Program Website: http://www.clemson.edu/plantenvgrad/
Introduction
Clemson University’s College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences houses the departments that participate in the graduate degrees in plant and environmental sciences (PES). The MS and PhD degree programs are offered through an interdepartmental program comprised of faculty from disciplines including biological sciences/botany, crop science, genetics, horticulture, plant pathology, plant physiology and soil science.
The admissions requirements and the curriculum ensure that all students gain an outstanding education in their chosen field within the plant and environmental sciences graduate program. Research projects concentrate on timely issues in basic and applied PES and show strong connectedness with public interest to sustain, improve and wisely use biological resources. Areas of specialization are allied with those of your advisor. Clemson PES students have won awards for their research and teaching in national and international competitions. In addition, PES graduates are successful in academia and professional assignments in both public and private horticultural and agricultural industries.
Programs of Study
MS If you are accepted into the program, your course of study will be tailored to your professional goals and will be guided by an advisor and graduate committee. You will be required to select an advisor before admission. As a candidate for the Master of Science degree, you must complete 24 semester credit hours of course work and six hours of research and must present and defend a thesis based on original research. If you plan on a nonresearch-related career in public gardening, landscape design, extension, consulting or agri-business, you must complete 30 semester credit hours of course work and undertake a professional development/public service project in lieu of thesis-related research. Interdisciplinary studies in plant health and integrated pest management are also available under this option.
PhD You will be required to write a dissertation based on original research in order to earn the PhD degree. There is no semester credit hour requirement; the course work plan will be based on your interests and dissertation emphasis, as determined in consultation with your major advisor and graduate committee.
Research Facilities
Laboratories of PES faculty members are affiliated with the Departments of Biological Sciences, Horticulture, and Entomology, Soils and Plant Sciences. Facilities include the Biosystems Research Complex, in which 40,000 square feet of greenhouse provides varied levels of controlled environment for plant-growth experiments; the Electron Microscopy Facility, equipped with transmission, scanning and confocal microscopes; the Analytical Laboratory, for quantification of pesticide residues, secondary metabolites and hormones; Microarrays and Prtoteomics Facility and the DNA Sequencing Facility.
The CU Genomics Institute is a state-of-the-art facility focusing on the structural and functional genomics of agricultural and horticultural crops and their pests. In proximity to the campus are Musser Farm, a 240-acre fruit tree research facility; Simpson Experimental Station, for plant genetics and breeding and crop ecology and the South Carolina Botanical Garden, a teaching and research facility.
Three research and education centers offer instruction and practical experience in crop, turf and vegetable physiology, pathology, entomology and production, while enhancing environmental quality. These research centers are located in the Piedmont region and the southern Appalachian Mountains—two of the most biologically diverse areas in North America.
Cost of Study
Tuition for 2007-2008 is $3,157 per semester for in-state students and $6,317 per semester for nonresidents. Off-campus rates are $330 per hour for in-state students and $660 per hour for nonresidents. Graduate assistants pay a flat fee of $950 per semester and $315 per summer session. Graduate fellows pay South Carolina resident fees.
Financial Aid
Research assistantships are awarded on a competitive basis. External funds granted to PES faculty members are the major source of assistantships and research support. Thus, admission preference is given to applicants whose expressed research interest matches that of one of the faculty members. You are encouraged to contact individual faculty members to address common research interests and funding availability.
Applying
You may apply on the web at www.grad.clemson.edu/Admission.php. Your application, with a $55 nonrefundable fee, should be received no later than five weeks prior to registration. Every required item in support of your application must be on file by that date.
Student Profile
As a candidate for admission, you should have a strong undergraduate background agricultural sciences, plant sciences, biology or chemistry. Undergraduate curricula that may provide this background are botany, biology or chemistry or one of the agricultural plant and soil environmental sciences such as agronomy, horticulture, forest resources and plant pathology. The program also welcomes students with nontraditional backgrounds who may need to complete some relevant undergraduate courses to supplement their graduate program.
Faculty Listing
• Abbott, A.G., Professor. Biological Sciences. PhD, Brown. Plant molecular genetics.
• Adelberg, J.W., Assistant Professor. Horticulture. PhD, Clemson. Plant physiology, in vitro propagation.
• Agudelo, P., Assistant Professor. Entomology, Soils and Plant Sciences. PhD, Arkansas. Crop disease control, nematode biology and ecology.
• Andrae, J.G., Assistant Professor. Entomology, Soils and Plant Sciences. PhD, Idaho. Forage establishment, management and grazing systems.
• Arai, Y., Assistant Professor. Entomology, Soils and Plant Sciences. PhD, Delaware. Environmental soil chemistry.
• Baird, W.V., Professor. Horticulture. Ph.D, Virginia. Plant molecular genetics.
• Ballard, R.E., Professor. Biological Sciences. PhD, Iowa. Plant systematics.
• Bauerle, W.L., Assistant Professor. Horticulture. PhD, Cornell. Tree stress physiology.
• Bielenberg, D.G., Assistant Professor. Horticulture. PhD, Pennsylvania State. Stress physiology and stress molecular mechanisms.
• Caldwell, J.C., Associate Professor. Horticulture. PhD, Arkansas. Arboriculture and urban forestry.
• Camper, N.D., Professor. Entomology, Soils and Plant Sciences. PhD, NC State. Biology of medicinal plants.
• Culin, J.D., Professor. Entomology, Soils and Plant Sciences. PhD, Kentucky. Plant-insect interaction.
