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The food we eat. The fibers we wear. The resources we use to cure, build, cultivate, fuel and sustain the planet — much of it comes from plants.
At the University of Wyoming, we offer a wide-ranging, customizable graduate program in plant sciences that will give you the opportunity to discover where you want to grow expertise and how you want to contribute to the understanding, usage and sustainability of the world’s plant kingdom.
A classroom of wide-open spaces
Wyoming is your classroom. With full-time faculty based in Laramie as well as at research and extension centers in Powell, Sheridan and Lingle, Wyoming, you will not only have the chance to learn on UW’s main campus — with its farm and greenhouses — but also through UW’s research and extension efforts statewide.
Our extension work, part of our roots as a proud land grant institution, allows you to join our program as a colleague, working in research areas such as invasive weed science and management, pest management, agronomy, horticulture and various aspects of agroecological efficiency and sustainability — and communicating your findings through UW’s outreach initiatives.
Graduates from our program go on to pursue further graduate studies or into careers in government, academia, extension programs, industry, nonprofits and consultancies.
In addition to becoming fluent in the plantscape of the West, you can individualize your program across a range of specialties that include plant production, plant protection, plant improvement and sustainability for future generations.
Here are some additional reasons to consider the UW graduate program in plant sciences:
Anywhere in Wyoming M.S. Complete a master’s degree in plant sciences from anywhere in Wyoming by completing research through our extension locations in Sheridan, Powell and Lingle, Wyoming, or in your home county for feasible projects. Many of our Ph.D. students also work in our extension centers.
Assistantships. Acquire research and teaching skills by applying for funding as a teaching or research assistant.
Scholarships. Pursue a scholarship. The Department of Plant Sciences offers graduate scholarships such as:
Faculty. Collaborate with faculty in UW’s Plant Sciences department who are working on topics that include sustainable crop production, weed and pest management, rangeland restoration, climate change and food production, cut flower production, plant diseases in crops and other critical areas.
Thesis/dissertation. Complete an applied research-based thesis or dissertation working with a faculty adviser. Learn more about recent and current graduate research projects in the Department of Plant Sciences.
Outreach. Participate in meaningful outreach and extension activities presenting and networking at stakeholders meetings such as the Western Sugar Cooperative, the Wyoming Wheat Growers, the Wyoming Bean Commission, Wyoming Groundskeepers and Growers Association and federal agencies including NRCS, Forest Service, BLM, Fish and Wildlife Service and USDA-ARS.
University of Wyoming Extension. Participate in the research and education efforts of UW’s Extension network. UW has Extension offices in all 23 of Wyoming’s counties.
Equipped with academic knowledge, research and community-based experiences, graduates of M.S. and Ph.D. programs in plant sciences are quickly employed in a variety of industry, government, nonprofit and academic positions. Many master’s graduates continue on to Ph.D. programs at places such as University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Virginia Tech, University of Idaho, Washington State University and UW.
Plant Sciences Careers
UW Plant Sciences M.S. grads hold titles such as:
Ph.D. graduates hold titles such as:
“I try to instill the Wyoming spirit of grit, determination and pride within every student I come in contact with.”
-Elizabeth Mosqueda, Ph.D. ’19, is the Bob and Sue Johnson Professor of Crop Management at California State University—Monterey Bay. Her UW Ph.D. research explored how to use alternative non-chemical tactics to manage herbicide-resistant weeds. Her research is critical to developing healthier and more sustainable agricultural systems for the environment, farmers and farmworkers.
The Department of Plant Sciences offers an enormous diversity of classes. These are a few you might take:
View the full Plant Sciences M.S. degree program curriculum
View the full Plant Sciences Ph.D. degree program curriculum
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