Graduate Degrees Offered

Application Checklist

• Online Application for Graduate Admission
• $45 non-refundable application processing fee
• Two (2) sets of official transcripts
• If your native language is not English: verification of English proficiency
• If you are not a US citizen and you expect to hold an F or J visa: financial resource information

• Entrance exam(s): GRE (M.S. with thesis and Ph.D. only)
• Minimum TOEFL:  Paper-500  Computer-173  Internet-61
• Three letters of recommendation
• Letter stating background and professional goals

Description of Program

The Department of Agronomy and Horticulture offers graduate degree programs leading to an M.S. or Ph.D. in plant and soil sciences.

Agronomy is the application of plant and soil science to crop production. Agronomy emphasizes staple food crops, such as corn, rice, beans, and wheat, which are produced on a large scale and represent the foundation of our human food supply.

Horticulture is the science and art of cultivating fruits, vegetables, flowers, and ornamental plants. Horticultural crops are used to diversify human diets and to enhance our living environment. Vegetables, fruits, flowers, ornamentals, and lawn grasses are examples of horticultural crops and are typically produced on a smaller scale with more intensive management than agronomic crops.

The Department's pride is its excellent teaching, research, and extension programs carried out by more than 50 faculty members in six core areas: landscape ecology and design; ornamental horticulture; plant breeding and genetics; soil and water sciences; turf/range/forage science; and weed science. The Department also conducts research nationally and internationally in plant physiology, viticulture, plant breeding, nutrient cycling and management, rangeland ecology and management, renewable bioenergy, soil and water management, and on the environmental impact and sustainability of agriculture.

The Department has well-equipped laboratories, modern greenhouses, growth chambers, and field facilities, including four district research centers spanning several ecoregions, available to graduate students. Our outstanding field research facilities located in several agro-climatic zones across the state provide a unique ability to conduct research at a production-scale, which increases the relevance of the findings to real-world agro-ecosystems and gives students an opportunity to work in a more realistic production environment.

Some online courses are available.