Botany is the study of how plants grow, reproduce, and disperse their seeds throughout the world.
Botanists conduct these studies at the molecular, cellular, organismic, and ecological levels in both the field and the laboratory. Botanical research is vital to many other disciplines including medicine, conservation, agriculture, and industry. OSU's program in botany provides undergraduates with a program that introduces many aspects of the discipline. Graduate students benefit from programs tailored to meet the interests and needs of individual students. Areas of study include plant physiology, taxonomy, ecology, developmental genetics, and cellular biology.