College: College of Agricultural and Life Sciences
Designation: Interdisciplinary program
Major: Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics
Degrees Offered: M.S., Ph.D.
Other: Ph.D. Minor
Faculty: Agronomy--H. Kaeppler (chair), Ane, Casler, deLeon, Jahn, S. Kaeppler, Tracy; Biochemistry--Amasino, Sussman Botany--Baum, Waller; Forest and Wildlife Ecology--Guries; Genetics--Doebley, Jahn, Masson; Vierstra Horticulture--Bamberg, Bethke, Brunet, Goldman, Havey, Jansky, Jiang, Krysan, Lower, Nienhuis, Patterson, Simon, Spooner, Stimart; Plant Pathology--Bent, Grau, Halterman, Leong, Rouse; Statistics--Yandell
The program leading to the master of science or the doctor of philosophy in plant breeding and plant genetics provides a broad exposure in the various disciplines involved in plant breeding and plant genetics and for specialization in a particular area of study.
The program is truly interdisciplinary, with membership from agronomy, biochemistry, botany, forest and wildlife ecology, genetics, horticulture, plant pathology, and statistics. Research areas include biochemical and molecular genetics, biometry, quantitative genetics, cytogenetics and cytology, genecology, genetics, and plant breeding.
The program has been designated a UW System Center of Excellence program. Faculty have included members of the National Academy of Sciences, endowed chair professors, and recipients of the National Council of Plant Breeders "Genetic and Plant Breeding Award." The University of Wisconsin leads the nation in the number of plant breeding programs and number of graduate students trained.
The 50-60 students majoring in plant breeding and plant genetics come from throughout the United States and all over the world. Graduates are found in responsible positions with academic institutions, research institutions, and private companies involved in molecular to cultivar development work.
Those Ph.D. candidates in other degree programs who wish to pursue a Ph.D. minor in this program must complete 10 credits of work with at least 2 credits from the plant breeding area and 2 credits from another area of the core curriculum. Also required are 2 credits of seminar (Agron, Genetics, Hort 957). Please contact the program for more information concerning the minor.
A bachelor's degree from an approved institution, an undergraduate grade point average of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale), and an undergraduate major suitable for entering the proposed field are required. Normally, students will have had undergraduate training in the biological or agricultural sciences.
Satisfactory preparation for graduate study should include mathematics through differential and integral calculus, chemistry through organic chemistry with lab, physics through light and electricity, and a comprehensive biology sequence. Course work in these areas may be required during the first year of graduate study if deficiencies exist.
Graduates of U.S. institutions must submit Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores including the aptitude and advanced tests (biology or biochemistry/cell and molecular biology). It is recommended that prospective students take the GRE Package #1 - general test (verbal reasoning, analytical reasoning, writing, and quantitative reasoning), although the program will accept the results of GRE Package #2 - subject test. Students should contact the Educational Testing Service for the exact time and location of the examination and general information on this procedure. Results of the examination must be sent to the Graduate School, University of Wisconsin, 500 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI 53706. At the option of the major professor, graduates of foreign institutions may be required to submit GRE scores in order to qualify for graduate research assistantships. Any student interested in competing for fellowship or scholarship awards from UW-Madison must submit GRE scores, though this is highly suggested for all applicants.
Admission of the student is recommended by one of the departments involved. For admission to plant breeding and plant genetics, the chair of the program signs the admissions form with concurrence of the chair (or admissions chair) of the department of the student's major professor. If a student initially enters a graduate program other than plant breeding and plant genetics, and then later wishes to pursue a Ph.D. degree in this program, the student must request a change of major. This must be approved by the chair of plant breeding and plant genetics and the major professor's department.
On rare occasions students who show promise may not fulfill the requirements for normal entry into the program, and admission on probation is required. If a student has an undergraduate GPA of less than 3.0 or has been dropped from another graduate program because of academic difficulties, the application for admission or change of major must be supported by a letter from the proposed major professor. This must be approved by the chair and at least two members of the plant breeding and plant genetics executive committee as well as the department of the student's major professor. The maximum probation period is two academic semesters.
For more information: Program in Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics, 3381 Moore Hall - Horticulture, 1575 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706; 608/262-8406; kmjacobson@wisc.edu; www.wisconsinplantbreeding.com.
The core curriculum includes the following categories. Information concerning additional courses can be obtained from the participating departments.
Hort/Agron 502 Techniques of Plant Breeding, 1 cr
Agron/Hort 850 Advanced Plant Breeding, 3 cr
Genetics 631 Plant Genetics, 3 cr
Genetics 701 Advanced Genetics, 3 cr
Genetics 703 Topics in Eukaryotic Regulation, 2 cr
Hort 550 Molecular Approaches for Potential Crop Improvement, 3cr
Hort/Agron 561 Introductory Cytogenetics, 2-3 cr
Agron 772 Applications in ANOVA, 1 cr
Agron/Hort 811 Biometrical Procedures in Plant Breeding, 3 cr
Genetics 629 Evolutionary Genetics, 3 cr
Stat 572 Statistical Methods for Bioscience II, 4 cr
Agron/Hort/Bot 555 Plant Functional Genomics and Bioinformatics, 2-3 cr
Biochem 621 Plant Biochemistry, 3 cr
Botany 563 Phlogenetic Analysis of Molecular Data, 3 cr
Botany 828 Evolutionary Plant Ecology, 3 cr
Pl Path 505 Plant-Microbe Interactions: Molecular and Ecological Aspects, 3 cr
Pl Path 517 Plant Disease Resistance, 3 cr