• DeWalt, S.J., Assistant Professor. Biological Sciences. PhD, Louisiana State. Plant population, community ecology.
• Dufault, R.J., Professor. Horticulture. PhD, Kansas State. Vegetable physiology and cultural management.
• Faust, J.E., Associate Professor. Horticulture. PhD, Michigan State. Floriculture physiology.
• Fortnum, B.A., Professor. Entomology, Soils and Plant Sciences. PhD, Clemson. Etiology and epidemiology of solanaceous diseases.
• Haque, M.T., Professor. Horticulture. PhD, Clemson. Landscape ecology and design.
• Hassell, R.L., Associate Professor. Horticulture. PhD, Ohio State. Vegetable physiology and production.
• Jeffers, S.N., Associate Professor. Entomology, Soils and Plant Sciences. PhD, Cornell. Diseases of ornamental crops and trees.
• Keinath, A.P., Professor. Entomology, Soils and Plant Sciences. PhD, Michigan. Vegetable pathology.
• Kerrigan, J.L., Assistant Professor. Entomology, Soils and Plant Sciences. PhD, Washington State. Mycology and forest pathology.
• Knap, H.T., Professor. Entomology, Soils and Plant Sciences. PhD, University of Agriculture, Poznan (Poland). Cytogenetics and plant molecular genetics.
• Layne, D.R., Associate Professor. Horticulture. PhD, Michigan State. Peach production and physiology.
• Liu, H., Associate Professor. Horticulture. PhD, Rhode Island. Turfgrass physiology, stress and pest management.
• Martin, S.B., Professor. Entomology, Soils and Plant Sciences. PhD, NC State. Diseases of turfgrasses.
• McCarty, L.B., Professor. Horticulture. PhD, Clemson. Turfgrass management, physiology and pest management.
• Mueller, J.D., Professor. Entomology, Soils and Plant Sciences. PhD, Illinois. Crop disease control, nematode biology and ecology.
• Park, D.M., Assistant Professor. Horticulture. PhD, Florida. Quality in turfgrass systems, soil and water quality.
• Quisenberry, V.L., Professor. Entomology, Soils and Plant Sciences. PhD, Kentucky. Soil physics.
• Rajapakse, N.C., Professor. Horticulture. PhD, Texas A&M. Photomorphogenesis, postharvest physiology, phytochemicals.
• Reighard, G.L., Professor. Horticulture. PhD, Michigan State. Fruit tree culture, physiology and genetics.
• Riley, M.B., Professor. Entomology, Soils and Plant Sciences. PhD, Clemson. Plant physiology, pesticide residues, hormones.
• Rushing, J.W., Professor. Horticulture. PhD, Florida. Postharvest physiology.
• Schnabel, G., Assistant Professor. Entomology, Soils and Plant Sciences. PhD, Universitat Hohenheim (Germany). Fungal biology and genetics.
• Scott, S.W., Professor. Entomology, Soils and Plant Sciences. PhD, University of Wales (England). Plant virology.
• Shepard, B.M., Professor. Entomology, Soils and Plant Sciences. PhD, Texas A&M. Integrated pest management.
• Shipe, E.R., Professor. Entomology, Soils and Plant Sciences. PhD, Virginia Tech. Soybean breeding/genetics.
• Spira, T.P., Professor. Biological Sciences. PhD, California. Plant ecology, evolution and conservation.
• Stringer, W.C., Associate Professor. Entomology, Soils and Plant Sciences. PhD, Virginia Tech. Native grass ecology and management.
• Tomkins, J.P., Assistant Professor. Genetics and Biochemistry. PhD, Clemson. Crop genomics.
• Wells, C., Assistant Professor. Horticulture. PhD, Pennsylvania State. Root demography, physiology and senescence.
• Whitwell, T., Professor. Horticulture. PhD, Oklahoma State. Environmental remediation and weed science.
• Wiatrak, P., Assistant Professor. Entomology, Soils and Plant Sciences. PhD, University of Agriculture, Poznan (Poland). Crop management production for increasing economic viability and environmental health.
• Zehnder, G., Professor. Entomology, Soils and Plant Sciences. PhD, California-Riverside. Sustainable agriculture.
The University
Clemson is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as Doctoral/Research University-Extensive, a category comprising less than four percent of all universities in America. The University’s mission is to fulfill the covenant between its founder and the people of South Carolina to establish a “high seminary of learning” through its responsibilities of teaching, research and extended public service. The University has identified eight areas of academic emphasis that create collaborations that, in turn, help fulfill the University’s mission.
Location
Clemson University is located in a wonderfully diverse area near forests, lakes and mountains, with the East Coast only a few hours away. In addition to the 1,400-acre campus, real estate holdings include over 32,000 acres of forestry and agricultural lands throughout the state, most of which support comprehensive research programs. The Upstate of South Carolina is one of the country’s fastest-growing areas and is an important segment of the I-85 Corridor, a multi-state area along Interstate 85 that runs from the metro Atlanta area (home to nearly 5 million people) to Richmond, Virginia and encompasses Charlotte (the US’s second-largest financial center), North Carolina’s Research Triangle. Atlanta and Charlotte are each a two-hour’s drive away.
For More Information
Halina Knap, PhD, Program Coordinator
Department of Entomology, Soils and Plant Sciences
272 Poole Agricultural Center
Box 340315
Clemson University
Clemson, South Carolina 29634-0315
United States
Telephone: 864-656-3523
Fax: 864-656-3443
Email: hskrpsk@clemson.edu
