The bachelor degree in APSS is flexible and can prepare you for different areas of work.
Below is ONE sample path through the APSS major, with a focus on:
Plant Biotechnology Research & Development
Common Core Selections
STOCKSCH 105 Soils Science
STOCKSCH 108 Introductory Botany
CHEM 111 General Chemistry
MATH 104 Algebra, Analytic Geometry, and Trigonometry
STATISTC 111 Elementary Statistics
ENVIRSCI 101 Introduction to Environmental Science
STOCKSCH 494i Global Issues in Applied Biology
Major Core Selections
STOCKSCH 384. Introduction to Plant Physiology
STOCKSCH 301 General Plant Pathology
STOCKSCH 270 Sustainable Soil and Crop Management
STOCKSCH 390A Plant Biotechnology and Tissue Culture
STOCKSCH 326 Insect Biology
Major Electives
STOCKSCH 255 Herbaceous Plants
STOCKSCH 490S Soil Ecology
STOCKSCH 575 Environmental Soil Chemistry
STOCKSCH 587 Phytoremediation: Using Plants to Clean Soils
STOCKSCH 590ST Methods in Rhizosphere Ecology & Plant-Microbe Interactions
Practica (Optional)
STOCKSCH 398D Hydroponic Farm Practicum
Four-Course Science Focus
BIO 151 Introduction to Biology I
BIO 152 Introduction to Biology II
CHEM 112 General Chemistry II
BIO 311 General Genetics
Recommended
Get additional lab research experience in a faculty lab contributing to long-term projects. In addition to Stockbridge, UMass Amherst has 13 other science departments whose projects you can potentially join.
Consider applying for our "5th Year" Accelerated Master's Program here at Stockbridge and earn both a bachelor and master's degree in just five years.
What Kind Of Research Questions Can I Pursue at Stockbridge?
We love scientific creativity. Students are free to propose research projects in whatever area attracts their interest, with faculty supervision to ensure the validity of your experimentation process. We often look for the "sweet spot" of ideal conditions for plants of interest.
- Which seed priming agents produce the largest root mass, and does temperature alter their effectiveness?
- New England has a "fake Spring" after which temperatures dip below freezing and kill many newly awakened plants. Can we genetically alter plants so that they don't wake up until real Spring?
- How does soil carbon affect the mineralization of nitrogen in the decomposition process that renews soil health? Is there an ideal time for decomposition to occur to best support new growth?
- When removing cover crops before a new growing season, when should it be done, and how low should the cover crop be cut to best supply nutrients to our intended crop?
- The Jojoba plant produces a waxy oil around its seeds, and we could make biofuel from it if the plant could produce enough. Can we genetically modify it to produce more oil? Can we make similar modifications to a different plant that can be cultivated by the acre?
- What's the best way to use a particular soil wetting agent. How do changes to plant type, plant age, pot dimensions, and environmental conditions change the amount of wetting agent and the ideal frequency of application?
- Some plants can clean toxic and heavy metals from their soil (phytoremediation). Which plants can we engineer to absorb even more of these pollutants so they can do their work better?
- How do we prevent and remediate grapevine trunk diseases that cost the wine industry millions of dollars in annual losses?
- AI computing requires nickel and other metals. Instead of mining them, which causes high energy use and pollution of lands, can we instead design plants to absorb nickel from soil, so that we can then extract it directly from the plants?