WHAT IS BOTANY?
Botany is the biological study of plants, including algae, fungi, lichens, mosses, ferns, conifers and flowering plants. Research in this sub-field of biology helps improve our medicines, foods, fibers, building materials, and environmental conditions.
Environmental or Ecological Botany deals more specifically with understanding the influence of various factors on the ecology of plants and the composition of plant communities, including light intensity, temperature, pH, organic content, soil profiles, and water balance.
WHAT ARE THE EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS?
Botany students study the habits, distribution, form, chemistry, heredity and interactions of plants with other living things and the environment. Although scientists now generally consider bacteria, algae and fungi to belong to a distinctly seperate field, most Botany Departments at colleges and universities, still teach about them. Specific courses we've seen include:
- Genetics
- Physiology
- Biochemistry
- Statistics
- Morphology
- Reproduction
- Classification of Organisms
- Ecology of Organisms
- Embryology
- Biology of Plants
- Field Botany
- Plant-animal Interactions
- Plant Taxonomy
- Plant Physiology
- Environmental Systems
- Dendrology
- Aquatic Plants and Algae
- Biological Evolution
- Plant Anatomy
- Mycology
- Plant Physiology
- Molecular Biology
- Wetland Ecology
CAREERS AND SALARY OUTLOOK
Botany graduates find careers in all sectors of the economy, including public agencies, private companies, business and industries, academic institutions and nonprofit organizations. Specific career paths depend largely on each individual's field of interest. For example, graduates with a mathematical background might find careers in the fields of biophysics, developmental botany, genetics, modeling, or systems ecology, while those with a chemistry background might become a plant physiologist, plant biochemist, molecular biologist, or chemotaxonomist.
Career opportunities are also available for Botanists in fields of agriculture, communications, research, regulatory enforcement, commerce and more. Specific job titles we've seen include:
Science Journalist
Environmental Consultant or Scientist
Plant Disease Control Officer
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Conservation Manager
Landscape Designer or Interior Plant Consultant
Nursery or Greenhouse Manager or Technician
Marketer of Agricultural Products
Technical Consultant for Scientific Product Manufacturers
Plant Genetic Engineer
Crop Breeder
Forensic Sciencist
Ecotourism Consultant
Horticulturalist and Plant Breeder
Biotechnology or Pharmaceutical Researcher
Quality Control Technician
Park Naturalist
Environmental Impact Consultant
Botany is considered a biological science, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the median annual earnings of biological scientists were $60,390 in 2002, with the middle 50 percent earning between $43,110 and $82,080. BLS reported that the lowest 10 percent earned less than $33,000 and the highest 10 percent earned more than $102,000. However, other sources have consistently reported that occupations not reliant upon biological research (such as greenhouse technicians or plants sales representatives) may have a lower salary range. Check out full report from BLS on careers in Biological Science here, and read more closely for references to careers in Botany.
RELATED AREAS OF STUDY
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