Graduate Academics Program

Graduate Coordinator | Graduate Course Descriptions | Graduate Applications
UF Environmental Horticulture Graduate Faculty Listing | REC's

Graduate studies leading to the Master of Science Non-Thesis, Master of Science, and Doctor of Philosophy degrees are offered in the Environmental Horticulture Department under the Horticultural Science (HOS) Graduate Program. Environmental Horticulture deals with the science of using plants to enhance the environment through breeding, selecting, propagating, growing, installing and maintaining plants.  Specializations include floriculture, public gardens, people-plant interactions, foliage for interiors, habitat restoration, turfgrass, woody plants, plant growth and development, taxonomy, breeding and genetics, tissue culture, stress physiology and plant biotechnology.  Members of the Graduate Faculty include department resident faculty, and faculty at University of Florida Research and Education Centers located in Apopka, Bradenton, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Pierce, Homestead, Milton and Quincy, Florida.

Degrees Offered

Master of Science - Non-thesis (MS-NT): This is a nonthesis degree that provides additional education beyond the baccalaureate degree.  The essential elements of this degree include a program of courses and final written and/or oral examination covering a completed project or course work.  There is no thesis or foreign language requirement. A minimum of 30 credit hours of course work is required. Course work taken for program credit must be numbered 5000 or higher.  At least 16 of these credits must be in the field of study designated by the major. Up to six hours of undergraduate courses (3000-4999) outside the major department may be used for support course work when taken as part of an approved graduate program. Up to six (6) credits S/U graded graduate courses may count toward the total 30 credits required. 

Master of Science  (M.S.): This degree requires a minimum of 30 credits, including a minimum 24 credits of regular course work and 6 credits of thesis research (HOS 6971). Course work taken for program credit must be numbered 5000 or higher.  At least 12 of these course credits must be in the field of study designated by the major. Up to six hours of undergraduate courses (3000-4999) outside the major department may be used for support course work when taken as part of an approved graduate program. The Master of Science degree is granted following satisfactory completion of all course work, a research project leading to the presentation and completion of a thesis, and passing the final examination.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.): Doctoral study consists of the independent mastery of a field of knowledge and the successful completion of a research project.  Doctoral programs are flexible and varied.  A minimum of 90 semester hours beyond the B.S. degree or equivalent is required for the doctoral degree, but up to 30 credits earned in an approved Master of Science program in Horticulture or closely related areas may count toward this minimum.  Course work taken for program credit must be numbered 5000 or higher. Up to six hours of undergraduate courses (3000-4999) outside the major department may be used for support course work when taken as part of an approved graduate program. A written and oral qualifying examination and final dissertation defense is required of all doctoral students.

Facilities

The Environmental Horticulture statewide facilities are well equipped for the training of graduate students.  The Environmental Horticulture faculties on both the main campus and at the Research & education Centers are equipped with modern highly equipped laboratories, walk-in growth rooms state-of-the art greenhouses and multi-media classrooms.

Qualifications

Applicants should have a strong undergraduate or graduate background in horticultural, biological, agronomic, or other disciplines within the life sciences, and exposure to chemistry, physics, and mathematics.  A prospective graduate student need not have majored in horticulture as an undergraduate or masters student. A minimum grade point average of B (3.0) (A=4.0) for all upper-division undergraduate work and a minimum Verbal + Quantitative combined total score of 1000 on the General Test of the Graduate Record  (GRE) Examination is required for admission into the Masters program and a minimum of 1100 for entrance into the Ph.D. Program. International students seeking admission to the Graduate School and whose native language is not English require an excellent command of the English language and must score at least 550 on the paper-based or 213 on the computer-based TOEFL.

How To Apply

Admission forms and information concerning admission procedures can be obtained by contacting the department Graduate Coordinator.  The application forms can also be printed off on-line or an on-line application can be submitted electronically. Please be sure to submit a set of documents to both Admissions in the Office of the University Registrar and to the Environmental Horticulture Department.  A nonrefundable application fee of $30 must also be submitted to Admissions.

A complete application with the Department must include:

Application for Admission

Official Copies of All Transcripts

Official Copy of GRE Scores

TOEFL Scores (International applicants)

3 Letters of Recommendation

Statement of Purpose

Application For Graduate Fellowship or Assistantship (if applying for financial support)

Financial Assistance – Assistantships and Scholarships

A limited number of highly competitive graduate assistantships are available within the department. Departmental assistantships are funded by the Cooperative Extension Service, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, and the Experiment Station. Assistantships also may be provided by other University, federal, private, or industry sources. Tuition waivers for graduate assistants may be available. Waivers for approximately 95% of out-of-state tuition and 75% of in-state fees are available to some students on assistantships.  Assistantship application forms may be obtained from the Graduate Coordinator, Department of Environmental Horticulture or printed off on-line. Completed forms should be submitted to the Department approximately six months prior to the desired date. Ph.D. applicants who demonstrate outstanding undergraduate preparation and potential in research and creative activities may be considered for Alumni Graduate Assistantships. International students accepted without financial aid must submit a Certificate of Financial Responsibility and be required to provide proof of financial support for the first year in the amount of $23,505, not including travel expenses.

For more information on fellowships:

College of Agriculture Fellowships

Inquiries

Qualified applicants are encouraged to contact the graduate coordinator or individual graduate faculty members whose interests and areas of expertise correspond to their own interests and professional aspirations. The graduate faculty listing is provided to help interested individuals make contact with individual faculty. Telephone and FAX numbers for all faculty and the E-mail addresses for some can be found in the faculty listing section. If you are not sure which faculty member(s) to contact, you can communicate with the Graduate Coordinator to obtain guidance.

Graduate Coordinator:
Dr. Charles Guy
P.O. Box 110670
1509 W.M. Fifield Hall
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida 32611-0670
clguy@ufl.edu