Environmental & Plant Biology Major B.S.
- Opportunities for undergraduate research with renowned faculty
- Preparation for graduate school
- Preparation for technical careers in private industry or governmental agencies dealing with agriculture, horticulture, or floriculture; biotechnology or pharmaceutical firms; conservation agencies and museums of natural history; environmental consulting firms; food and brewing companies; lumber companies; nurseries; arboreta and more
- Coursework including cell and molecular biology, physiology, ecology, and plant identification and classification
Faculty Contact: Dr. Sarah Wyatt
Degree Requirements & Sample 4-Year Program
Program Overview
The B.S. degree in environmental and plant biology provides broad training in plant biology including cell and molecular biology, physiology, ecology, and plant identification and classification. The program allows the flexibility to tailor a degree program to the individual interests of the student and prepares students for entry-level positions in a wide range of careers relating to environmental & plant biology or for further study at the graduate level.
Careers & Graduate School
Preparation with a degree in Environmental and Plant Biology can lead to technical careers or graduate-level training in ecology, nature resource management, conservation, evolution and development, phylogenics, biotechnology, plant physiology or molecular and cellular biology. Graduates can pursue employment in a variety of areas, including, but not limited to, academia, private industry or governmental agencies dealing with agriculture/horticulture/floriculture, biotechnology or pharmaceutical firms, conservation agencies and museums of natural history, environmental consulting firms, food companies, the brewing and fermentation industry, lumber/pulping companies, plant nurseries, greenhouses, botanical gardens, and arboreta.
Listings of internship opportunities can be found at the following web sites:
- www.theasca.org
- https://americorps.gov/serve/americorps/americorps-vista
- https://careers.conbio.org/
- Handshake
Admissions Information
Freshman/First-Year Admission: No requirements beyond University admission requirements.
Change of Program Policy: No selective or limited admission requirements.
External Transfer Admission: No requirements beyond University admission requirements.
Degree Requirements
- Major code BS2120
University-wide Graduation Requirements
Ohio University requires completion of a minimum of 120 semester hours for conferral of a bachelor’s degree. However, the Environmental and Plant Biology major requires a minimum of 121 semester hours.
College-Level Requirements for the College of Arts & Sciences
View the College-Level Requirements for the College of Arts & Sciences.
Environmental & Plant Biology Hours Requirement
Complete a total of 49 semester hours of PBIO coursework (excluding PBIO 2170, 2200, 2250, and 2840), including all of the requirements below.
Plant Biology Requirements
Complete the following courses:
- PBIO 1140 - Foundations of Plant Biology Credit Hours: 4
- PBIO 1150 - Plant Structure and Development Credit Hours: 4
- PBIO 2090 - Plant Ecology Credit Hours: 3
- PBIO 3300 - Plant Genetics Credit Hours: 3
- PBIO 3080 - Structural Botany Credit Hours: 4
Plant Physiology
Complete one of the following courses:
- PBIO 3240 - Plant Physiology Credit Hours: 3
- PBIO 3260 - Physiological Plant Ecology Credit Hours: 4
PBIO Professional Skills
Complete the following courses:
- PBIO 2180 - Introduction to Biological Research and Writing Credit Hours: 3
- PBIO 3150 - Statistical Methods in Plant Biology Credit Hours: 4
- PBIO 4170 - Biological Research and Science Ethics Credit Hours: 1
PBIO Research
Complete one of the following for a minimum of 2 hours
- PBIO 4910 - Internship Credit Hours: 1.0-15.0
- PBIO 4940 - Undergraduate Research Credit Hours: 1.0-4.0
- PBIO 4941 - Undergraduate Research/Written Presentation Credit Hours: 1.0-4.0
Extra-Departmental Requirements
Chemistry Courses
Complete the following courses:
- CHEM 1510 - Fundamentals of Chemistry I Credit Hours: 4
- CHEM 1520 - Fundamentals of Chemistry II Credit Hours: 4
Chemistry Specialty Course
Complete one of the following courses:
- CHEM 2410 - Analytical Chemistry I: Quantitative Analysis and Electrochemistry Credit Hours: 3
- CHEM 3050 - Organic Chemistry I Credit Hours: 3
- CHEM 4901 - Biochemistry I Credit Hours: 3
Other Courses
Complete the following courses:
- MATH 2301 - Calculus I Credit Hours: 4
- PHYS 2001 - Introduction to Physics Credit Hours: 4
Plant Biology Major Electives
An additional 18 hours of electives are required; 12 hours must be from PBIO. Choose from any PBIO course, at the 2000 level or higher, that is not a required course (excluding PBIO 2170, PBIO 2200, PBIO 2250, PBIO 2840, PBIO 4910, PBIO 4940, PBIO 4941).
Possible Extra-Departmental Electives
Of the 18 hours of Major Electives, 6 hours may be taken from the list below, if not previously taken to satisfy a requirement.
- BIOS 3160 - Biogeography Credit Hours: 3
- BIOS 3220 - General Microbiology Credit Hours: 3
-
and
- BIOS 3225 - General Microbiology Laboratory Credit Hours: 2
- BIOS 3750 - Animal Ecology Credit Hours: 3
- BIOS 3760 - Field Ecology Credit Hours: 3
- BIOS 4190 - Computer Simulation in Biology Credit Hours: 3
- BIOS 4260 - Molecular Genetics Credit Hours: 3
- BIOS 4270 - Mechanisms of Gene Regulation Credit Hours: 3
- BIOS 4290 - Marine Biology Credit Hours: 3
- BIOS 4310 - Aquatic Biology Credit Hours: 4
- BIOS 4360 - Field Entomology Credit Hours: 3
- BIOS 4650 - Ichthyology Credit Hours: 4
- BIOS 4710 - Ornithology Credit Hours: 4
- BIOS 4720 - Herpetology Credit Hours: 4
- BIOS 4740 - Mammalogy Credit Hours: 4
- CHEM 2410 - Analytical Chemistry I: Quantitative Analysis and Electrochemistry Credit Hours: 3
- CHEM 3010 - Organic Chemistry Credit Hours: 3
- CHEM 3050 - Organic Chemistry I Credit Hours: 3
- CHEM 3060 - Organic Chemistry II Credit Hours: 3
- CHEM 3760 - Fundamentals of Inorganic Chemistry Credit Hours: 3
- CHEM 4310 - Analytical Chemistry II: Chromatography and Spectroscopy Credit Hours: 3
- CHEM 4600 - Spectroscopic Methods in Organic Chemistry Credit Hours: 3
- CHEM 4890 - Basic Biochemistry Credit Hours: 3
- CHEM 4901 - Biochemistry I Credit Hours: 3
- CHEM 4902 - Biochemistry II Credit Hours: 3
- GEOG 2680 - Introduction to GIS and Mapping Sciences Credit Hours: 4
- GEOG 3020 - Climatology Credit Hours: 4
- GEOL 2110 - Introductory Oceanography Credit Hours: 3
- GEOL 2150 - Environmental Geology Credit Hours: 3
- GEOL 2310 - Water and Pollution Credit Hours: 3
- GEOL 2550 - Historical Geology Credit Hours: 3