Graduate Education in Plant Pathology

Plant pathology is recognized as an integrated science of many scientific specialties to form a unique discipline. The department espouses the philosophy of providing our graduate students a strong foundation in plant pathology as well as an in-depth education and experiences in those areas that best fit the student's career goals.

Coursework in plant pathology and related disciplines provides students a foundation upon which to build their own concepts and hypotheses on the nature of plant diseases and their management. Research projects may focus on pathosystems at the bioinformatics, genomic, cellular, organismal, population, or ecosystem levels. Students learn teaching skills by assisting instructors with laboratory or class lectures. A strong cooperative extension program and the Plant Disease and Insect Clinic add to the graduate educational experience. Students develop communication skills that inform the scientific and agricultural communities, and other clientele through publications, presentations, and outreach activities.

The graduate faculty, having a wide range of expertise and professional interests, provides students with opportunities for in-depth education in a broad array of research areas. The state's climatic and ecological diversity allows cultivation of a rich assortment of crop, horticultural and forest species all of which are affected by a diversity of plant pathogens. Sixteen research stations located throughout the state reflect the unique soils, crops and climate. The extension faculty conducts educational and applied research programs on diseases of every major North Carolina commodity, and coordinates the Plant Disease and Insect Clinic.

Plant Pathology is one of the 22 departments administrated within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) at NCSU. This array of departments creates an atmosphere of cooperation among a truly diverse nationally and internationally recognized faculty providing excellent opportunities for cooperative research projects and sources of advice for individual research efforts. Information on interdepartmental programs is available from the CALS homepage.

Graduate education at NCSU is administered by the University's Graduate School. The Graduate School assists the departmental/program Directors of Graduate Programs (DGPs) in this endeavor, as well as supports the graduate students, the graduate faculty, the Administrative Board of the Graduate School, and other University service offices.