Graduate Program in Plant Biology The graduate program in plant biology trains students in modern research areas of plant biology. Each student's course of study is designed individually, in light of her or his interests and career goals. The graduate program features an introductory seminar, a two-semester core course and additional special topic courses and seminars in areas of faculty specialties. The Department has research expertise in the following areas: molecular, cellular, genetic, biochemical, physiological, developmental, and structural biology and plant microbe interactions.
Plan of Graduate Studies Before the beginning of the fall semester, new students discuss their background and interests with the Graduate Advisors, who help plan the academic programs with the students. During the first semester, all new students enroll in a two credit seminar in which faculty members summarize their current research programs. Each student also rotates through three research laboratories for ten weeks each in the first academic year. The rotations give students the opportunity to explore areas of interest as possibilities for Ph.D. research.

All students must take the two-semester core course (200A-B) as well as 210. The Graduate Advisor may waive the 200A-B requirement if a student has previous equivalent graduate course work. 200A-B provides students with an in-depth background in plant molecular, cellular, genetic, biochemical, developmental, and structural biology and plant-microbe interactions. All graduate students must enroll in two graduate-level seminar courses (e.g., Plant Biology 290) during their first two years. With their emphasis on student presentations and discussions, these courses further introduce faculty and students. At the end of the first year, each student will select a permanent Research Advisor (major professor) and will begin work on the thesis project.

Each student serves as a teaching assistant [Graduate Student Instructor (GSI)] for approximately twenty hours per week for two semesters. Students participate in the GSI training conference sponsored by the Graduate Division and the Graduate Assembly and enroll in PB300, a two-credit teaching workshop. Students are appointed as a graduate student instructor for a lower-division course (e.g., Biology lA, lB or 11) before being a teaching assistant for an upper-division course sponsored by the Department. International students educated in schools where English is not the language of instruction are required to pass the Test of Spoken English ( TSE) before they serve as teaching assistants.

During the second year, students may take additional courses in preparation for the Ph.D. qualifying examination. This examination usually is taken by the end of the second year. The Qualifying Examination Committee, a four-member committee, including one Berkeley Academic Senate member from outside the Department, is appointed in consultation with the student. The goal of the examination is to assess the candidate's broad knowledge of plant biology as well as to determine her/his in-depth knowledge in the proposed area of research. Each examination covers five of the following eight subject areas: physiology, biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, molecular biology, development, structure, and plant-microbe interactions. The Committee also discusses the student's research topic.

After passing the qualifying examination, the student selects a three- or four-member committee to serve as her or his Dissertation Committee. The chair of this committee is the student's Research Advisor. An adjunct faculty member can serve as co-chair with a regular departmental faculty member as the other co-chair. This committee meets on a regular basis to supervise and assist the student in the research that will be described in the Ph.D. dissertation. All members of the committee must approve the dissertation. The student is not subjected to a formal final examination. Rather, the results of the dissertation project are presented at a departmental colloquium.

Financial Assistance

The Department provides the necessary financial support for all students for five years at UC Berkeley. The Department pays fees and a yearly stipend of approximately $23,800. The Department pays out-of-state tuition for the first year only, as it expects out-of-state students to become California residents after that year. During the second year, the Department supports students as Graduate Student Researchers (who carry out specific projects in faculty laboratories) or as Graduate Student Instructors. Faculty thesis research advisors provide financial support (stipend and fees) for the final three years.

International students who hold neither dual citizenship in the United States nor Permanent Resident status cannot become residents of California. Accordingly, the students' research advisors must pay out-of-state tuition for the third through the final year. Non-resident tuition, not including fees for 2006-07 is $14,694 per year.

Although the Department guarantees support for its graduate students, it also strongly encourages prospective graduate students to apply for all applicable fellowships to defray fees and stipends. Students automatically compete for UC Berkeley-sponsored fellowships (University Fellowship Competition) when submitting the university application. The National Science Foundation's Predoctoral Fellowship Program and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Predoctoral Fellowship Program in the Biological Sciences (with November deadlines) have served as the main sources of extramural support for graduate students in the past.

For further information, write the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program at Oak Ridge Associated Universities, P.O. Box 3010, Oak Ridge TN 37831-3010, or telephone (423) 241-3010, or e-mail (nsfgrfp@orau.gov). Contact Hughes Predoctoral Fellowship Office, National Research Council, 2101 Constitution Ave., Washington DC 20418 or telephone (202) 334-2872 or e-mail (infofell@nas.edu). All students awarded a self-initiated outside fellowship will receive a stipend bonus above and beyond the normal yearly stipend of up to 25% of the stipend award, provided the fellowship pays tuition and fees.

Department of Plant and Microbial Biology Graduate Courses

For a full description of these courses and all others offered by the University, consult the General Catalog via the UCB Online Catalog or purchase a hard copy at The Bears Student Store by calling (510) 444-6251 or (800) 766-1546.