Academic Programs of Study
Undergraduate Majors
Our Bachelor of Science degree has majors in either Environmental Plant Biology or Urban Horticulture & Turfgrass Management. Majors include plant science and entomology courses, supporting requirements, and elective courses in other departments. Individual programs of study are developed in conjunction with a faculty advisor to meet the specific needs of each student. The general pattern is as follows:
First Year Liberal arts studies and prerequisites in arts and sciences.
Second Year Pre-professional courses, prerequisites in arts and sciences.
Third Year Concentration courses and supporting electives.
Fourth Year Advanced concentration studies and supporting electives.
130 credits are required for graduation. Provisions for internships are available in years 3 and 4.
Environmental Plant Biology is a joint major—offered by the College of the Environment and Life Sciences and the College of Arts and Sciences. It approaches the study of plants broadly, ranging from molecular genetics to ecological community dynamics. It takes a worldwide view of the role of plants on people and the environment. Courses include means to improve plants for human use and environmental enhancement, through genetics and molecular biology. Emphasis is on use of plants in managed landscapes and agriculture. Graduates pursue careers in biotechnology, horticulture, landscape management, and plant protection. The major comprises 130 credits, including 36 general education requirements of the University, 82-84 program requirements, and 10-12 electives.
Urban Horticulture and Turfgrass Management focuses on the culture and use of plants that enhance the human environment, preparing graduates for careers in horticulture. Representative jobs include:
| landscape contractor golf course superintendent park and arboreta director garden & floral shop manager plant propagator | nursery personnel vegetable and fruit grower manager of lawn service firms horticultural therapist greens industry technical representative |
Graduates may also enter graduate school for careers in research and education.
This program of study fulfills certification requirements for the American Registry of Certified Professionals in Agronomy, Crops, and Soils, Ltd. of the American Society of Agronomy and it meets registration requirements of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America. The major comprises 130 credits, including 24-25 credits of preprofessional courses (includes 6 in general education),60-67 credits in concentration and supporting courses, and 12 credits of free electives.
Graduate Specializations
Entomology includes insect ecology, pest management, aquatic entomology, plant-insect interactions, biological control, and biology and ecology of disease-transmitting arthropods. The entomology program manages the only university-affiliated biological quarantine laboratory in the Northeast. Faculty and students search abroad for natural enemies of pest species and study them in the laboratory under secure conditions. The laboratory, certified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as an insect-quarantine facility, is an important component of a long-standing program on insect ecology and the development of environmentally sensitive pest-control measures.
Plant Sciences covers plant ecology and physiology, plant molecular biology and genetics, plant pathology, environmental horticulture, environmental plant biology, sustainable agriculture, and golf and sports turf management. The department operates 50 acres of turfgrass, horticulture and plant science research and education farm centers. URI's Turfgrass Center is the oldest research and teaching program in the U.S.
Graduate Degrees
Master of Science. Admission requires GRE and bachelor's degree in a biological or physical science, or engineering. Applicants with course deficiencies may be required to take appropriate undergraduate courses for no program credit, and to demonstrate, by their performance in such course work or through a qualifying exam, basic knowledge of the subject matter in the area(s) of deficiency.
Program requirements for the thesis option are six credits of thesis and 24 credits of course work, including graduate seminar. An oral preliminary examination may be required for certain fields of study. For the nonthesis option, we require 36 credits of course work, including graduate seminar and 14 credits of course work from the home department, three credits of nonthesis Master's Research, three credits of statistics, and a written comprehensive examination. An oral preliminary examination and advanced seminars may be required in certain fields of study.
Doctor of Philosophy. Admission requires GRE and bachelor's degree in a biological, physical science, natural resources science, or engineering; specific undergraduate majors or course work may be required for certain fields of study. A Master's degree with thesis in biological science, physical science, or natural resources science is highly recommended.
Program requirements: 72 credits of advanced course work beyond the bachelor's degree (a master's degree may count for up to 30 credits), 18 of which are dissertation credits and at least two of which are graduate seminar credits; comprehensive examination; and dissertation. A qualifying examination will be required for students who are admitted without a master's degree and may be required for students whose prior degrees are outside of the proposed Ph.D. field of study.>