Admissions to the Biology: Plant Biology, B.S. named option have been suspended as of fall 2021 and will be discontinued as of fall 2024. If you have any questions, please contact the department.
The Plant Biology Named Option allows biology majors to focus their studies on plant science and to have this reflected on their transcript. There are a number of departments at UW–Madison who host plant science-based majors, including agronomy, botany, horticulture, plant pathology, and forest and wildlife ecology. While those specialized majors offer in-depth programs in their disciplines, the Plant Biology Named Option allows students to pursue a course of study within the biology major and explore plant biology at the same time. Students in this option can fulfill their requirements with courses that emphasize various aspects of plant science, including anatomy, physiology, genetics, crop production, disease resistance, and molecular techniques in plant improvement. Students also participate in a one-credit seminar focusing on plant biology.
- Prepare for graduate work in a plant science field
- Prepare for advanced study or graduate work in a natural or environmental science field
- Concentrate their studies on the biology of plants
Requirements for the Named Option
A minimum of 15 credits must be completed in the major that are not used elsewhere. Students must complete a minimum of 31 credits of Biological Science courses within the Introductory Biology, Foundation Course, Upper-Level Breadth in the Major, and Capstone requirements. Unless specifically stated otherwise, courses may not be used to meet multiple requirements of the major.
Core Requirements
Mathematics and Statistics
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Complete one of the following: | 5-10 | |
| Calculus with Algebra and Trigonometry I and Calculus with Algebra and Trigonometry II | ||
| Calculus and Analytic Geometry 1 | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Calculus and Analytic Geometry 2 | ||
| Introduction to Statistical Methods | ||
| Introductory Applied Statistics for the Life Sciences | ||
| Total Credits | 8-14 | |
Chemistry
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| General Chemistry (Complete one of the following): | 5-10 | |
| General Chemistry I and General Chemistry II | ||
| Advanced General Chemistry | ||
| Chemical Principles I and Chemical Principles II | ||
| Organic Chemistry | ||
| CHEM 343 | Organic Chemistry I | 3 |
| CHEM 344 | Introductory Organic Chemistry Laboratory | 2 |
| CHEM 345 | Organic Chemistry II | 3 |
| Total Credits | 13-18 | |
Physics
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| First Semester Physics (complete one of the following): | 4-5 | |
| General Physics | ||
| General Physics | ||
| General Physics | ||
| Second Semester Physics (complete one of the following): | 4-5 | |
| General Physics | ||
| General Physics | ||
| General Physics | ||
| Total Credits | 8-10 | |
Introductory Biology
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select one of the following options: | 10-13 | |
| Option A: | ||
| Introductory Biology | ||
| Introductory Biology | ||
| Option B: | ||
| Evolution, Ecology, and Genetics | ||
| Evolution, Ecology, and Genetics Laboratory | ||
| Cellular Biology | ||
| Cellular Biology Laboratory | ||
| Principles of Physiology | ||
| Option C: | ||
| Animal Biology | ||
| Animal Biology Laboratory | ||
| General Botany | ||
Foundation Course (complete one of the following):
Students may use BIOCORE 381 and BIOCORE 383 toward both Introductory Biology and Foundation.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AGRONOMY/HORT 338 | Plant Breeding and Biotechnology | 3 |
| BIOCHEM 501 | Introduction to Biochemistry | 3 |
| BIOCHEM 508 | General Biochemistry II | 3-4 |
| BIOCORE 381 & BIOCORE 383 | Evolution, Ecology, and Genetics and Cellular Biology | 6 |
| GENETICS 466 | Principles of Genetics | 3 |
| GENETICS 468 | General Genetics 2 | 3 |
Upper-Level Breadth in the Major
Minimum of 13 credits required and must include one approved lab course. Approved lab courses are indicated by footnote. A course taken to meet the Foundation requirement may not also count as an Upper-Level Breadth in the Major course.
- Complete at least two credits from either category A or B.
- Complete at least two credits from either category C or D.
- Complete at least two credits from category E.
