Master of Science in Plant Biology

The MS in plant biology at UMass Amherst is a research- and thesis-based program designed to accommodate students from diverse academic backgrounds and with varied career plans.  

The diverse areas of focus—cell and developmental biology, evolution and ecology, genomics and genetics, and plant environment interactions—allow you to work on any level of biological organization, from molecules to landscapes, and to choose basic or applied topics. 

This interdisciplinary program brings faculty from many departments—Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biology, Environmental Conservation, and Stockbridge School of Agriculture—as well as the Five Colleges (Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, and Smith). 

Facilities for research include a large set of growth chambers, an automated DNA sequencing lab, greenhouses, university-owned field sites, an outstanding living collection of plants, and the herbarium of record for New England. Many plant biology graduate programs collaborate with state and federal agencies, some of whom maintain offices and staff right on campus. 

The MS in plant biology can be excellent preparation for further study, such as in the PhD in plant biology program.