Requirements for the Certificate

Certificate in Botany

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 at state and federal agencies, environmental consulting firms, and nongovernmental conservation organizations. It also offers a solid foundation for students planning graduate work in botany. Students wishing to pursue the Certificate in Botany should meet with a certificate advisor early in their program.

Requirements for the Certificate

(38 credits minimum)

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. Maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA for all courses in the certificate program.
   
3. Complete all of the core courses below:
   


(24 credits)

Plant Physiology (Bi 331)	4
Algae and Fungi (Bi 332)	4
Origins and Diversity of Land Plants(Bi 432/532)	4
Plant Systematics (Bi 433/533)	4
Plant Anatomy (Bi 434/534)	4
Plant Ecology (Bi 454/554)	4

4. Complete one of the following courses, perform all course project work with a botanical emphasis, and submit the graded project(s) to the certificate advisor.
   


(3–4 credits)

Biological Illustration (Bi 430/530)	3
Conservation Biology (Bi 438/538)	3
Scanning Electron Microscopy (Bi 485/585)	4

5. Complete two of these specialized courses:
   


(7–8 credits)

Physiological Plant Ecology (Bi 431/531)	4
Methods in Plant Systematics (Bi 435/535)	4
Bryophytes and Lichens (Bi 442/542)	4
Plant Identification and Field Botany (Bi 444/544)	3

6. Complete the appropriate research option:
   


(4–6 credits)

Satisfy the Senior Capstone with research having a botanical emphasis (see capstone options)	4-6
Postbaccalaureate Research (Bi 401/501) or Thesis (Bi 403/503) with botanical emphasis	4–6

7. 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.