

2.

Achieve a minimum 3.0 GPA for courses in the certificate program.

3.

Complete all of the core courses below:

(24 credits)

BI 331 - Plant Physiology 4 credits
BI 432 - Origins and Diversity of Land Plants 4 credits
or
BI 532 - Origins and Diversity of Land Plants 4 credits
BI 433 - Plant Systematics 4 credits
or
BI 533 - Plant Systematics 4 credits
BI 434 - Plant Form and Function 4 credits
or
BI 534 - Plant Form and Function 4 credits
BI 436 - Origins and Diversity of Protists and Fungi 4 credits
or
BI 536 - Origins and Diversity of Protists and Fungi 4 credits
BI 454 - Plant Ecology 4 credits
or
BI 554 - Plant Ecology 4 credits

4.

Complete two of the following courses, conduct all project work with a botanical emphasis, and submit the graded project(s) to the certificate advisor in the portfolio.

(6–8 credits)

BI 430 - Biological Illustration 3 credits
or
BI 530 - Biological Illustration 3 credits
BI 438 - Conservation Biology 3 credits
or
BI 538 - Conservation Biology 3 credits
ES 384 - Ethnobotany and Cross-Cultural Communication 3 credits
BI 442 - Bryology 4 credits
or
BI 542 - Bryology 4 credits
BI 444 - Vascular Plant Identification and Field Botany
or
BI 544 - Vascular Plant Identification and Field Botany 3 credits
GEOG 451 - Introduction to Geographic Information Systems 4 credits
or
GEOG 551 - Introduction to Geographic Information Systems 4 credits

5.

Complete the appropriate research option with a botanical emphasis:

(4–6 credits)

Senior Capstone Research (see capstone options) 4–6 credits
BI 401 - Research Credits to be arranged
or
BI 501 - Research Credits to be arranged
BI 485 - Scanning Electron Microscopy
or
BI 585 - Scanning Electron Microscopy 4 credits
BI 503 - Thesis Credits to be arranged

6.

Present to the certificate advisor (no later than final exam week of the term the certificate is to be awarded) a portfolio of exemplary work assembled from all courses completed for the certificate program.