A. Cellular and Subcellular Biology
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AGRONOMY/HORT 338 | Plant Breeding and Biotechnology | 3 |
| AGRONOMY/BOTANY/HORT 339 | Plant Biotechnology: Principles and Techniques I 1 | 4 |
| AGRONOMY/BOTANY/HORT 340 | Plant Cell Culture and Genetic Engineering | 3 |
| BIOCHEM 501 | Introduction to Biochemistry | 3 |
| BIOCHEM 507 | General Biochemistry I | 3 |
| BIOCHEM 508 | General Biochemistry II | 3-4 |
| BIOCHEM 570 | Computational Modeling of Biological Systems | 3 |
| BIOCHEM/BOTANY 621 | Plant Biochemistry | 3 |
| BOTANY/ENTOM/PL PATH 505 | Plant-Microbe Interactions: Molecular and Ecological Aspects | 3 |
| GENETICS 466 | Principles of Genetics | 3 |
| GENETICS 467 | General Genetics 1 | 3 |
B. Organismal Biology
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BIOCORE 486 | Principles of Physiology Laboratory 1 | 2 |
| BOTANY 300 | Plant Anatomy 1 | 4 |
| BOTANY 305 | Plant Morphology and Evolution 1 | 4 |
| BOTANY 330 | Algae 1 | 3 |
| BOTANY/PL PATH 332 | Fungi 1 | 4 |
| BOTANY/PL PATH 333 | Biology of the Fungi | 2 |
| BOTANY/F&W ECOL 402 | Dendrology 1 | 2 |
| BOTANY 500 | Plant Physiology 1 | 3-4 |
| ENTOM/ZOOLOGY 302 | Introduction to Entomology 1 | 4 |
| PL PATH 558 | Biology of Plant Pathogens 1 | 3 |
C. Ecology
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AGRONOMY/BOTANY/SOIL SCI 370 | Grassland Ecology | 3 |
| BOTANY/ZOOLOGY 450 | Midwestern Ecological Issues: A Case Study Approach | 2 |
| BOTANY/F&W ECOL 455 | The Vegetation of Wisconsin 1 | 4 |
| BOTANY/F&W ECOL/ZOOLOGY 460 | General Ecology 1 | 4 |
| BOTANY/ENTOM/ZOOLOGY 473 | Plant-Insect Interactions | 3 |
| BOTANY/ENVIR ST/F&W ECOL/ZOOLOGY 651 | Conservation Biology | 3 |
| F&W ECOL 550 | Forest Ecology | 3 |
| F&W ECOL/LAND ARC/ZOOLOGY 565 | Principles of Landscape Ecology | 2 |
| GENETICS 528 | Banking Animal Biodiversity: International Field Study in Costa Rica | 1 |
| MICROBIO/AN SCI/BOTANY 335 | The Microbiome of Plants, Animals, and Humans | 3 |
| PL PATH 300 | Introduction to Plant Pathology 1 | 4 |
| PL PATH 315 | Plant Microbiomes 1 | 4 |
| ZOOLOGY 304 | Marine Biology | 2 |
| ZOOLOGY 320 | Field Marine Biology 1 | 3 |
D. Evolution and Systematics
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ANTHRO/BOTANY/ZOOLOGY 410 | Evolutionary Biology | 3 |
| BIOLOGY/GENETICS 522 | Communicating Evolutionary Biology | 2-3 |
| BOTANY 400 | Plant Systematics 1 | 4 |
| BOTANY 401 | Vascular Flora of Wisconsin 1 | 4 |
| BOTANY 422 | Plant Geography | 3 |
| BOTANY/PL PATH 563 | Phylogenetic Analysis of Molecular Data | 3 |
| GENETICS 468 | General Genetics 2 | 3 |
E. Applied Biology, Agriculture and Natural Resources
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| A A E/AGRONOMY/NUTR SCI 350 | World Hunger and Malnutrition | 3 |
| AGRONOMY 300 | Cropping Systems | 3 |
| AGRONOMY 302 | Forage Management and Utilization | 3 |
| AGRONOMY/HORT 360 | Genetically Modified Crops: Science, Regulation & Controversy | 2 |
| AGRONOMY 377 | Global Food Production and Health | 3 |
| AGRONOMY/HORT 501 | Principles of Plant Breeding | 3 |
| AGRONOMY/ATM OCN/SOIL SCI 532 | Environmental Biophysics | 3 |
| AMER IND/ANTHRO/BOTANY 474 | Ethnobotany | 3-4 |
| BIOCORE 587 | Biological Interactions | 3 |
| BOTANY 403 | Field Collections and Identification | 1-4 |
| DY SCI/AGRONOMY 471 | Food Production Systems and Sustainability | 3 |
| F&W ECOL/HORT/LAND ARC/PL PATH 309 | Diseases of Trees and Shrubs | 3 |
| F&W ECOL 410 | Principles of Silviculture | 3 |
| F&W ECOL 415 | Tree Physiology | 3 |
| GENETICS 548 | The Genomic Revolution | 3 |
| GENETICS/HORT 550 | Molecular Approaches for Potential Crop Improvement | 3 |
| HORT/LAND ARC 263 | Landscape Plants I 1 | 3 |
| HORT 370 | World Vegetable Crops | 3 |
| HORT 372 | Seminar in Organic Agriculture | 1 |
| HORT/AGRONOMY 376 | Tropical Horticultural Systems | 2 |
| HORT 378 | Tropical Horticultural Systems International Field Study | 2 |
| MED PHYS/NTP 651 | Methods for Neuroimaging Research | 3 |
| PL PATH/SOIL SCI 323 | Soil Biology | 3 |
| PL PATH 517 | Plant Disease Resistance | 2-3 |
| ZOOLOGY 500 | Undergraduate Neurobiology Seminar | 1 |
Plant Science Seminar
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Complete one of the following: | ||
| AGRONOMY 375 | Special Topics (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Plants Seminar ) | 1-4 |
| BIOCHEM 375 | Special Topics (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Plants Seminar ) | 1-4 |
| PL PATH 375 | Special Topics (Frontiers in Plant Biology) | 1-4 |
Capstone Requirement
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Two credits minimum required. With advisor approval, directed study or research-based senior thesis in a biological science discipline can also count. The experience must be completed after the first year of an introductory biology sequence above. The capstone experience will normally be completed during the student’s final two or three semesters. Also, a subset of laboratory courses has been approved for capstone. The following courses, along with 682s and 692s in biological science departments (taken senior year), can be accepted as fulfilling the capstone experience. | ||
| ANAT&PHY 435 | Fundamentals of Human Physiology | 5 |
| BIOCORE 486 | Principles of Physiology Laboratory 2 | 2 |
| BOTANY/F&W ECOL 455 | The Vegetation of Wisconsin | 4 |
| BOTANY/F&W ECOL/ZOOLOGY 460 | General Ecology | 4 |
| BOTANY/LAND ARC 670 | Adaptive Restoration Lab | 2 |
| ENVIR ST/ZOOLOGY 511 | Ecology of Fishes Lab | 2 |
| F&W ECOL 599 | Wildlife Research Capstone (limited access) | 3 |
| GENETICS 527 | Developmental Genetics for Conservation and Regeneration | 3 |
| PL PATH 315 | Plant Microbiomes | 4 |
| ZOOLOGY 316 | Laboratory for Limnology-Conservation of Aquatic Resources | 2-3 |
| ZOOLOGY 555 | Laboratory in Developmental Biology | 3 |
| ZOOLOGY 612 | Comparative Physiology Laboratory | 2 |
Footnotes
- 1
Course also approved for lab credit
- 2
To count BIOCORE 486 Principles of Physiology Laboratory for capstone, students must also complete BIOCORE 382 Evolution, Ecology, and Genetics Laboratoryy and BIOCORE 384 Cellular Biology Laboratory.
Sample Biology Four-Year Plan—Plant Biology Option
| Freshman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| CHEM 103 or 109 | 4-5 | CHEM 104 | 5 |
| Math1 | 3-5 | Math or Statistics | 3-5 |
| Communication A or Breadth | 6 | Communication A or Breadth | 5-6 |
| First Year Seminar2 | 1 | ||
| 14-17 | 13-16 | ||
| Total Credits 27-33 | |||
| Sophomore | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| CHEM 343 | 3 | CHEM 345 | 3 |
| Math or Statistics (if needed) | 3-5 | CHEM 344 | 2 |
| Intro Biology Course3 | 3-5 | Intro Biology Course3 | 3-5 |
| Breadth Course | 3 | Breadth Course | 4-6 |
| 12-16 | 12-16 | ||
| Total Credits 24-32 | |||
| Junior | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Physics | 4-5 | Physics | 4-5 |
| Foundation or Biocore | 3-5 | Biocore or Upper-Level Breadth in the Major4 | 3-5 |
| Electives | 5-6 | Plant Science Seminar | 1 |
| Electives | 5 | ||
| 12-16 | 13-16 | ||
| Total Credits 25-32 | |||
| Senior | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Upper-Level Breadth in the Major4 | 5 | Upper-Level Breadth in the Major4 | 5 |
| Capstone or Research | 2-3 | Capstone or Research | 2-3 |
| Plant Science Seminar (if needed) | 1 | Plant Science Seminar (if needed) | 1 |
| Electives | 5-8 | Electives | 5-8 |
| 13-17 | 13-17 | ||
| Total Credits 26-34 | |||
- 1
Math determined by placement scores. Biology majors must complete MATH 171/MATH 217 or MATH 221 plus one additional math/stats course. Stats recommended.
- 2
See CALS requirements for a list of approved First-Year Seminar courses.
- 3
Students may complete BIOLOGY/BOTANY/ZOOLOGY 151-BIOLOGY/BOTANY/ZOOLOGY 152 & a foundational course or (recommended) BIOLOGY/ZOOLOGY 101-BIOLOGY/ZOOLOGY 102, BIOLOGY/BOTANY 130 & a foundational course or BIOCORE (three lectures and two labs required).
- 4
See Requirements tab for Upper-Level Breadth in the Major course lists.